History

Canon's history of entering the industrial field began in the 1960s. Canon began developing lenses for semiconductor device manufacturing, which had a strong affinity with optics, one of Canon's core technologies, and completed the U100mm F2.8 high-resolution lens in 1967. Subsequently, Canon began to develop semiconductor lithography equipment. In 1970, Canon announced the PPC-1, a projection-type equal-magnification printing system with a U170mm projection lens, alignment microscope, and alignment mechanism, simultaneously in both Japan and the United States, which attracted a great deal of interest. This product was the first semiconductor lithography equipment made in Japan. In 1969, Canon filed a patent application for an equal-magnification printing system, solidifying its intellectual property foundation and introducing this product to the world.

In the 1970s, Canon began to develop an auto-alignment mechanism using lasers, and in 1976 Canon filed a patent application for a scanning-type light detecting device. This technology was incorporated into the PLA-500FA, released in 1978, marking the world’s first implementation in a semiconductor lithography equipment. After this product, the laser-based auto-alignment mechanism became the industry standard for semiconductor lithography equipment. It was also applied to the alignment technology of Canon's first stepper, the FPA-1500FA, which was announced in 1983.

In the early 1990s, Canon created inventions related to stage structures using air bearings and active dampers for suppressing vibrations transmitted to the projection optical system, and filed many patent applications. These technologies were incorporated in the FPA-3000i4, an i-line stepper for 64-megabit DRAM mass production launched in 1994. This machine was equipped with what was then the world's highest-level i-line lens, with a numerical aperture (NA) of 0.63 and resolution of 0.35 μm, and was newly equipped with an air bearing stage.

In order to realize further miniaturization of semiconductor circuit patterns, excimer lasers were adopted as light sources in the late 1990s. In the early 1980s, Canon began filing patent applications for techniques for narrowing the band of excimer lasers and dose control technology, and was ahead of the times in advancing development and intellectual property activities. These technologies were incorporated in the FPA-3000EX3, a stepper that uses an excimer laser, which was launched in 1996.

In 2004, Canon began research into nanoimprint technology targeting further semiconductor device die shrinks. In 2009, with the aim of mass-producing next-generation semiconductor lithography equipment using this technology, Canon began joint development with the U.S. company Molecular Imprinting, Inc., which has world-class nanoimprinting technology, and other major semiconductor manufacturers. In 2014, Canon made Molecular Imprints, Inc. a wholly owned subsidiary (newly named Canon Nanotechnologies) to accelerate development and strengthen our patent portfolio. The intellectual property division has been engaged in intellectual property activities since 2004 and has filed for patents on a wide range of core and peripheral technologies, including technology for thermally deforming substrates by laser irradiation to achieve high-precision alignment and technology for controlling particles. The FPA-1200NZ2C, launched in 2023, is supported by this robust patent portfolio. The FPA-1200NZ2C was awarded the 33rd Global Environment Award for its innovation, which included a 1/10 reduction in a power consumption of a manufacturing process compared to conventional exposure methods.

Around 2017, Canon began developing technology and intellectual property activities to simultaneously identify black plastic pieces and other colored plastic pieces with high accuracy, which was considered difficult at the time. Canon succeeded in developing our own identification technology, and launched the TR-S1510 plastic sorter in 2024 and the TR-A100 plastic analyzer in 2025. Canon is working to obtain patents for technologies related to a control of a light irradiation position that supports these devices, as well as technologies that improve identification accuracy and speed.