What SENTECH Instruments does

SENTECH Instruments GmbH is a privately held German equipment manufacturer founded in 1990 and headquartered at the Berlin-Adlershof science and technology park, with a secondary office in Krailling and a direct sales presence in Beijing. The company employs 51-100 people and operates two complementary product lines: Plasma Process Technology (low-damage ICP-RIE, ALE, cryogenic etching, CCP-RIE, ICPECVD, PEALD, and combined PECVD/ALD systems built around its proprietary Planar Triple Spiral Antenna ICP source) and Thin Film Metrology (spectroscopic and laser ellipsometers, spectroscopic reflectometers, in-situ endpoint monitors, and the SpectraRay/4 software platform). Its systems serve semiconductor research and industry, MEMS, optoelectronics, GaN/SiC power devices, quantum technology, sensors, and thin-film quality control customers worldwide.

SENTECH monetises primarily through capital-equipment sales on a quote-based pricing model, supplemented by recurring technical service (installation, preventive maintenance, repairs, spare parts, software updates, hardware upgrades) and application support/training delivered from in-house plasma and metrology labs. Its go-to-market is sales-led: a worldwide network of direct sales experts backed by regional distributors in China, Korea, India, Poland, Singapore/Malaysia, Turkey, and Spain/Portugal, supported by participation in major industry conferences (AVS ALD/ALE, Nano Korea), annual workshops in Berlin, and an Academic & Research Access Program for U.S. institutions. The company is privately held with no disclosed institutional investors, holds ISO 9001 certification, and is currently extending its metrology platform into the terahertz spectral range through a BMWE-funded partnership with TU Berlin.

Name

SENTECH Instruments

Legal name

SENTECH Instruments GmbH

Website

https://sentech.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

SENTECH Instruments GmbH is a Berlin-based, privately held German equipment manufacturer founded in 1990 that designs and sells low-damage plasma etch and deposition systems plus thin film metrology tools for semiconductor research, MEMS, optoelectronics, power devices, quantum, and sensor applications worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Semiconductor Process Equipment

NAICS

Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516), Instrument Manufacturing for Measuring and Testing Electricity and Electrical Signals (334515)

SIC

Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826), Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823)

akta.pro primary industry

Test, Measurement & Calibration Equipment Manufacturing Services (ATE, DAQ, metrology electronics) (IMAGAGAH)

Keywords

• Plasma process equipment
• Thin film metrology
• Spectroscopic ellipsometry
• Atomic layer deposition
• Plasma etching systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Plasma Process Equipment Sales: Sale of plasma etching and deposition systems including ICP-RIE, DRIE, cryogenic etching, ALE, ALD, PEALD, and ICPECVD systems. Systems are modular and configurable for research and industrial applications.
2. Thin Film Metrology Equipment Sales: Sale of ellipsometry and reflectometry systems including spectroscopic ellipsometers, laser ellipsometers, spectroscopic reflectometers, and in-situ monitoring tools for quality control and process optimization.
3. Technical Service and Support: Technical service including system installation advice, preventive maintenance, repairs, spare parts, software updates, hardware upgrades, and customer training.
4. Application Support and Training: Application team offers process optimization support, customer training, and sample analysis services from application labs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

SENTECH Instruments GmbH develops, manufactures, and sells low-damage plasma process technology systems (ICP-RIE, DRIE, cryogenic etching, ALE, ALD, PEALD, and ICPECVD) and thin film metrology tools (spectroscopic and laser ellipsometers, spectroscopic reflectometers, and in-situ endpoint detection systems) for semiconductor research, nanotechnology, and industrial production environments worldwide.

Product overview

SENTECH Instruments is a German equipment manufacturer offering two interconnected product lines: Plasma Process Technology and Thin Film Metrology. The Plasma Process Technology line includes SI 500 ICP-RIE, SI 500 C Cryogenic, SI 500 ALE (Atomic Layer Etching), SI 500 CCP RIE, SIPAR (combining PECVD and ALD), SI PEALD, and SILAYO PEALD systems for plasma etching, deposition, and atomic layer processes. The Thin Film Metrology line features spectroscopic ellipsometers (SENresearch 4.0, SENpro, SENDIRA FTIR), laser ellipsometers (SE 400adv, SE 401adv, SE 500adv), spectroscopic reflectometers (RM 1000, RM 2000), quality control systems (SENDURO accuva10), and the SpectraRay/4 proprietary software. These product lines share the SENTECH SIA operating software platform and can be integrated via cluster configurations, allowing plasma process and metrology tools to work together for semiconductor research and production quality control.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SI 500 ICP-RIE System

Quantifiable outcome

• Ultra-thin films measured with sub-nanometer sensitivity down to a few angstroms thick
• +3 more outcomes

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• TU Berlin – Chair of Terahertz and Laser SpectroscopyminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2025SENTECH collaborates with TU Berlin's Chair of Terahertz and Laser Spectroscopy (AG Gensch) on the Compact Terahertz Time-Domain Ellipsometer project. SENTECH supports the project by defining precision-adjustment and calibration protocols and contributing to construction of the final demonstrator system. The project extends SENTECH SpectraRay Spectroscopic Ellipsometry Software into the terahertz spectral range for smart farming and advanced material characterisation applications.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• HORIBA Scientific: Scientific instruments division of HORIBA offering ellipsometers, Raman, and thin film metrology tools. Competitor to SENTECH's ellipsometry and reflectometry product lines, but as part of a much larger analytical instrumentation portfolio.
• SPTS Technologies (KLA): KLA-owned supplier of plasma etch and deposition systems for MEMS, power devices, RF, and photonics. Competes with SENTECH in plasma etch and DRIE for MEMS and power semiconductor customers, but operates at much larger scale within KLA's broader portfolio.
• Bruker: Diversified scientific instrument manufacturer with metrology and analytical products (X-ray, AFM, ellipsometry-adjacent). Tangentially comparable to SENTECH's metrology business but operates at much larger scale across many analytical techniques.
• EV Group: Austria-based supplier of wafer bonding, nanoimprint lithography, and related semiconductor process equipment serving MEMS, photonics, and advanced packaging. Adjacent competitor with overlapping customers in MEMS and compound semiconductor processing.

Direct peers

• Oxford Instruments: UK-based manufacturer of plasma etch, ALD, and ion beam systems (Plasma Technology division) and high-end analytical instrumentation. Closely comparable to SENTECH across plasma process technology, ALD/ALE, and research/fab-adjacent customer segments, with broader scale and public-company financials.
• Trion Technology: U.S.-based plasma etch equipment manufacturer focused on R&D and small-scale production. Competes in the same ICP-RIE and plasma processing segment as SENTECH's SI 500 family.
• Plasma-Therm: U.S.-based supplier of ICP-RIE, plasma etch, PECVD, and ALD systems targeting compound semiconductors, MEMS, and photonics. Operates in the same research-to-small-production segment as SENTECH with overlapping ICP source and ALD product lines.
• J.A. Woollam: U.S.-based manufacturer of spectroscopic ellipsometers and software (CompleteEASE) covering VUV to NIR. Direct head-to-head competitor to SENTECH's SENresearch and SpectraRay product family in thin film metrology.
• Samco Inc. Japan-based manufacturer of plasma etch, CVD, PEALD, and surface treatment systems serving compound semiconductor and MEMS research/production. Comparable to SENTECH in equipment categories and customer profile, with stronger Asian presence.

Emerging players

• Angstrom Engineering: Canada-based manufacturer of thin film deposition systems (PVD, ALD, PE-CVD) for research and pilot production. Comparable niche positioning to SENTECH's deposition line with similar customer profile in advanced materials and energy research.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sentech-instruments-gmbh
• Facebookfacebook.com/1704844033109969

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 SENTECH Instruments