Plasma-Therm acquires majority share of advanced vacuum to expand product lines and markets

ST. PETERSBURG, USA: Plasma-Therm LLC, a leading supplier of plasma etch and deposition equipment, has secured majority shareholder status of Advanced Vacuum, a leading vacuum and thin film equipment provider headquartered in Sweden. Both operations have partnered to create a strategic alliance with complementary etch and deposition systems that support the needs of R&D through production environments.

This mutually beneficial partnership will strengthen their respective product offerings and expand an established sales and service network. With additional support and funding through Plasma-Therm, Advanced Vacuum will be able to dedicate additional resources to product development.

Thomas Engstedt, CEO of Advanced Vacuum, expressed: “We are very pleased to establish this relationship with Plasma-Therm. Having a world class partner who can provide financial support, technology and a solid service infrastructure will allow us to increase our product portfolio and grow our market share.”

“The two companies, each a leading supplier for etch and deposition systems, will extend their market reach in the areas of dedicated R&D systems, failure analysis and non-clustered platforms. Advanced Vacuum brings an outstanding reputation for providing high performance at low cost and will complement Plasma-Therm’s value driven product portfolio of systems intended for production,” said Abdul Lateef, CEO at Plasma-Therm.

“With this transaction we anticipate expansion into applications that will leverage Advanced Vacuum’s capabilities for custom vacuum equipment design and fabrication. The large combined installed system base will benefit from their expertise in control system upgrades.”