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ABOUT US
After graduating from UCLA in 1954 with a degree in Chemistry, R.E.(Dick)
Henriks went on to work in the Materials Department at Hughes Aircraft.
There he supervised the department and was in charge of their fledgling
crystal growth facility. At the time he left Hughes in 1961, he supervised
all aspects of their silicon and germanium production. His responsibilities
included crystal growth, orientation, cutting and polishing. After leaving
Hughes, Dick subsequently managed silicon production facilities at Monosilicon
and set up a crystal growth facility at Futurecraft before starting his
own company.
In 1963 R.E Henriks and Associates was formed to serve as an independent
representative for companies producing materials and equipment for the semiconductor
industry. As the business grew, Dick looked for ways to expand and subsequently
purchased South Bay Technology Group for $15,000.00. South Bay Technology
Group had been headquartered in a garage in Torrance and its neighboring
cities are collectively known as the 'South Bay' - hence the company name.
The company had been a part-time venture by Paul Helndselman who worked
alone to build, ship market and service a wire saw. This saw, the Model
716 Wire Saw was designed for cutting semiconductor crystals.
After acquiring the company, Dick completely redesigned the wire saw and,
in 1965, the Model 850 Wire Saw was announced. It featured a contoured cast
aluminum base and an abrasive recirculating system. Next was the Model 250
2-Axis Goniometer which allowed x-ray orientation and the subsequent cutting
of the oriented crystals on the wire saw.
As the Model 850 Wire Saw grew in popularity, customers looked to South
Bay Technology Group, and Dick's expertise, to produce the additional equipment
necessary for polishing these fragile crystals. In the late 1960's, South
Bay Technology Group introduced the Model 450 Crystal Facing Instrument
for damage free electrolytic polishing of crystals. More products followed
including the Model 750 Acid Saw and the Model 650 Low Speed Diamond Wheel
Saw. The company incorporated in 1969 as South Bay Technology, Inc. and
continued to expand.
Over time, new applications for the wire saw were developed which carried
its popularity into areas far different from its intended application as
a semiconductor slicing instrument. One very popular application was for
initial slicing of thin sections to be used for TEM. In 1970, South Bay
Technology introduced the Model 550 Single Vertical-Jet ElectroPolisher
which offered tremendous advantages over the more traditional twin-jet systems.
Other TEM related products followed and today South Bay Technology boasts
the TEM-Prep System for the complete preparation of TEM samples. The TEM-Prep
System includes equipment for initial thinning, dimpling, disc cutting,
electrolytic thinning, chemical thinning and ion beam thinning including
the new SoniCut 380 UltraSonic Cutter and the Tripod Polisher.
In 1990, South Bay Technology completed the first phase of a planned expansion
and moved into a new 16,000 square foot, $1.5 million facility. This new
facility has been designed to optimize production of the current product
line while providing room for anticipated expansion into new product lines.
An enlarged applications laboratory provides an opportunity for customers
to personally evaluate equipment and for the technical staff to continue
research into new and better sample preparation techniques.
From producing a single product in a garage shop in 1963, South Bay Technology
had developed into a company with over 50 major products and customers in
over 70 countries. When you call you will definitely be speaking to
a dedicated and valued employee. Dick Henriks is still actively involved
with the business and works hard to ensure that each product that goes out
the door meets his high quality standards.
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Hours: Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific Standard Time
Directions:
I-5 (North) to SBT from the San Diego area
Take the I-5 [San Diego Fwy] North towards LA
Exit Right onto Avenida Pico
Turn Right onto Avenida La Pata
Turn right onto Via Callejon
1120 Via Callejon, San Clemente, CA 92673 is on your right.
I-5 (South) to SBT from the Los Angeles area
Take the I-5 or the 405 South towards San Diego
Exit left onto Avenida Pico
Turn right onto Avenida La Pata
Turn right onto Via Callejon
1120 Via Callejon, San Clemente, CA 92673 is on your right.
From SBT to Freeway
Turn right onto Avenida la Pata (no left turn)
Turn right onto Calle del Cerro
Turn left onto E Avenida Pico
Take ramp to right onto I-5 [San Diego Fwy] towards Los Angeles
Take ramp (under bridge to left) onto I-5 towards San Diego
Map To Our Corporate Office
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