Film Sense, Llc

What Film Sense, Llc does

Film Sense, LLC is a privately-held scientific instrumentation company founded in 2013 by Blaine Johs (30+ years of spectroscopic ellipsometry experience) and headquartered in Lincoln, Nebraska. The company designs and manufactures Multi-Wavelength Ellipsometers — optical instruments that measure thin film thickness and optical properties — for research laboratories, industrial quality-control teams, and thin film deposition equipment manufacturers. Its core technology relies on long-life LED light sources (rated lifetimes exceeding 50,000 hours) and a patented no-moving-parts ellipsometric detector based on the Division of Amplitudes Polarimeter (DOAP) architecture (US Patent #9,354,118), a configuration the company asserts cancels measurement errors from beam misalignment and enables acquisition speeds as fast as 1.7 ms per wavelength.

The product portfolio is centered on the FS-4 (4-wavelength, 450–660 nm) and FS-8 (8-wavelength, 370–950 nm) Multi-Wavelength Ellipsometers, supplemented by add-on modules: FS-RT300 and FS-XY150 automated mapping stages (for wafers up to 300 mm), an in situ monitoring system for real-time deposition control, a Liquid Cell option for immersion ellipsometry, an Auto-Align module, and a Fast Mode option. All systems are controlled through a web browser-based software interface (version 3.0) that includes the Model Builder feature, which automates construction and testing of ellipsometric analysis models. The company integrates its instruments with third-party ALD/CVD reactor platforms, with documented installations on Kurt J. Lesker ALD150LX, Beneq TFS 200, OkyayTech thermal and plasma reactors, and custom research reactors.

Film Sense sells directly via its website with quote-based pricing (no public price list) and supplements US/UK direct sales with distribution partners in Turkey (Okyay Tech), South Korea (Paultec Co., Ltd.), Israel (A.T.S.L), and Japan (Meiwafosis Co., Ltd.). The company has no disclosed external funding and operates with a 1–10 person team. Revenue derives primarily from hardware sales of FS-4 and FS-8 systems and their modules, plus associated software licenses, with industrial customers in semiconductor manufacturing complementing an academic- and government-research-heavy customer base spanning materials science and chemical engineering.

Name

Film Sense, Llc

Legal name

Film Sense LLC

Website

https://film-sense.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Film Sense, LLC develops multi-wavelength ellipsometers for thin film measurement, serving research laboratories, semiconductor manufacturers, and deposition equipment OEMs. Founded in 2013 and headquartered in Lincoln, Nebraska, the company sells direct and via distributors in four international markets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Thin Film Metrology Equipment

NAICS

Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing (33451)

SIC

Optical Instruments & Lenses (3827)

akta.pro primary industry

Optoelectronic Components (LEDs, photodiodes, optocouplers, optical sensors) (IMAGAJAF)

Keywords

• Multi-wavelength ellipsometry
• Thin film measurement
• Semiconductor metrology
• Optical characterization instruments
• Film thickness analysis

Headquarters

HQ city

Lincoln

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Multi-Wavelength Ellipsometer Hardware Sales: Film Sense sells Multi-Wavelength Ellipsometer systems including FS-4 and FS-8 models, automated mapping systems (FS-RT300, FS-XY150), and in situ monitoring systems. Hardware includes source units, detector units, and mounting accessories.
2. Software Licenses and Analysis Tools: Software includes Model Builder, Analysis Model features, and Analysis-Only version for offline analysis. Software runs on integrated computer in detector unit with web browser interface.
3. International Distribution Partnerships: Company has international representatives in Turkey (Okyay Tech), South Korea (Paultec Co., Ltd.), Israel (A.T.S.L), and Japan (Meiwafosis Co., Ltd.) who distribute products in their regions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Film Sense, LLC designs, manufactures, and sells multi-wavelength ellipsometers (including the FS-4 and FS-8 systems) used to measure thin film thickness and optical constants (n, k) of layers in semiconductor, photovoltaic, display, and research applications. The company also provides associated software for data acquisition and analysis, along with application support for thin film characterization.

Product overview

Film Sense, LLC offers a family of Multi-Wavelength Ellipsometers based on patented LED light source technology with no moving parts detectors. The core product line consists of FS-4 (4-wavelength) and FS-8 (8-wavelength) ellipsometers, with 4th generation systems now available. Add-on modules include the FS-RT300 and FS-XY150 automated mapping systems for wafer thickness uniformity measurement up to 300 mm, in-situ monitoring systems for real-time thin film deposition control, Liquid Cell option for immersion ellipsometry, Auto-Align for automated calibration, and Fast Mode for ultra-fast dynamic measurements. All systems are controlled via the Film Sense Software platform (v3.0) featuring Model Builder for automated analysis. The company was founded in 2013 and is headquartered in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• FS-4 Multi-Wavelength Ellipsometer A compact four-wavelength ellipsometer designed for fast, non-destructive measurement of thin film thickness and optical constants (n, k). Targeted at research labs, universities, and production environments needing quick thin film characterization on silicon, glass, and other substrates.
• FS-8 Multi-Wavelength Ellipsometer An eight-wavelength ellipsometer providing expanded spectral coverage for more detailed thin film and multilayer analysis. Used by semiconductor R&D, photovoltaic developers, and academic researchers requiring richer optical characterization data.
• Film Sense Analysis Software Companion software that runs Film Sense ellipsometer hardware, performs real-time data acquisition, and applies optical models to extract film thickness and refractive index values for thin film analysis.

Quantifiable outcome

• Thickness precision better than 0.0004 nm achievable on many samples with 1 second acquisition time
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Kurt J. Lesker CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKurt J. Lesker Company is a semiconductor deposition equipment manufacturer. Film Sense ellipsometers are integrated into Lesker's ALD150LX reactor for in situ process monitoring. First Film Sense FS-1 in-situ testing was performed on a Kurt J. Lesker ALD150LX reactor in 2014. Film Sense FS-8 in situ ellipsometer has been used in research characterizing ScN GPC vs. process conditions in Lesker systems.
• Beneq OycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBeneq is a Finnish ALD equipment manufacturer. Film Sense and Beneq successfully installed and tested the FS-1 Multi-Wavelength Ellipsometer on a Beneq TFS 200 ALD reactor. According to Pasi Meriläinen, Head of Equipment and Projects at Beneq, the FS-1 exceeded expectations for ease of installation, operation, and performance.
• Okyay Technologies Inc.coreTechnology or IntegrationOkyay Technologies (OkyayTechALD LLC) is an ALD equipment company based in Turkey/Ankara. Dr. Ali Kemal Okyay is a co-author on University of Connecticut publications using Film Sense equipment. Necmi Biyikli from University of Connecticut integrates Film Sense FS-1 on OkyayTechALD thermal and plasma reactors. Okyay Tech serves as Film Sense's Turkey distributor.
• Okyay Tech (Turkey Distribution)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInternational distribution representative for Turkey. Okyay Tech, Ankara, Turkey. Email: [email protected], Phone: +90-532-507-1000. Also manufactures ALD equipment.
• Paultec Co., Ltd. (South Korea Distribution)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInternational distribution representative for South Korea. 54, Neungdong-ro 3-gil, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, 05084, Korea. Phone: +82-2-418-5244, Email: [email protected].
• A.T.S.L - Advanced Technological Solutions Ltd (Israel Distribution)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInternational distribution representative for Israel. 17 Mondrian St., Kiryat Ata 2826317 Israel. Phone: +972-52-6406408, Email: [email protected].
• Meiwafosis Co., Ltd. (Japan Distribution)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInternational distribution representative for Japan. 1-14-2 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-002 Japan. Phone: 03-5379-0051, Email: [email protected].

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Onto Innovation: Onto Innovation (formed via the merger of Nanometrics and Rudolph Technologies) provides thin film and optical metrology for semiconductor and adjacent industries. It is a broad incumbent offering overlapping capabilities with Film Sense in the industrial and semiconductor QC segments.
• KLA Corporation: KLA is the dominant supplier of process control and yield management metrology for semiconductor manufacturing, including thin film measurement. While operating at a much larger scale and broader portfolio than Film Sense, KLA competes for the same in-fab and process-control thin film measurement budgets.
• Horiba Scientific: Horiba Scientific sells a portfolio of spectroscopic ellipsometers as part of its broader scientific instrumentation business, serving similar thin-film metrology customers. While not specializing solely in ellipsometry, Horiba is a frequent alternative considered alongside Film Sense at academic and industrial research sites.
• Semilab: Semilab supplies a wide range of thin film and semiconductor metrology equipment, including ellipsometry-based tools. It competes with Film Sense for industrial QC and R&D customers, though with a much broader product portfolio and larger installed base.
• Bruker: Bruker's nano surfaces division offers optical and stylus-based metrology, including instruments that overlap with Film Sense's thin film and surface characterization capabilities. It serves similar academic and industrial metrology customers from a much broader scientific-instrument platform.

Emerging players

• Park Systems: Park Systems manufactures atomic force microscopes and nano-metrology tools used for thin film and surface characterization. It addresses partially overlapping thin-film measurement needs as Film Sense, particularly in research labs evaluating combined AFM and optical metrology solutions.

Others

• Angstrom Engineering: Angstrom Engineering is a manufacturer of thin film deposition systems, including ALD tools that may integrate metrology from companies like Film Sense. It is an adjacent ecosystem participant — both a potential integration partner for Film Sense and an indirect route to end customers building ALD process lines.

Direct peers

• SENTECH Instruments: SENTECH Instruments is a German manufacturer of ellipsometers and thin film measurement systems, including spectroscopic and laser ellipsometers. It is a direct competitor to Film Sense in the research, ALD, and industrial thin-film metrology market.
• J.A. Woollam Co. J.A. Woollam is the leading US-based manufacturer of spectroscopic ellipsometers for thin film characterization. It directly competes with Film Sense in multi-wavelength and spectroscopic ellipsometry across academic, industrial, and semiconductor metrology customers.
• Accurion: Accurion manufactures imaging ellipsometers and spectroscopic ellipsometers used for thin film and surface characterization. It is a direct competitor to Film Sense in the ellipsometry instrumentation market serving research and industrial customers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/film-sense

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 Film Sense, Llc