Founded in 1989 in the heart of Silicon Valley, Glide Write has established itself as a leader in the design and manufacturing of precision specialty heads for the data storage industries, supporting a wide customer base in the US and Asia. The company has since transformed into a trusted contract manufacturing partner for semiconductor equipment, and medical device equipment industries. With headquarters in Milpitas, California, and an overseas facility in the Vietnam–Singapore Industrial Park (VSIP) in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam, Glide Write combines innovation, technical expertise, and global reach to deliver high-quality solutions to customers worldwide.
Glide Write has extensive experience in both rapid prototyping and high-volume production. Our operations include advanced Class 100 cleanroom environments, precision manufacturing processes, and turnkey contract manufacturing for complex electro-mechanical assemblies and systems. Over the last five years, we have successfully delivered over 1,000 semiconductor chambers and over 1,000 optical and Illuminator modules for metrology systems, in addition to medical detection systems.
Capabilities and Expertise
- Precision Manufacturing:
- Glide, burnish, and magnetic data heads for testing rigid magnetic media.
- Manufacturing processes include diamond saw blade slicing, free abrasive lapping and polishing, photolithography, reactive ion etching, and thin-film deposition by CVD or sputtering.
- Microscopic assembly performed in Class 100 cleanroom conditions.
- Contract Manufacturing & Assembly:
- High-volume turnkey assembly of electro-mechanical systems.
- Notable projects include semiconductor chambers, optical modules for metrology, and skin cancer detection systems.
- Specialized services include chamber leak testing, Nâ‚‚ flow testing, and ultrasonic cleaning.
- Global Facilities:
- Milpitas, California: 54,000 square feet of manufacturing space, including 8,000 square feet raised floor up to Class 10 cleanroom, and a built in Deionized (DI) water system.
- HCM City (Saigon), Vietnam: 25,000 square feet of expandable manufacturing space within VSIP, focused on precision welding, soldering, suspension manufacturing, and assembly.
- Innovation & Intellectual Property:
- Holder of nine U.S. patents and one foreign patent.
- Staffed by skilled professionals, including over 30 engineers and specialists in engineering, manufacturing, quality, supply chain, and facility management.
Glide Write continues to expand into new markets, leveraging decades of expertise to serve the growing needs of the semiconductor, data storage, and medical device industries.