Tekscend Photomask Commences Contract Manufacturing Services for Nanoimprint Products

Tekscend Photomask Corp. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director, President & CEO: Teruo Ninomiya; "Tekscend Photomask" below) has newly introduced a nanoimprint manufacturing system at its Asaka Site (Niiza City, Saitama) to commence the provision of contract manufacturing services for nanoimprint*2 products such as optical parts and materials for AR/MR glasses in September 2025.

Optical parts and materials such as light guide plates, which are used in screen display devices such as equipment for XR and AR/MR glasses, were originally the subject of prototyping and verification using complex processes that combined photolithography and etching technologies. For that reason, they are believed to present challenges with manufacturing costs and process efficiency enhancement at the mass-production stage.

With the introduction of a nanoimprint manufacturing system, manufacturers who require optical parts and materials can now undertake all processes domestically, from simulations of parts and materials designed in-house successfully obtaining optical properties as envisioned to the design and manufacturing of molds and the prototyping and small-volume production of nanoimprint products.

It is expected that nanoimprint lithography technology will be applied to the development of metasurfaces as well as the manufacture of light guide plates, and that the technology will be deployed in a wide range of products going forward as a processing technology that enables the centralization of complex processes and strikes a balance between microfabrication and lower costs.

Characteristics of Nanoimprint Product Contract Manufacturing Business

・Will introduce a fully-integrated NIL manufacturing system by the EV Group
Tekscend Photomask will introduce the "HERCULES® NIL 200mm," a fully-integrated nanoimprint lithography system manufactured by the EV Group, making it the first Japanese nanoimprint contract manufacturer to do so. The system accommodates substrate sizes from φ100mm to a maximum of φ200mm as well as various needs ranging from small-volume prototyping to mass-production.

・Will allocate an environment for and expertise on the manufacturing of photomasks for semiconductors to the nanoimprinting sector
Upon this introduction of a nanoimprint lithography system, Tekscend Photomask established a clean room environment equivalent to a photomask manufacturing line for its manufacturing process. The company will provide product prototyping services in a clean space that accommodates research and manufacturing.

・Will produce large φ200㎜ silicon molds in house
As Tekscend Photomask is capable of manufacturing master molds made of silicon with a size of φ200㎜, the company will provide customers who are considering small-volume production with large-area nanoimprint products.

Tekscend Photomask can also provide six-inch square quartz molds using photomask blanks for semiconductors.

*1: Refers to "nanoimprinting."
*2: Microfabrication technology in which molds serving as the original plates are stamped in order to transfer patterns in the order of several nanometers.

About Tekscend Photomask

Tekscend Photomask Corp. is the world’s premier provider of photomasks for semiconductors and a group company of TOPPAN Holdings Inc. (TYO: 7911). Tekscend Photomask was previously known as Toppan Photomask. Headquartered in Tokyo, Tekscend Photomask leverages its worldwide customer service network and eight manufacturing facilities in key geographic locations to offer the world's most advanced lithography technology. Tekscend Photomask is also expanding into nanoimprint molds and other nano-fabricated products. For more information, visit https://www.photomask.com/en.

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*The content of this news release is current as of the date it was published. Said content is subject to subsequent change without prior notice.