What Earl Deck Co., Ltd. does

R-DEC Co., Ltd. (株式会社アールデック, DBA: R-DEC) is a Tsukuba, Japan-based developer, manufacturer, and distributor of ultra-high vacuum (UHV) technology products serving research institutions, universities, semiconductor developers, and electronics manufacturers. Founded on June 1, 1988 and named from the fusion of "Research, Development, Equipment, and Technology," the company operates through a parent plus two wholly-owned subsidiaries — AVC Co., Ltd. (established 1997, custom vacuum equipment manufacturing) and ELC Co., Ltd. (established 2003, software and control systems using LabVIEW) — and runs an overseas entity, R-DEC KOREA (established 2017), alongside a Tokyo branch opened in 2018.

The company pursues a hybrid business model combining proprietary original-equipment manufacturing with multi-supplier distribution. Original products include RHEED systems (standard, Edge-RHEED for high-pressure operation, and PICO-RHEED for organic thin films), the HTDS thermal desorption spectroscopy line for hydrogen analysis (commercialized since 2009 via a joint patent with NIMS), the i-GONIO 6-axis UHV goniohead co-developed with AIST, the iQuick ultra-high vacuum deposition system, Vacstage manipulators manufactured by AVC, and an SPR surface-plasmon-resonance spectrometer. Distribution operations cover 100+ domestic and international vacuum-technology manufacturers — including sole representation of Veeco MBE components (since 2006) and exclusive arrangements with k-Space Associates, SAES Getters, Horiba STEC, Edwards Vacuum, MKS Instruments, and INFICON — sold through direct sales from Tsukuba headquarters and the Tokyo branch, with standardized components retailing via online shop ec.rdec.co.jp.

R-DEC's revenue mechanics rely on quote-based pricing for major capital equipment (RHEED systems, HTDS analyzers, kSA in-situ tools) and custom-engineered system integration, complemented by unit-priced components sold through its online storefront. The customer base spans Japanese national research institutes (NIMS, AIST, RIKEN, JAXA, KEK, JAEA, QST), leading universities (Tokyo, Kyoto, Tohoku, Osaka, Tsinghua), semiconductor companies (Tokyo Electron, Canon Anelva), and electronics manufacturers (Toyota, Sony, Canon, Panasonic, Nichia), with cumulative installed metrics including 800+ Valved Cracker Cells and 140+ Hydrogen Atom Sources delivered worldwide; revenue is not publicly disclosed.

Name

Earl Deck Co., Ltd.

Legal name

株式会社アールデック

Website

https://rdec.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

R-DEC Co., Ltd. (株式会社アールデック) develops, manufactures, and distributes ultra-high vacuum technology products, instruments, and components, primarily serving Japanese national research institutes, universities, and semiconductor and electronics manufacturers in Japan and selected overseas markets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Scientific Instruments & Vacuum Technology Equipment

NAICS

Industrial and Commercial Fan and Blower and Air Purification Equipment Manufacturing (333413)

SIC

Industrial & Commercial Fans & Blowers & Air Purifing Equip (3564)

akta.pro primary industry

Vacuum Pumps & Systems (IMAHANAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Vacuum Systems & Components (Vacuum Pumps, Ejectors, Cups, Grippers) (IMAHAGAN), Process Gases & Gas Delivery Consumables (Specialty/Bulk/UHP) (HDAHAGAL)

Keywords

• Ultra high vacuum equipment
• RHEED crystal analysis
• MBE thin film deposition
• Hydrogen thermal desorption
• Vacuum scientific instruments

Headquarters

HQ city

Tsukuba

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Vacuum Equipment and Component Sales: Sales of vacuum-related products, measuring instruments and components from over 100 domestic and overseas suppliers. Includes semiconductor development and manufacturing equipment. Products are available through online shop.
2. Self-Developed Products: Sales of proprietary thin-film deposition equipment, analysis equipment, and vacuum transfer equipment developed in-house. Products aim to improve efficiency and ease-of-use by combining vacuum technology with automatic control software. Custom-made products are also offered.
3. Custom Manufacturing and Integration: Flexible response to needs for custom-made products and system integration services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

R-DEC develops, designs, and manufactures in-house original ultra-high vacuum (UHV) equipment, including thin film deposition systems, analysis equipment (RHEED systems, hydrogen thermal desorption spectroscopy), and vacuum transfer equipment, while also distributing vacuum components and instruments from over 100 domestic and overseas suppliers to research institutions and semiconductor developers. The company combines vacuum technology with automatic control software developed by group company ELC, and offers custom-made products and system integration for cutting-edge R&D applications.

Product overview

R-DEC Co., Ltd. (株式会社アールデック) is a developer, manufacturer, and distributor of ultra-high vacuum technology products for R&D institutions. The company's product portfolio consists of two main categories: Original Products (self-developed) and Imported Products (distributed). Original products include RHEED systems (RHEED, Edge-RHEED, PICO-RHEED) for crystal structure analysis; ADS-E86 automatic evaporation system; thermal desorption spectroscopy systems (HTDS-003HS, HTDS-004) for hydrogen analysis developed with NIMS; i-GONIO ultra-high vacuum compatible goniohead; SPR surface plasmon resonance spectrometer; Vacstage UHV manipulators; and multi-contact device evaluation system 697MNK. Imported/distributed products include k-Space Associates products (kSA BandiT, kSA MOS, kSA ICE, kSA 400) for temperature, stress, and film thickness monitoring; DUV-BandiT for deep UV LED manufacturing; Delcom 20J3 non-contact sheet resistance measuring equipment; VTI calibration leak standards; V-One PCB printer; and Veeco MBE components. The company also distributes vacuum components (flanges, viewports, feedthroughs, valves) and MBE components (effusion cells, plasma sources) from over 20 domestic and overseas manufacturers. An online shop (ec.rdec.co.jp) handles immediate sales of vacuum components.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• RHEED (Reflection High-Energy Electron Diffraction) In-situ metrology tool for crystal structure analysis of thin films, particularly for compound semiconductors used in next-generation power and optical devices. Designed and developed in-house by R-DEC.
• Edge-RHEED High-pressure Reflection High-Energy Electron Diffraction system capable of operation at 1 Pa or higher deposition pressures, suitable for PLD and laser MBE applications.
• PICO-RHEED Low-emission RHEED system enabling crystal structure analysis of organic thin films with significantly reduced sample damage (1/500 to 1/2800) using a dedicated MCP screen.
• ADS-E86 Automatic Evaporation System Recipe-controlled automatic evaporation system with high pumping speed, reaching E-3 Pa within 3 minutes for load lock chamber, with fully automatic deposition control.
• HTDS-003HS Hydrogen Analysis System Thermal desorption spectroscopy system for hydrogen analysis jointly developed with NIMS, featuring PC-based operation, internally-developed H2Cal hydrogen content calculation software, and 0.01 wt.ppm sensitivity for trace hydrogen in high-tensile steels, hydrogen storage alloys, and electronic components used in EVs.
• HTDS-004 Hydrogen Analysis System Thermal desorption spectroscopy system for high-sensitivity hydrogen analysis with ultra-high vacuum specifications and hydrogen background pressure reduced to 5.0E-9 Pa or below.
• i-GONIO UHV Compatible High-Precision Goniohead UHV-compatible high-precision goniohead with 6-axis stage and sample cooling function for simultaneous sample cooling at cryogenic temperature (below 10K) and 6-axis manipulation under UHV conditions. Developed in collaboration with AIST.
• SPR (Surface Plasmon Resonance) Spectrometer Surface Plasmon Resonance Spectrometer for highly sensitive non-label analysis of molecular interactions using surface plasmon resonance phenomena. Developed in collaboration with Prof. Wolfgang Knoll at Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research (MPI-P) in Germany.
• Vacstage UHV Manipulators Series of ultra-high vacuum (UHV) compatible manipulators including linear motion Z stages, 3-axis manipulators, XY stages, tilt stages, and magnetic feedthroughs, designed and manufactured by group company AVC Co., Ltd.
• iQuick Ultra-High Vacuum Evaporation System Ultra-high vacuum evaporation system jointly developed with AIST for easy and quick thin film deposition, featuring 10-8 Pa ultimate vacuum and electron beam evaporation source.
• Multi-Contact Device Evaluation System 697MNK Multi-contact device evaluation system with load-lock chamber for multiple electrode contact testing and gas introduction system for experiments at arbitrary gas species and pressures.
• kSA BandiT Substrate Temperature Monitor Real-time substrate surface temperature monitoring system using semiconductor bandgap detection for MOCVD and MBE applications. Distributed from k-Space Associates.
• kSA MOS Thin Film Stress Measurement System In-situ thin film stress and strain measurement system using multi-beam optical sensor technology for CVD, MOCVD, sputtering, and MBE systems. Distributed from k-Space Associates.
• kSA ICE MOCVD In-Situ Measurement System MOCVD in-situ measurement system for strain, stress, temperature, reflectance, and film thickness monitoring for GaN LED and power device manufacturing. Distributed from k-Space Associates.
• kSA 400 Analytical RHEED System Analytical RHEED system for real-time and quantitative analysis including growth rate, lattice spacing, strain evolution, coherence length, and surface evolution. Distributed from k-Space Associates.
• DUV-BandiT Wafer Surface Temperature Monitor Wafer surface temperature monitor for deep UV LED manufacturing, measuring AlN on sapphire substrates, Ga2O3, Diamond, GaN at temperatures from room temperature to 1300°C.
• VTI Calibration Leak Standards Calibrated leak standards for vacuum system calibration including general purpose, precision, sniffer, and variable leak rate series, ILAC/A2LA accredited.
• V-One Desktop PCB Printer Desktop PCB printer capable of printing conductive traces on various substrates including FR4, flexible boards, metal boards, and glass, with built-in heater for curing and reflow.
• Delcom 20J3 Non-Contact Sheet Resistance Measuring Device Non-contact sheet resistance measuring device using eddy current method for non-destructive measurement of conductive materials from 0.0005 to 100,000 Ω/sq.
• Vacuum Components Vacuum components including flanges, gaskets, clamps, flexible tubes, piping parts, conversion fittings, viewports, linear feedthroughs, rotary feedthroughs, and viewport shutters. Sold via the online shop with unit pricing (e.g., CF flanges from ¥1,760, high vacuum angle valves from ¥31,790).
• MBE Components MBE components including single/cold-lip/hot-lip SUMO cells, dual/single filament cells, valved cracker cells, nitrogen/oxygen plasma sources, hydrogen atom source, and temperature-controlled DC power supplies. Includes Veeco products where R-DEC is sole representative since 2006, with 800+ Valved Cracker Cell units and 140+ Hydrogen Atom Source units delivered worldwide.

Quantifiable outcome

• Ultra high vacuum performance of 10^-8 Pa achievable with iQuick deposition system
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers20 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered regional, core, minor and major.

• R-DEC KOREAregionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2017Established in 2017 as a result of business partnership for distribution in Korea.
• National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2009Joint development of Thermal Desorption Spectroscopy System for Hydrogen Analysis. R-DEC obtained joint patent with NIMS and commercialized the system in 2009.
• National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2009Collaborative development of i-GONIO UHV Compatible High-Precision Goniohead with 6-axis stage and sample cooling function for simultaneous sample cooling at cryogenic temperature (below 10K) and 6-axis manipulation under UHV conditions.
• ELC Co., Ltd. (株式会社イーエルシー)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2003Group company established in 2003. Software developer and control equipment manufacturer. Provides control and measurement systems for vacuum systems using LabVIEW, automatic control of existing manual vacuum systems, and production of special electric furnaces.
• AVC Co., Ltd. (株式会社エイブイシー)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1997Group company established in 1997. Designs, manufactures, and modifies custom vacuum equipment for research and development. Produces analyzers, thin film fabrication systems, manipulators, and various feedthroughs. Also handles relocation of systems.
• Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research (MPI-P), GermanyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Prof. Wolfgang Knoll for development of SPR (Surface Plasmon Resonance) Spectrometer for highly sensitive non-label analysis of molecular interactions on surfaces.
• Veeco Instruments Inc.majorTechnology or IntegrationR-DEC became sole representative of Veeco components since 2006. Products include MBE systems, effusion cells, valved cracker sources, UNI-Bulb RF plasma sources, and heated viewports.
• k-Space Associates, Inc.majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistribution partnership established in 2005 for analytic RHEED systems, thin film stress/wafer curvature/thickness measurement tools, and band gap wafer temperature sensors. Process Integration Center (PIC) was established in Koya, Tsukuba in 2007 as a demonstration facility for k-Space products.
• SAES Getters S.p.A.majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistributor of CapaciTorr NEG pumps, ultra high purity gas purifiers, and alkali metal dispensers (AMD) for safe deposition of cesium, potassium, sodium, rubidium, and lithium.
• Horiba STEC Co., Ltd.majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistributor of mass flow controllers, plasma control devices, liquid source vaporization systems, vacuum monitoring equipment, and pressure control devices.
• Edwards VacuummajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistributor of scroll and rotary pumps, vacuum gauges, vacuum valves, turbomolecular pumps, and cryopumps.
• MKS InstrumentsmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistributor of Baratron high accuracy pressure gauges, automatic pressure/flow controllers, mass spectrometers, mass flow controllers, and RF/DC power supplies.
• INFICONmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistributor of thin film deposition controllers and mass gas analyzers.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves17 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Peers

• VAT Group: Swiss manufacturer of vacuum valves, seals, and motion feedthroughs used in UHV process tools - product-adjacent to R-DEC's Vacstage manipulators and vacuum component distribution line.

Others

• Veeco Instruments: US MBE and compound-semiconductor equipment maker whose components R-DEC has exclusively distributed in Japan since 2006 - both a key supplier relationship and an adjacent peer in MBE source and cracker cell technology.

Regional players

• Canon Anelva: Japanese vacuum and thin-film deposition equipment subsidiary of Canon serving semiconductor and electronics manufacturers - both a R-DEC customer and a competitor in compound-semiconductor deposition systems.

Direct peers

• RIBER: French MBE equipment maker with in-house effusion cells, valved cracker sources, and RHEED systems for compound semiconductor R&D - the closest pure-play competitor in MBE components and UHV thin-film deposition that R-DEC addresses.
• Scienta Omicron: European specialist in UHV surface analysis systems (ARPES, STM, RHEED-like instrumentation) for research labs - directly overlaps with R-DEC's RHEED and SPR analytical instrument portfolio.
• SPECS Surface Nano Analysis: German manufacturer of UHV surface analysis equipment including RHEED and custom vacuum chambers - comparable niche UHV product portfolio serving similar research-institute customers.
• ULVAC: Japan's largest vacuum equipment manufacturer offering UHV systems, thin-film deposition, and vacuum components for semiconductor, display, and research markets - directly comparable to R-DEC's UHV systems and distribution model.

Broad incumbents

• JEOL Ltd. Japanese electron microscopy, mass spectrometry, and UHV surface analysis instrument maker - broad incumbent with overlapping RHEED/analytical product lines sold to the same national-institute customer base.
• Pfeiffer Vacuum: Global vacuum technology leader (pumps, components, leak detectors, analysis) - broader portfolio than R-DEC but competes in UHV pumps, gauges, and components that R-DEC also distributes.
• Shimadzu Corporation: Major Japanese analytical/scientific instrument manufacturer with vacuum-compatible mass spectrometers and surface analysis tools - broad incumbent competing for similar research-lab budgets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Earl Deck Co., Ltd.