Thin Film Equipment

What Thin Film Equipment does

Thin Film Equipment SRL (TFE) is an Italy-based, privately held thin film deposition equipment manufacturer, founded in 1996 in Binasco and operating as a subsidiary of Plasma-Therm. The company designs and sells capital equipment used in semiconductor R&D and production environments, with a portfolio built around three core deposition modalities — sputtering, evaporation, and PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition) — augmented by Plasma-Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (PECVD) via the Shuttleline platform and plasma-based wafer dicing through the MDS-100. Promoted technologies include the Shuttleline Platform PECVD for thin-film processing and the MDS-100 plasma dicing system, with the company emphasizing high-purity materials, accuracy/precision, and process stability.

TFE serves semiconductor R&D facilities, volume semiconductor manufacturers, and adjacent microelectronics segments including MEMS, power devices, photonics, and RFID. Sales are conducted through direct enterprise engagement with application-specific customization and process consultation, with pricing conducted on a quote basis under multi-year arrangements typical for capital tools. Distribution relies entirely on direct sales, with no third-party channel or reseller model indicated.

The company is supported by Plasma-Therm's global infrastructure, including a US presence in Saint Petersburg, Florida that handles commercial and customer-support contact points. Marketing is light, centered on a corporate blog/news section, a customer portal, and an active LinkedIn presence. There is no public financial disclosure: no revenue, headcount, funding, or profit figure is available in the input data, and the company has no public ticker or independent ownership structure outside its parent.

Name

Thin Film Equipment

Legal name

Thin Film Equipment SRL

Website

https://thinfilmequipment.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Founded in 1996 in Binasco, Italy, Thin Film Equipment (TFE) is a Plasma-Therm subsidiary that manufactures sputtering, evaporation, PVD, and PECVD deposition systems for semiconductor R&D and production customers across MEMS, power devices, photonics, and RFID end-markets worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Semiconductor Capital Equipment

NAICS

Semiconductor Machinery Manufacturing (333242)

SIC

Electronic Components, Nec (3679)

akta.pro primary industry

Deposition Equipment (CVD/PVD/ALD/Epitaxy) (HDAHAEAB)

Keywords

• Thin film deposition equipment
• Sputtering systems
• Evaporation systems
• PECVD systems
• Semiconductor manufacturing equipment

Headquarters

HQ city

Binasco

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Thin Film Equipment Sales: Sale of capital equipment systems including sputtering, evaporation, and PECVD systems for semiconductor R&D and production. Equipment is sold to research institutions and manufacturers with customization and process support services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Thin Film Equipment manufactures and sells advanced thin film deposition capital equipment, including sputtering, evaporation, and PVD systems, the Shuttleline Platform PECVD system, and the MDS-100 plasma dicing system. The company supplies customized process solutions with high-purity materials to semiconductor R&D facilities, production manufacturers, and research institutions serving MEMS, power devices, RFID, photonics, and advanced packaging applications.

Product overview

Thin Film Equipment (TFE), a Plasma-Therm company, offers a portfolio of thin film deposition and processing equipment for semiconductor R&D and production. The company provides sputtering, evaporation, and PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition) solutions. Key products include the Shuttleline Platform PECVD system for thin-film deposition and the MDS-100 plasma dicing system. These solutions serve advanced markets including MEMS, power devices, RFID, photonics, sensors, and next-generation microelectronic devices for applications in semiconductor manufacturing and healthcare.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Shuttleline Platform PECVD Plasma-Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (PECVD) system designed for thin-film deposition processing in semiconductor manufacturing and R&D applications.
• MDS-100 Plasma Dicing System Plasma dicing system for semiconductor wafer processing, enabling precision cutting and singulation of semiconductor devices.

Named customers1 record

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Plasma-ThermcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 January 2026Thin Film Equipment is a Plasma-Therm company, operating as a subsidiary or brand within the Plasma-Therm family. Plasma-Therm reflects on 2025 innovation, growth, and expanding global presence. Technologies and partnerships empower customers and research institutions to advance semiconductor and healthcare applications.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• SPTS Technologies (KLA): Direct peer in plasma etch and PVD/CVD deposition equipment for MEMS, power devices, photonics, and advanced packaging. Now part of KLA, SPTS overlaps with TFE's core product portfolio and target markets.
• Veeco Instruments: Direct peer in thin film deposition equipment (PVD, MBE, MOCVD/ALD). Both target MEMS, photonics, RF/power device, and advanced packaging applications with similar process technologies and customer profiles.
• Oxford Instruments Plasma Technology: Direct peer in plasma-based deposition and etch equipment for semiconductor R&D and specialty production. Competes head-to-head with TFE in sputtering, PECVD, and plasma etch systems serving research institutions and niche MEMS/photonics markets.
• Evatec: Direct peer specializing in thin film deposition systems (sputtering, PECVD, evaporation) for advanced packaging, MEMS, photonics, and power semiconductor applications. Closely comparable in product scope and target segments.
• SENTECH Instruments: Direct peer in plasma-enhanced deposition (PECVD) and etching equipment for semiconductor R&D and specialty production. Competes with TFE particularly in research, MEMS, and optoelectronics segments.

Broad incumbents

• Applied Materials: Broad incumbent dominating semiconductor PVD, CVD, and PECVD equipment. Competes with TFE in advanced packaging and specialty deposition, though Applied Materials focuses on high-volume leading-edge fabs while TFE focuses on R&D and specialty production.
• ULVAC: Broad incumbent in vacuum and thin film deposition equipment (sputtering, evaporation, CVD). Overlaps with TFE in PVD/sputtered films for semiconductor and electronics applications, though ULVAC serves a much broader industrial base.
• Tokyo Electron (TEL): Broad incumbent in semiconductor coating/developing and etch systems. Overlaps with TFE in deposition and singulation equipment, with global reach across logic, memory, and specialty semiconductor fabs.
• Lam Research: Broad incumbent in semiconductor etch and deposition equipment, with strong overlap in PECVD and emerging ALD. Competes with TFE in specialty deposition as well as the MDS-100 plasma dicing adjacency.

Emerging players

• Aixtron: Specialized MOCVD deposition equipment vendor serving compound semiconductor, photonics, and power electronics end markets. Adjacent to TFE's specialty semiconductor focus, with comparable customer profile but different deposition chemistry.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/thin-film-equipment-srl
• Facebookfacebook.com/thinfilmsputtering

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Thin Film Equipment