Gigaphoton Inc.

Gigaphoton Inc. (ギガフォトン株式会社) is a Japanese manufacturer of light sources for semiconductor lithography, headquartered in Oyama, Tochigi Prefecture. The company was established on 1 August 2000 as a specialist venture to support the 21st-century semiconductor industry, and it is a wholly owned subsidiary of Komatsu Ltd. Its business covers the development, manufacture, sales and service of excimer lasers for semiconductor lithography and other uses, as well as extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light sources. Gigaphoton's roots reach back to 1983, when a small research team working at Komatsu's Manda Research Laboratory began the work that would eventually lead to the company's founding. Since 2000 it has commercialised a succession of advanced excimer lasers for semiconductor lithography equipment, shipping close to 2,000 excimer lasers for semiconductor exposure worldwide. The company states that it is one of only two companies in the world capable of producing the specialised light sources used to make semiconductor chips, and that its products are used by almost all semiconductor manufacturers in Japan and the rest of Asia, with rapid growth in Western markets as well. Gigaphoton's core technologies are laser technology and optical measurement technology. Its excimer lasers emit in the ultraviolet region with exceptionally high efficiency and comparatively compact equipment size, making them suitable as light sources for leading-edge semiconductor exposure tools that require high resolution. Beyond lithography, excimer lasers are applied in industrial processing and in medical fields such as LASIK vision-correction surgery. The company is also actively developing and commercialising EUV light sources as the next-generation lithography light source, and has begun evaluating excimer lasers for pulsed laser deposition aimed at advanced materials. Gigaphoton positions itself around quality and reliability, customer problem-solving, and sustainability. Its corporate creed commits it to providing No. 1 technology and quality products, acting as an industry leader contributing to society, and building strong relationships of trust inside and outside the company. Its sustainability policy is shared with Komatsu and aims at a future in which people, society and the planet prosper together. The company recorded its highest-ever sales in 2020, its 20th anniversary year, and describes itself as entering a new growth phase, expanding facilities to meet sharply rising semiconductor demand. As of 31 March 2026 it reported 1,426 consolidated employees. Its leadership team includes President and CEO Tatsuo Enami, COO Ryo Busshita, and other directors and executive officers covering production, business strategy, finance, technology and R&D. Gigaphoton operates domestic service offices in Oyama, Tohoku (Kitakami), Yokkaichi, Hiroshima and Kyushu (Kumamoto), and overseas sales and service entities including Gigaphoton USA Inc. in Beaverton, Oregon, Gigaphoton Korea Inc. in Hwaseong, and GIGAPHOTON (CHINA) INC.

Gigaphoton's history begins in 1983, when a small research team belonging to Komatsu's Manda Research Laboratory started the work that would eventually lead to the creation of the company. That team's efforts in laser and optical technology laid the technical foundation on which Gigaphoton was later built. Gigaphoton Inc. was formally established on 1 August 2000 as a company intended to support the semiconductor industry of the 21st century. It was created as a specialist in lithography light sources, and from the outset it pursued the commercialisation of advanced excimer lasers for semiconductor lithography equipment. The company's stated mission was to contribute to customers by applying its proprietary laser technology and optical measurement technology to provide high-performance lithography light sources to the semiconductor industry. Over the following two decades Gigaphoton brought successive generations of excimer lasers to market, shipping close to 2,000 excimer lasers for semiconductor exposure worldwide. Its products came to be used by almost all semiconductor manufacturers in Japan and across Asia, and the company also grew rapidly in Western markets. As the industry moved toward next-generation lithography, Gigaphoton invested in the development and volume production of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light sources, positioning itself as a supplier of the light sources expected to succeed excimer lasers in leading-edge patterning. In 2020, its 20th anniversary year, Gigaphoton recorded its highest-ever sales. The company describes itself as having entered a new growth phase, expanding its facilities at a rapid pace to respond to a large increase in semiconductor demand. It has continued to broaden its technology base beyond lithography, including work on excimer lasers for other fields and on software development, and has begun evaluating excimer lasers for pulsed laser deposition aimed at advanced materials. As of 31 March 2026 the company reported 1,426 consolidated employees. Throughout its existence Gigaphoton has been a wholly owned subsidiary of Komatsu Ltd., and its sustainability policy is shared with Komatsu.

• 2026

  As of 31 March 2026, consolidated employees total 1,426; the company reports a new growth phase and rapid facility expansion.

• 2020

  Gigaphoton marks its 20th anniversary and records its highest-ever sales.

• 2000

  Gigaphoton Inc. is established on 1 August as a specialist in semiconductor lithography light sources.

• 1983

  A small research team at Komatsu's Manda Research Laboratory begins the work that leads to Gigaphoton's founding.

A specialist, quality-and-reliability-driven supplier of leading-edge lithography light sources, aiming to be No. 1 in technology and quality and to solve customer problems in the fast-moving semiconductor industry.

• Excimer lasers for semiconductor lithography

  Ultraviolet light sources for leading-edge semiconductor exposure tools, with high efficiency and comparatively compact size.

• EUV light sources

  Next-generation lithography light sources under development and volume production.

• L300KZ excimer laser

  Excimer laser for pulsed laser deposition of advanced materials, evaluation begun in 2026.

1. 1Gigaphoton official website (Japanese)gigaphoton.com
2. 2歴史 | Gigaphotongigaphoton.com
3. 3光の重要さ | Gigaphotongigaphoton.com
4. 4会社情報 | Gigaphotongigaphoton.com
5. 5Gigaphoton - Wikidatawikidata.org