About Us

SAMCO was founded by Osamu Tsuji in 1979 as the Semiconductor And Materials COmpany (SAMCO). From its modest beginnings in a garage in Kyoto, Japan, SAMCO has grown into a $35 million corporation with more than 140 high-level design and production research associates at its corporate headquarters in Kyoto, Japan, sales offices in Tokyo, Tokai, and satellite offices in Kanagawa, Tukuba, and Sunnyvale, California. The Silicon Valley research and development facility in Sunnyvale was opened in 1987.

As a pioneer and developer of Plasma Enhanced CVD, Liquid Source CVD, MOCVD, the Diamond-Like Carbon (DLC) deposition process, etching and UV-Ozone Cleaning, SAMCO possesses over 27 years of process knowledge and experience in providing deposition, etching, cleaning and surface treatment solutions to our customers. SAMCO has earned the reputation as the company that "sharpens the cutting edge" by rapidly developing and manufacturing turnkey equipment/process solutions through partnerships with its customers in design and process development.

SAMCO is especially adept at taking the customer's process challenge and modifying existing equipment to provide a solution. By combining modern research and production facilities with a supporting network of major Japanese industrial subcontractors, SAMCO has the production capacity to rapidly manufacture and deliver cost-effective thin-film deposition and etch systems, and UV-ozone cleaning, stripping and surface treatment systems.

With time-to-market, cost of ownership, and competitive pricing becoming increasingly important, SAMCO concentrates on shortening the development cycle for its customers by providing reliable, affordable systems. After the initial product development is completed, SAMCO works closely with its customers to monitor the production of equipment, prepare the installation site, supervise the installation, train the production staff, and follow up with service and support for the life of the product.