Fujifilm Launches World’s First Color Filter Material for Image Sensors Compatible with KrF Lithography “WAVE CONTROL MOSAIC^™”

TOKYO, December 9, 2025 – FUJIFILM Corporation announced the launch of a new color filter material for image sensors, “WAVE CONTROL MOSAIC^™*1”, compatible with KrF^*2 lithography. This innovative product is the world’s first color filter material for image sensors that supports KrF exposure, and is entirely PFAS-free, addressing environmental and ecological concerns. The new material is designed for use in cutting-edge image sensors requiring ultra-miniaturization and high sensitivity, contributing to higher image quality in smartphone cameras.

Image sensors are semiconductors that convert light into electrical signals to produce images, and are incorporated into devices such as smartphones and digital cameras. In recent years, the range of applications for image sensors has expanded to include automobiles, security equipment such as surveillance cameras, and AR/VR devices. As a result, the image sensor market is expected to grow at an annual rate of approximately 6%^*3. With the increasing opportunities for photo and video capture—such as taking pictures and streaming videos shot on smartphones—there is a growing demand for capturing bright and smooth images and videos in any scene, as well as for editing and cropping images after shooting. These trends are driving the need for even higher image quality in image sensors.
To achieve higher image quality, it is necessary to miniaturize sensor pixels to create more detailed and high-resolution images. However, as pixels become smaller, the amount of light that can be captured decreases, resulting in lower sensitivity—a key challenge in image sensor development.

The newly launched product in Fujifilm’s WAVE CONTROL MOSAIC^™ is the world’s first color filter material for image sensors compatible with KrF lithography, enabling the formation of finer pixels that was previously unattainable with conventional i-line^*4 exposure. Building on its expertise in functional molecule design and organic synthesis cultivated through silver halide photographic R&D, Fujifilm has developed new additives optimized for KrF exposure and a proprietary dye with outstanding heat and light resistance. In addition, through our unique formulation technology, the company combined this newly developed dye with conventional pigments to increase light transmittance and compensate for the reduction in light caused by pixel miniaturization, resulting in a color filter material that achieves both miniaturization and high sensitivity. With this new product, users can capture bright, smooth images and videos in various scenes.

Furthermore, the product is PFAS-free^*5, containing no per- or polyfluoroalkyl substances, which are of increasing environmental concern. Fujifilm has long been committed to reducing and replacing substances that pose potential risks to human health and the environment, having previously developed PFAS-free negative-tone ArF immersion photoresists and nanoimprint resists. Building on the PFAS-free technology established through this product, Fujifilm will extend these efforts to all WAVE CONTROL MOSAIC^™ materials and photoresists^*6, accelerating the transition of its semiconductor materials portfolio to PFAS-free solutions.

As a leading manufacturer of color filter materials for image sensors, Fujifilm will continue to develop materials that not only enhance image quality but also enable applications such as infrared photography for low-light environments. Under the concept of “Transforming the invisible world into the visible, delivering new vision and value to society,” Fujifilm remains committed to contributing to the expansion of the image sensor market.

Fujifilm is a global supplier of photoresists, photolithography-related materials^*7, CMP slurries^*8, post-CMP cleaners^*9, thin-film chemicals^*10, polyimides^*11, high-purity process chemicals^*12, and other process materials for semiconductor manufacturing from front-end to back-end processes. Fujifilm is also expanding globally with products such as WAVE CONTROL MOSAIC^™, which includes color filter materials for image sensors.
Fujifilm will continue to contribute to the development of the semiconductor industry by providing one-stop solutions to solve customers' issues through its broad product lineup that covers nearly all areas of the semiconductor manufacturing process, from cutting-edge to legacy nodes. The company also leverages its global stable supply system with manufacturing bases in Japan, the United States, Europe and Asia, along with its advanced research and development capabilities.

• *1 General term referring to a group of functional materials for controlling electromagnetic light waves in a broad range of wavelengths, including photosensitive color materials for manufacturing color filters for image sensors such as CMOS sensors, used in digital cameras and smartphones. WAVE CONTROL MOSAIC is a registered trademark or trademark of FUJIFILM Corporation.
• *2 KrF (Krypton Fluoride): A 248nm wavelength laser light source used in the photolithography process for semiconductor manufacturing.
• *3 Source: Techno System Research, “2025 First Half Edition CCD & CMOS Market Marketing Analysis.”
• *4 i-line: A mercury spectral line with a wavelength of 365nm, also used as a light source in photolithography processes.
• *5 PFAS refers to a collective term for perfluoroalkyl compounds, polyfluoroalkyl compounds, and their salts, as defined in the OECD's 2021 report “Reconciling Terminology of the Universe of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances: Recommendations and Practical Guidance.” Accordingly, the claim ‘PFAS-Free’ denotes the absence of substances falling within this defined group.
• *6 Material used to coat wafer substrate when circuit patterns are drawn in the process of semiconductor manufacturing.
• *7 Development solutions, cleaners and other materials used in the photolithography process of semiconductor manufacturing.
• *8 A proprietary formulation containing an abrasive that uniformly planarizes semiconductor surface, which contains a mixture of wires and insulation films of varying hardness.
• *9 Cleaners used after polishing with CMP slurry to remove particles, minute metal fragments and organic residues while protecting the metal surface.
• *10 Materials for forming low-dielectric insulation films.
• *11 A material with strong heat resistance and insulation properties, used for forming semiconductors’ protective films and rewiring layer.
• *12 High-purity chemicals used in the cleaning and drying processes. The chemicals are employed to remove contaminants during the cleaning and drying stages of semiconductor manufacturing, as well as to eliminate metals and oils during the etching process.

• * Please note that the contents including the product availability, specification, prices and contacts in this website are current as of the date of the press announcement and may be subject to change without prior notice.