Gigaphoton has installed its L300KZ excimer laser at a Japanese domestic manufacturer of high-temperature superconducting wire, formally launching the evaluation phase on September 25, 2026. The goal is to assess the system’s ability to support volume production of a material considered essential for the magnets of future fusion reactors.
The laser was developed under Japan’s government-backed Moonshot Research and Development Program, specifically under Goal 10, which aims to build a society free from resource constraints through fusion energy applications by 2050. Gigaphoton is participating in the project “Fundamental Superconducting Technology to Realize Various Innovative Fusion Reactor Concepts” (Grant Number JPMJMS24A2), led by Professor Takanobu Kiss. The project has a clear objective: to establish a mass production technology — high quality and low cost — for rare-earth barium copper oxide wire, known as REBCO wire, a critical component for the superconducting magnets used in fusion reactors.
Within the project, Gigaphoton is responsible for developing the excimer lasers used in pulsed laser deposition (PLD) processes. The L300KZ is a high pulse-energy laser designed for depositing thin films of high-temperature superconducting materials. Its development draws directly on the company’s deep expertise in semiconductor lithography — systems that run continuously under stringent stability and uptime requirements. That technological legacy is now being transferred to an entirely different domain, where the quality of the deposited film determines magnet performance and, ultimately, reactor operation. During the evaluation phase, engineers will measure how variations in laser parameters affect film quality, with the aim of establishing a reliable process recipe for industrial-scale production.
The choice of an excimer laser for PLD is no coincidence. Among the light sources used in these processes, excimer lasers stand out for their high pulse energy and are widely adopted for forming high-quality thin films. The L300KZ brings the operational stability characteristic of Gigaphoton’s KrF systems — forged over decades of use in semiconductor fabs — and translates it into continuous availability for superconducting wire manufacturing. The ability to sustain consistent output power over extended production shifts is critical: in REBCO fabrication, any drift in the laser beam translates directly into material defects.
Japan’s Cabinet Office Moonshot Program brings together researchers from across the country to tackle challenges considered extremely difficult to solve today, but capable of delivering profound societal impact. Goal 10 positions fusion energy as a structural solution to both resource scarcity and carbon neutrality. The entry of a semiconductor laser manufacturer into this research ecosystem signals a tangible convergence between the chip industry and the fusion sector. If the L300KZ evaluation meets expectations, Gigaphoton could emerge as a key supplier in the superconducting magnet production chain for the commercial fusion reactors of the future.
