Advanced Energy at SVC TechCon 2026: Practical Thin-Film Processing Insights

SVC TechCon 2026 reinforced several important trends for the thin-film industry:

For Advanced Energy, these trends align closely with our core mission of helping customers solve complex process challenges through DC power solutions like Ascent AMS and DMS, advanced measurement with pyrometry, and application expertise supported by PowerInsight data science.

At SVC TechCon 2026, Advanced Energy (AE) reinforced its role as a trusted technical partner to the thin‑film community by engaging directly with customers, sharing practical expertise in process characterization, and tracking the industry’s evolving direction. The AE team maintained an active presence throughout the conference without exhibiting this year, participating in technical discussions and contributing to the broader dialogue shaping the future of vacuum coating and surface engineering. 

Held in Long Beach, California, this year’s SVC TechCon brought together researchers, engineers, and business leaders from across the global vacuum coating ecosystem. The program highlighted the continued importance of thin films, coatings, and surface engineering in enabling a wide range of advanced technologies, while also emphasizing the growing role of artificial intelligence (AI) and digital tools in process optimization. 

 

Across sessions and hallway discussions, several themes consistently emerged as areas of high interest:

AI and machine learning were frequently cited as emerging tools capable of transforming process monitoring, optimization, and decision-making. 

While still evolving, these data science technologies are increasingly viewed as enablers of faster insight into process stability, yield improvement, and long-term system performance, particularly as manufacturing environments grow more complex. Advanced Energy continues to develop technology that integrates various data science capabilities in its power supplies.

 

Perhaps most importantly, the conference reinforced a foundational truth: regardless of the type of emerging technologies, precise measurement and process control remain central to achieving consistent, high-quality results in thin-film manufacturing. As manufacturers explore new ways to improve coating performance and expand their application capabilities, Advanced Energy remains at the leading-edge of precision power and control solutions.

 

Advanced Energy contributed to this dialogue through a technical presentation by Tim Dubbs, focused on accurate in-situ measurement.

The presentation, third in a series of presentations on pyrometer techniques, was titled “In Situ Optical Pyrometer Emissivity Measurement for Thin Film Processes.” It highlighted Advanced Energy’s OR4000E and ISR 6 series pyrometers, which can significantly improve temperature accuracy during thin film deposition by correcting for changing emissivity. We reviewed the fundamentals of pyrometer measurement theory and presented examples demonstrating improved performance on both opaque films and more challenging semi-transparent films, where interference effects lead to large emissivity variations. In MOCVD processes, we demonstrated an accuracy improvement from ±20 °C to ±2 °C. This prompted an engaging discussion with the audience on techniques for measuring thin film temperatures on transparent substrates. A following technical breakfast roundtable presented a further opportunity to showcase AE’s pyrometer solutions.

 

AE’s Ascent™ AMS and DMS power systems are designed to deliver the precise, stable power required for high-performance coating processes, including large-area glass applications.

As manufacturers push toward tighter process windows and more complex coating stacks, the need for consistent, repeatable power delivery becomes critical. Solutions like Ascent AMS and DMS support this requirement by enabling stable plasma conditions and improving overall process reliability.

These capabilities directly address the industry trend observed at SVC TechCon to enable expanding into high-volume, production-ready environments while maintaining quality.

Tim Dubbs’ presentation highlighted a central challenge in thin-film manufacturing: accurately measuring temperature inside vacuum chambers.

AE’s pyrometry solutions are designed to address this challenge by providing real-time, non-contact temperature measurement in dynamic, high-temperature environments. Accurate emissivity measurement and characterization are essential to ensuring that temperature readings reflect true process conditions.

By enabling precise thermal control, these solutions help manufacturers reduce variability, improve yield, and better understand the root causes of process deviations.

 

To learn more about how Advanced Energy can support your thin‑film or plasma process challenges, connect with our team for a technical discussion or explore our latest insights into process control and advanced coating technologies.