History：1989 - 2013
No growth without innovation
Rebuilding the Company’s reputation for technological sophistication
As the IT revolution ramped up at the dawn of a new millennium, SCREEN accelerated its product development. Amid rising standards of precision in the semiconductor manufacturing equipment business, SCREEN released cleaning equipment for 300 mm wafers. Following the rise of DTP in the printing equipment business, the Company released its Hiragino digital font. Both of these products continue to receive acclaim to this day. In 2005, SCREEN fully withdrew from the precision mask business, a longtime pillar of the Company. At the same time, however, SCREEN began applying its coating and image processing technologies to new fields, including solar cells and life sciences. SCREEN pushed forward to expand its business and create new industrial fields through innovation across its products, organization, and technologies in step with the changing world.
| 1989 | Akira Ishida is appointed the Company’s third president (Corporate) |
|---|---|
| Double-side scrubber RSW-612A , a system for cleaning both sides of wafers, launches (SPE) | |
| 1992 | Yasu Factory (now the Yasu Site) begins operation (Corporate) |
| 1993 | TaigaSPACE, the first prepress system to be produced domestically, launches (GA) |
| SENTO Font Library (now the Hiragino font) is developed (GA) | |
| 1994 | SCREEN ranks among the top 10 global semiconductor manufacturing equipment suppliers in customer satisfaction (SPE) |
| 1995 | SCREEN ranks among the top 10 global semiconductor manufacturing equipment suppliers in net sales (SPE) |
| 1996 | D.S. NORTH AMERICA HOLDINGS, INC. (now SCREEN North America Holdings, Inc.) and semiconductor manufacturing equipment sales company DNS ELECTRONICS, LLC (now SCREEN SPE USA, LLC) are established (Corporate) |
| 1997 | FC-3000 batch-type wafer cleaning system for 300 mm wafers launches (SPE) |
| 1998 | PlateRite 8000 thermal computer to plate (CTP) recorder launches (GA) |
| TruePress544, Japan’s first digital printing system, launches (GA) | |
| Taga Factory (now the Taga Site) begins operation (Corporate) | |
| 1999 | 750 series TFT LCD panel manufacturing equipment for generation 5.5 glass substrates launches (FT) |
| 2000 | The inclusion of the Hiragino font as a standard font in Apple’s Mac OS X is announced (GA) |
| MP-3000 single wafer cleaning system for 300 mm wafers is developed (SPE) | |
| 2001 | Fab.FC-1 (now S3-1) is completed at the Hikone Site (SPE) |
| 2002 | Internal company system is introduced (Corporate) |
| DAINIPPON SCREEN ELECTRONICS (SHANGHAI) CO., LTD. (now SCREEN Electronics Shanghai Co., Ltd.) is established as a local subsidiary in China (Corporate) | |
| 2003 | PlateRite 8800 thermal CTP unit launches (GA) |
| RF3 next-generation wafer coater/developer launches (FT) | |
| SU-3000 single wafer cleaning system launches (SPE) | |
| 2004 | Factory operations begin at SCREEN’s graphic arts equipment manufacturing subsidiary in Hangzhou, China (GA) |
| 2005 | Masahiro Hashimoto is appointed the Company’s president (Corporate) |
| Production of precision masks ends, and SCREEN withdraws from the mask business (Precision Components) | |
| Mercurex multi-purpose direct patterning system for printed circuit boards launches (PE) | |
| 2006 | Hikone Site factories Fab.FC-2 (now S3-2) and CS-1 begin operation (SPE/FT) |
| WHITE CANVAS RAKUSAI is established as an R&D base (Corporate) | |
| Truepress Jet520, SCREEN’s first inkjet printing system, launches (GA) | |
| SU-3100 single wafer cleaning system launches (SPE) | |
| 2007 | SCREEN fully enters the inkjet printing system market with the development of the Truepress Jet650UV and Truepress Jet2500UV inkjet printing systems for specialized printing (GA)SU-3100 single wafer cleaning system launches (SPE) |
| 2008 | SCREEN station is opened on Ohmi Railway Taga Line |
| Process Technology Center opens at the Hikone Site as an R&D base for semiconductor manufacturing processes (SPE) | |
| SCREEN enters the solar cell industry in earnest with the development of the RE-8000 spectroscopic ellipsometric film thickness measurement system (FT) | |
| 2009 | SCREEN’s single wafer semiconductor cleaning equipment global market share exceeds 60% (SPE) |
| SCREEN secures the top global market shares in coater/developers, wet etching systems, and resist strippers for LCD production (FT) | |
| 2010 | Levicoater coating system for large glass substrates in LCD manufacturing is developed (FT) |
| Development of the SU-3200 single wafer cleaning system, which is able to spray chemical to achieve individual wafer cleaning. (SPE) | |
| 2011 | WHITE CANVAS MON-NAKA, a solution demonstration base for the graphic arts equipment business , opens at the Monzennakacho Site (GA) |
| 2012 | Ledia 5, the industry’s fastest direct patterning system for printed circuit boards, launches (PE) |
| 2013 | SCREEN enters the life science field with the launch of the Cell3iMager high-speed three-dimensional cell culture scanner (New Businesses) |