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 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.
In 1997, Komatsu founded its Excimer Laser Division, and built an
excimer laser factory in Oyama, Tochigi-ken, Japan. 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, eventually ranking No. 2 in the global
market for excimer laser units for lithography tools.
Ushio Inc. started development of excimer lasers as lithography
light sources following Hg lamps in 1997, and introduced a 4-kHz
excimer laser in 1999.
In 2000, with competition intensifying in the market for excimer
laser units used as lithography light sources, Komatsu and Ushio
integrated their excimer laser technologies and businesses to form
Gigaphoton Inc. as a joint venture in order to reinforce the product
lineup and customer support capability. Since the two companies had
worked jointly on the F2 lithography project of the Japanese technology
consortium “Association of Super Advanced Electronics Technologies
(ASET),” they were able to succeed in rapid business integration.
Gigaphoton 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, and has supplied and supported excimer laser units for lithography
tools mainly in Asian market including Japan. In particular, the
G40K series has been well accepted and greatly increased its market
share in the Asian region.
At the end of 2004, Gigaphoton introduced a new ArF excimer laser
model, the GT40A, which features an injection-locking resonator that
can meet the requirements for immersion ArF lithography processing.
In addition, for development of next-generation lithography (NGL)
technologies for advancing beyond ArF lithography, Gigaphoton participates
in the Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography
System Development Association (EUVA), formed with support from Japan’s Ministry of Economy,
Trade and Industry (METI), and has played an important role in the
development of lithography light sources using the laser-produced
plasma (LPP) method. |
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
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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). |
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