Metals hardly evaporate in air. But it is easy to create volatile condition of metals in vacuum. And even their plasma state is achieved.

Film coating technology is coating substrate with thin films of metals, etc.

Essential technology in manufacturing wide spectrum of components including quartz crystal units, thin film magnetic heads, optical communication devices, various lenses.

Quartz Devices

A quartz crystal is a flake of quartz with a vacuum-evaporated coating of metal film, which uses a specific frequency pulse generated by applying a fixed voltage, and is used for quartz watches and the internal clocks in computers. A quartz oscillator can also refer to a quartz crystal with a circuit attached. This type of oscillator can be used to control the frequency stability of such things as portable phones.

This application is one of the reasons for increased demand for quartz crystal, and that manufacturing process is a key technology known as vacuum-evaporation(※1) technology. Showa Shinku is a pioneer in this area, with manufacturing equipment for a wide variety of quartz devices, from electrode manufacturing equipment to frequency adjustment equipment. We have reached a dominant global position in this area.

Also, we are able to make significant contributions in raising our customers' productivity with developments such as computerized automated film thickness control and in-line equipment.

Sputtering Equipment and Crystal Frequency Regulation System For Quastz Crystal

Electronic Component Equipment

In the rapidly advancing area of electronics, the role played by the use of sophisticated vacuum coating technology is continually growing. To better meet these needs, Showa Shinku developed vacuum-evaporation equipment,and later various kinds of sputtering(※2) equipment. We give specific solutions to meet the demands of our increasingly sophisticated customers. Currently Showa Shinku equipment is used for making electronic components including thermostats for thermal printers, magnetic film heads for magnetic recording mediums, clear conductive film for LCDs, solar power storage cells and SAW filters.

Sputtering Equipment

Optical Component Equipment

Vacuum technology plays a large role in the fields of optics (opto-electronics). Showa Shinku has abundant experience in this area, having developed multi-layer evaporation equipment and optical ion plating(※3) equipment to meet the highly sophisticated needs of the opto-electronics industry. By aggressively providing automation solutions, especially through in-line processing, we help to increase our customers' production efficiency and productivity.

This equipment is then used to manufacture the optical component of optical pick-up devices used in the running gear of CD (Compact Disc) and other optical disc equipment, high-functional optical branching filters for WDM (Wavelength Division Multiplex) optical communications, optic components for steppers, and lenses for glasses and cameras.

Vacuum Coaters For Optical Films