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In 1979, in Kyoto, the ancient capital of Japan, a small laboratory was established to develop the equipment for chemical vapor deposition (CVD) for semiconductor industry. This laboratory was the first facility of SAMCO International, an innovative developer of plasma solutions. Over the years the company has grown, expanded its product portfolio, opened representative offices, service divisions and centers of research and development in Asia (China, Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore, Vietnam), North America (USA) and Europe (Liechtenstein), changed its name to SAMCO Inc. and had an IPO on the Tokyo stock exchange. Currently, SAMCO employs about 170 people, and the sales of the company exceed 5.3 billion Japanese yen. In 2014, SAMCO’s stock listing was transferred to the first section of the Tokyo stock exchange, where the shares of the companies with the largest capitalization are traded. Mr. Tsukasa Kawabe (on the right in the photo), Director, Member of the Board, Executive Vice President (Global Business) at SAMCO Inc., told us about solutions for the semiconductor industry.
Mr. Kawabe, what are the core competencies of SAMCO?
We develop and manufacture three groups of equipment for the semiconductor industry. First, it are systems for thin-film technologies based on liquid source chemical vapor deposition (LS-CVD), plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) and metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). Our CVD system are used for formation of thin films of metals, semiconductors and dielectrics in the manufacture of semiconductor devices, LEDs and MEMS. In particular, LS-CVD allows the deposition of a high-quality insulation layers in the 3D structures at low temperatures and without the use of toxic and flammable gases, PECVD is used to form insulation and passivation films of such materials as SiO2, Si3N4, SiOxNy, a-Si:H, and MOCVD is used for epitaxial growth of single crystal gallium nitride layers.
The second group of products includes dry etching systems with use of inductively coupled plasma (ICP) etching, reactive ion etching (RIE) and Bosch process, a deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) of silicon. Our dry etching systems allows to form the precise patterns in the layers of semiconductors and dielectrics for the manufacture of semiconductor devices, LEDs, displays. We have developed a high-density plasma source Tornado ICP, which provides high etching rate. I would also like to mention that SAMCO is the first Japan’s licensee of the Bosch process, which allowed us to become one of the world leaders in the development and production of DRIE systems.
The third group of equipment includes equipment for dry cleaning on the basis of plasma systems and UV-ozone cleaners. Dry processing eliminates the use of liquid solvents and allows high-speed automated cleaning. Plasma cleaners are used for processing plastic packages, LCD circuit boards and other parts. At the same time, plasma treatment enhances wire-bonding strength and improve the adhesion of molding resin. UV-ozone сleaning is used in the manufacturing of LCD displays, magnetic disks, electronic components, LEDs.
We produce equipment both for mass production and for research and development.
What advantages are provided by SAMCO’s equipment?
When developing new solutions, we work closely with leading Japanese research centers, particularly with Tokyo and Kyoto universities, so users can be sure that we offer them with advanced equipment, created on the basis of the latest technical developments. Use of high-quality components provides very high reliability of our systems. At the same time, they are easy to maintain, inexpensive to operate and allow to use conventional consumables. An important advantage is that since 1979 we have accumulated vast technological experience that is offered to our clients. If our database does not contain the necessary recipe, we develop it in cooperation with the customer. Comprehensive technical support is complemented by high-quality service support. Our service engineers in the shortest possible time solve the problems of repair and maintenance in any region of the world.
How the company operates in the European market?
In 2014, after purchasing 90% shares of UCP Processing Ltd. that develops plasma cleaning systems, we have established SAMCO-UCP Ltd. with headquarters in Liechtenstein. SAMCO-UCP represents us in the European market, providing sales and service support. We put a lot of effort to strengthen our position in Europe and we hope that the Russian users will also appreciate the quality of our solutions.
Interview: Dmitry Gudilin
We develop and manufacture three groups of equipment for the semiconductor industry. First, it are systems for thin-film technologies based on liquid source chemical vapor deposition (LS-CVD), plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) and metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). Our CVD system are used for formation of thin films of metals, semiconductors and dielectrics in the manufacture of semiconductor devices, LEDs and MEMS. In particular, LS-CVD allows the deposition of a high-quality insulation layers in the 3D structures at low temperatures and without the use of toxic and flammable gases, PECVD is used to form insulation and passivation films of such materials as SiO2, Si3N4, SiOxNy, a-Si:H, and MOCVD is used for epitaxial growth of single crystal gallium nitride layers.
The second group of products includes dry etching systems with use of inductively coupled plasma (ICP) etching, reactive ion etching (RIE) and Bosch process, a deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) of silicon. Our dry etching systems allows to form the precise patterns in the layers of semiconductors and dielectrics for the manufacture of semiconductor devices, LEDs, displays. We have developed a high-density plasma source Tornado ICP, which provides high etching rate. I would also like to mention that SAMCO is the first Japan’s licensee of the Bosch process, which allowed us to become one of the world leaders in the development and production of DRIE systems.
The third group of equipment includes equipment for dry cleaning on the basis of plasma systems and UV-ozone cleaners. Dry processing eliminates the use of liquid solvents and allows high-speed automated cleaning. Plasma cleaners are used for processing plastic packages, LCD circuit boards and other parts. At the same time, plasma treatment enhances wire-bonding strength and improve the adhesion of molding resin. UV-ozone сleaning is used in the manufacturing of LCD displays, magnetic disks, electronic components, LEDs.
We produce equipment both for mass production and for research and development.
What advantages are provided by SAMCO’s equipment?
When developing new solutions, we work closely with leading Japanese research centers, particularly with Tokyo and Kyoto universities, so users can be sure that we offer them with advanced equipment, created on the basis of the latest technical developments. Use of high-quality components provides very high reliability of our systems. At the same time, they are easy to maintain, inexpensive to operate and allow to use conventional consumables. An important advantage is that since 1979 we have accumulated vast technological experience that is offered to our clients. If our database does not contain the necessary recipe, we develop it in cooperation with the customer. Comprehensive technical support is complemented by high-quality service support. Our service engineers in the shortest possible time solve the problems of repair and maintenance in any region of the world.
How the company operates in the European market?
In 2014, after purchasing 90% shares of UCP Processing Ltd. that develops plasma cleaning systems, we have established SAMCO-UCP Ltd. with headquarters in Liechtenstein. SAMCO-UCP represents us in the European market, providing sales and service support. We put a lot of effort to strengthen our position in Europe and we hope that the Russian users will also appreciate the quality of our solutions.
Interview: Dmitry Gudilin
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