Manufacture of glass and film photomasks, optical encoder discs, linear scales, calibration plates and fine glass machining in Versoix.
Selba S.A.
Versoix (Geneva), SwitzerlandNew on Amplifa
About Selba
Selba S.A. is a Swiss company for precision photolithography and fine glass machining, founded in Geneva in 1948. At the Versoix site (Route des Fayards), the company produces glass and film photomasks, optical encoder discs (incremental and absolute), optical linear scales, calibration plates and targets, and microscope reticles. Manufacturing includes high-resolution laser photoplotting up to 50'800 dpi, chromium and antireflective coatings, and 2D fine glass machining (cutting, dicing, drilling, edge grinding) on substrates down to 0.1 mm thickness using in-house developed machines; glass, ceramics and polymers are also bonded. Materials include soda-lime glass, quartz (fused silica), D263, black glass, optical filter glass, film and aluminium. Around 15 employees produce more than 250'000 glass products and more than 35'000 film products per year for semiconductors, electronics/PCB, medical technology, aerospace, automation, optics & photonics, the watch industry, microfluidics and New Space; customers are located in 21 countries.
- Site
- Versoix
- Processes
- Glass photomasks (chromium on glass, laser photoplotting), Optical encoder discs (incremental & absolute, photolithography), Optical linear scales (photolithography up to 50,800 dpi), Film photomasks (laser photoplotting), Calibration plates & targets (precision graduations), Fine glass machining (2D, cutting, profile cutting, drilling, dicing, edge grinding), Chromium and antireflective coating, High-resolution laser photoplotting up to 50,800 dpi
- Materials
- Soda-lime (soda-lime glass), Quartz (fused silica), D263, Black glass (dark glass / tinted B270), Optical filter glass, Borosilicate glass (including soda-lime variants), Film, Aluminium
- Certificates
- 100% inspection before shipment, R&D file review before every production run, ISO 9001 (documented)
- Founded
- 1948
- Employees
- approx. 15
- Industries
- Semiconductors & microelectronics, Electronics/PCB, Medical technology, Aerospace, Industrial automation & robotics, Optics & photonics
- 01
R&D file review & design support
- 02
Artwork generation
- 03
Laser photoplotting / direct-write
- 04
Chromium & antireflective coating
- 05
Fine glass machining (cutting, drilling, dicing, edge grinding)
- 06
Bonding of glass, ceramics, polymers
- 07
100% final inspection before shipment
Materials & Processes
Soda-lime glass
Standard substrate for UV lithography with good dimensional stability (≈9 ppm/°C).
Quartz (fused silica)
For deep-UV applications down to 193 nm with very low thermal expansion (≈0.55 ppm/°C).
SCHOTT D263
Special glass for encoder discs, scales and calibration plates.
Black glass (tinted B270)
Dark substrate with high optical density for encoder scales.
Film (partly aluminium-coated)
Cost-effective, flexible substrate variant for photomasks and encoders with 24h shipping.
Aluminium
Substrates from 0.2 mm thickness for lightweight encoder discs and linear scales.
Chromium (reflective/antireflective)
Absorber and contrast layer on glass and film substrates.
Ceramics & polymers
Materials for fine machining and bonding.
Site
Versoix
CHHeadquarters & production (cleanrooms, photolithography, fine glass machining)
- Part weight / size
- Glass and film substrates, encoder Ø up to 290 mm, linear
- Lot size
- Prototype to volume production
- Materials
- Soda-lime, quartz, D263, black glass, filter glass, film, aluminium, chromium, ceramics, polymers
- In-house developed fine glass machining machines
- Laser photoplotter up to 50'800 dpi
- Direct-write system for photomasks
- Cleanrooms
Components
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glass photomasks (chromium on glass, laser photoplotting)Surface | – | 28x32 inches × 28x32 inches | – | – | Soda-lime, Quartz (fused silica), Chromium (coating), antireflective chromium |
| Optical encoder discs (incremental & absolute, photolithography)Surface | Angular accuracy 2 arcsec; line width deviation ±5% | Ø 200 mm (up to 290 mm on request) | – | – | Soda-lime, Quartz, D263, Black glass, Film, Aluminium, Chromium (coating) |
| Optical linear scales (photolithography up to 50,800 dpi)Surface | ±0.1 mm; global length accuracy down to ±1 µm | 900 mm | – | – | Soda-lime, Quartz, D263, Black glass, Film, Aluminium, Chromium (coating) |
| Film photomasks (laser photoplotting)Surface | – | 28×32 inches × 28×32 inches | – | – | Film, Aluminium (coated film variants) |
| Calibration plates & targets (precision graduations)Testing | ±0.1 mm on cut dimensions; feature accuracy up to 0.6 µm | – | – | – | Soda-lime, Quartz, D263, optical filter glass, Chromium (reflective/antireflective) |
| Fine glass machining (2D, cutting, profile cutting, drilling, dicing, edge grinding)Machining | down to 0.1 mm thickness | > 200 mm × > 200 mm | – | – | Glass, Ceramics, Polymers |
| Chromium and antireflective coatingSurface | – | – | – | – | Chromium, antireflective chromium |
| High-resolution laser photoplotting up to 50,800 dpiSurface | – | – | – | – | Glass, Film |
| Bonding/joining of glass, ceramics and polymersJoining | – | – | – | – | Glass, Ceramics, Polymers |
3 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| In-house designed fine glass machining machines | Selba | – | complex profiles > 200 mm; substrates from 0.1 mm thickness | – | Versoix (Geneva), Switzerland |
| High-resolution laser photoplotter | – | – | up to 50,800 dpi; film formats up to 28×32 inches | – | Versoix (Geneva), Switzerland |
| Direct-write system (photomasks) | – | – | micron-level feature definition in chromium | – | Versoix (Geneva), Switzerland |
Additional services
Reference customers
Quality
Every product undergoes 100% inspection before shipment with full traceability from artwork intake to delivery; tolerances are in the micron range (e.g. feature accuracy down to 0.6 µm, angular accuracy 2 arcseconds).
| Evidence | Versoix |
|---|---|
| 100% inspection before shipment | |
| R&D file review before every production run | |
| ISO 9001 (documented) |
History
- 1948
Ferdinand Mettaz founds the atelier 'Selbaresim' in Geneva (name reversed from 'les Misérables'), later shortened to Selba.
- 1960
Michel Burkhalter joins and develops a fleet of machines specially for glass machining.
- 1980
Conversion to a Société Anonyme; Michel Burkhalter becomes a partner alongside Daniel Mettaz.
- 2006
Daniel Mettaz becomes sole shareholder; focus on photolithography and glass components.
- 2015
Relocation to Route des Fayards in Versoix with cleanrooms and special machinery.
- 2026
Acquisition by an investor group; Bastien Musy becomes shareholder and CEO, Daniel Mettaz remains on the board of directors and as shareholder.