Over 100 direct laser writers sold
The most recent addition to Raith’s product portfolio continues to run successfully, and we are very happy to announce that we recently sold the 100th laser lithography system!
Founded in 2004, 4PICO initially specialized in the development and production of mastering equipment for the optical media industry. Based on experience gained in the optical media industry, the first PICOMASTER direct laser writer was developed in 2014 to enable fast and reliable submicron direct writing for a vast variety of applications. Its price and performance is an excellent fit between extremely high-resolution but costly e-beam systems, and mask aligners that are fast, but lack flexibility.
Quick development of laser lithography equipment
From the PICOMASTER 200 direct laser writer, the portfolio grew quickly. The PICOMASTER 200 H was introduced in 2015 to better address the needs of the security market by focusing on holographic applications. Only a year later, 4PICO launched the first tabletop system: PICOMASTER 100. The versatile UV laser writer also includes ultra-high precision components, but is compact in size and requires only minimum cleanroom space.
2019 saw the portfolio grow further with the addition of an entry-level system, the MICROMASTER. This was another tabletop system targeted at customers with lower budgets, yet still with ambitious resolution requirements.
The PICOMASTER XF maskless lithography system was designed to combine speed and resolution. First introduced in 2020, the system became a bestseller very fast. With its new multi-beam technology, PICOMASTER XF operates at a writing speed of 280 mm²/min with ultimate 600 nm resolution.
The next chapter of the 4PICO story
4PICO became part of the Raith group in 2021. The approach of combining 4PICO’s expertise in UV laser technology with Raith’s strength in sales, marketing, production, and service has proven to be successful. 4PICO is now Raith Laser Systems B.V. and an integral and important part of the international Raith Group.
The growth story of what is now Raith Laser Systems B.V. has continued ever since the acquisition. We have already been seeing increased demand for laser direct writers over the past two years, and are very happy that more than 100 customers worldwide are now taking advantage of our innovative, user-friendly laser lithography systems! There are already plenty of ideas for their future development and possible applications, and we are confident that there are many more chapters to come in the success story of our laser lithography equipment. If you have any questions about our laser lithography systems and want to know more about how they can be used to solve your microfabrication challenge, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us.