HIMS Challenges Lasertec’s Dominance With Domestic Photomask Inspector

What happened

South Korean equipment maker HIMS is entering the large-format display photomask inspection equipment market that Japan's Lasertec has effectively monopolized. HIMS has passed Samsung Display's performance evaluation with its internally developed equipment and is preparing for commercialization. According to industry sources on Nov. 13, HIMS passed all of the more than 170 evaluation criteria for Samsung Display's photomask inspection equipment between February and June this year, and final verification of the results was completed in July and August; an equipment order could be placed as early as the end of this year, but it is not yet confirmed. HIMS has supplied Samsung Display with fine metal mask (FMM) tensioning and inspection equipment for OLED deposition; if the order is confirmed, HIMS will expand from deposition-related equipment into inspection systems for circuit patterning processes, and Samsung Display would be able to reduce its dependence on Japanese equipment and diversify its supply chain. An industry official said Lasertec also reportedly lowered its proposed price per unit from more than 15 billion won to around 10 billion won following HIMS' equipment development. Display photomasks range in size from 800×1,200 mm to as large as 1,200×1,400 mm; with the proliferation of high-resolution OLED and automotive displays, the proportion of masks difficult to inspect with conventional equipment has risen to approximately 20% to 30%. HIMS addressed false positives by enhancing its Die-to-Database (D2DB) technology and developing an algorithm that accounts for pattern deformation during manufacturing; Lasertec also offers D2DB capabilities but reportedly has limitations with irregular pixel arrangements and complex circuit patterns. If supply begins, HIMS could expand its customer base to photomask manufacturers including PKL and Japan's HOYA.

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Source and time

Source: The Elec · 11/13/2026 · View original source