History
Gigaphoton Inc. is a young company, founded in 2000 as a joint venture of Komatsu Ltd. and Ushio Inc. to integrate the excimer laser businesses of those two companies. But it is backed by the inherited rich experience and past achievements in the development of laser product technologies of Komatsu and Ushio.
The history of Komatsu’s laser technology dates from 1980, when Komatsu marketed a system using the Coherent Anti-Stokes Raman Spectroscopy: Dye Laser for diagnosing engine ignition. Komatsu then switched its R&D efforts to excimer lasers, and marketed the KLE-630, Japan’s first excimer laser unit, in 1985 and the KLE-630S, the world’s first excimer laser unit for the semiconductor photolithography process, in 1987.
Komatsu and University of Tokyo jointly developed KrF, 90 Hz excimer laser in 1984.
Komatsu founded its Excimer Laser Division in 1996, and built an excimer laser factory in Oyama, Tochigi-ken, Japan in 1997. It marketed a mass-production 1-kHz KrF excimer laser model, the KLES-G10K (present G10K series), in 1997, and in 1998 marketed a 2-kHz KrF excimer laser, the G20K series. Komatsu steadily increased its market share mainly in Japan and the Asian region.
Gigaphoton Inc., was founded in 2000 and began marketing the G40A series of 4-kHz ArF excimer lasers in 2001 and the G40K series of 4-kHz KrF excimer lasers in 2002.
At the end of 2004, Gigaphoton introduced a new ArF excimer laser model, the GT40A, which featured an injection-locking resonator that could meet the requirements of the immersion ArF lithography process. In 2005, Gigaphoton marketed the GT60A with the repetition frequency of 6,000 Hz, 1.5 times higher than the former GT40A; in 2006, the GT61A with greatly improved spectral bandwidth and running cost; and in 2007, the GT62A with an output of 90 watts exclusively used for the immersion double-patterning lithography process.
In addition, for development of next-generation lithography (NGL) technologies for advancing beyond ArF lithography, Gigaphoton participated in the Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography System Development Association (EUVA), formed with support from Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), and played an important role in the development of lithography light sources using the laser-produced plasma (LPP) method.
In May 2011, Gigaphoton became a wholly owned subsidiary of Komatsu as the result of Komatsu purchasing the remaining 50% market share of Gigaphoton from USHIO Inc. Today we at Gigaphoton are working on developing innovative LPP EUV technology solutions for manufacturing a cost-effective, highly productive LPP EUV lithography source for high-volume production.
History of Excimer Lasers and Gigaphoton (Chronology)
| 1970 | World’s first successful emission of an excimer laser (Soviet Union) |
| 1980 | Komatsu markets an engine injection diagnosis system using Coherent Anti-Stokes Raman Spectroscopy (CARS). |
| 1985 | Komatsu markets the Japan’s first excimer laser unit, the KLE-630. |
| 1987 | Komatsu markets the world’s first KrF excimer laser for lithography tools, the KLE-630S (2 W). |
| 1988 | Lambda Physik joins the market of excimer lasers for lithography tools. |
| 1989 | Cymer joins the market of excimer lasers for lithography tools. |
| 1992 | Komatsu markets the KLES-G6 (600 Hz, KrF, 6 W). |
| 1995 | Komatsu markets the KLES-G7 (600 Hz, KrF, 7.5 W). Komatsu markets the KLES-G1A (100 W, ArF, 1 W). |
| 1996 | Komatsu starts its Excimer Laser Division. |
1997 |
Komatsu builds its excimer laser production factory in Oyama. Komatsu begins mass-production of KrF excimer laser model KLES-G10K (1 KHz, KrF, 10 W). Ushio Inc. starts development of excimer lasers for lithography tools. |
| 1998 | Komatsu markets the G20K (2 kHz, KrF, 20 W). |
| 1999 | Ushio introduces a 4-kHz ArF excimer laser. |
| 2000 | Gigaphoton Inc. is founded. |
| 2001 | Gigaphoton markets a 4-kHz ArF excimer laser, the G40A (20 W) series. |
| 2002 | Gigaphoton increases its capital to 5 billion yen. |
| 2003 | Gigaphoton markets a 4-kHz KrF excimer laser, the G40K (30 W) series. |
| 2004 | Gigaphoton markets the GT40A (4 kHz, ArF, 45 W). |
| 2005 | Gigaphoton markets the GT60A (6 kHz, ArF, 60 W). |
| 2006 | Gigaphoton markets the GT61A (6 kHz, ArF, 60 W). |
| 2007 | Gigaphoton opens new building at Oyama campus. Gigaphoton markets the GT62A (6 kHz, ArF, 90 W). |
| 2008 | Gigaphoton opens its US subsidiary “Gigaphoton USA Inc.” |
| 2009 | Gigaphoton’s injection-lock ArF excimer laser GT62A is honored as an “Excellent Product” in the System & Equipment Division of the First Annual Laser Industry Award at LASER EXPO 2009. |
| 2010 | Gigaphoton’s EUV lithography light source achieves an output of 100+ watts. |
| 2011 | Gigaphoton becomes a wholly owned subsidiary of Komatsu following Komatsu’s purchase of the remaining 50% market share of Gigaphoton from USHIO Inc. |
