Intellectual Property
1. Introduction
Since our founding, ULVAC has pioneered advancements in vacuum technology, building a comprehensive portfolio of intellectual property, including patents and proprietary know-how, that drives innovation across diverse industries. These intellectual property holdings support applications from metallurgy, pharmaceuticals, and food processing to displays, semiconductors, and electronics, opening pathways to emerging technologies.
Vacuum technology is essential for thin-film formation and microfabrication in ultra-clean environments. It also contributes to environmental sustainability by enabling low-temperature separation and purification processes.
We believe vacuum technology will play a vital role in achieving a more sustainable future.
To prepare for this future, we are strengthening in-house development and partnerships with customers, business partners, and academic institutions. We are prioritizing investments in semiconductor and electronic component manufacturing equipment―areas of expected growth―to expand our IP portfolio and accelerate its effective use to meet society's evolving needs.
2. Basic Policy on Intellectual Property
Our basic policy on intellectual property is to enhance the business environment, strengthen ULVAC Group competitiveness, and increase corporate value through the effective use of intellectual property.
Key initiatives:
- ・Respect the intellectual property rights of others by reinforcing clearance investigations.
- ・Leverage IP information in business strategy through IP landscaping―evaluating new and existing businesses, identifying technology gaps, and proposing solutions to address those gaps through open innovation.
- ・Integrate business, R&D, and IP strategies to design and secure intellectual property essential for future growth.
- ・Manage intellectual property across the ULVAC Group under a unified framework to maximize its impact.
3. IP Strategy Management Structure
IP Strategy Committee of ULVAC
The ULVAC Group has established the IP Strategy Committee to discuss and shape its overall intellectual property strategy. The committee is chaired by the executive officer for development and works in coordination with the Board of Directors. It brings together leaders from business, R&D, IP, sales, and related technology areas such as analysis equipment and materials.
By integrating insights across these functions, the committee ensures a comprehensive, group-wide intellectual property strategy.
4. Intellectual Property Portfolio
ULVAC manages its patent portfolio strategically, streamlining unused patents and concentrating resources on core businesses. We optimize global patent filings, carefully considering market scale and IP risks, focusing on key regions such as China, Korea, Taiwan, and the U.S. This disciplined approach ensures that our IP portfolio supports and strengthens core businesses such as semiconductor and display equipment, sustaining competitiveness and enabling growth in strategic areas. This approach enhances the value of our intellectual property and aligns with global market opportunities.
5. IP Strategy in Action
We align intellectual property initiatives with management and business strategies, focusing on growth areas and emerging technologies. From product planning to post-market launch, we pursue consistent activities, including visualizing and mapping the IP environment and leveraging an IP strategy blueprint to guide our IP initiatives and avoid risks. These activities support sustainable value creation and aim to capture future growth opportunities.
6. Creating Intellectual Property Value Together with Society
ULVAC's intellectual property is an important management resource that supports our competitive advantage. In addition to our in-house innovations, intellectual property has been accumulated and enhanced through collaboration with industry, academia, and public research institutions. This intellectual property serves as a driving force for technological innovation and contributes to addressing societal challenges.
At the core of this intellectual property is our vacuum technology, which serves as a foundational technology supporting a wide range of advanced fields, including thin-film deposition technologies for next-generation electronics, cryogenic cooling technologies, and analytical technologies.
Our technologies contribute to energy savings and productivity improvements in customers' manufacturing processes while also supporting the reduction of environmental impact across society through advanced devices such as leading-edge semiconductors. The technologies, expertise, and know-how accumulated over many years provide the foundation for new technological development and the practical application of innovation.
- Leveraging Intellectual Property in Cryogenic Cooling Technologies
Cryogenic cooling technologies provide a key foundation for quantum computing. Intellectual property related to vacuum and cryogenic technologies held by ULVAC and its group companies is being utilized to support technology development in this field. Drawing on extensive expertise accumulated through the integrated development and manufacturing of dilution refrigerators, pulse-tube refrigerators, and vacuum components, we have achieved stable cryogenic temperatures of approximately 10 mK over extended periods.
This technology has been adopted for a quantum computer built entirely with Japanese-developed technologies, and its practical application is advancing through installation at research institutions in Japan and public demonstrations at international events. In fiscal 2025, the technology was highly recognized by the Japan Vacuum Industry Association (JVIA) and received the Grand Prize for Vacuum Equipment, the association's highest award in the vacuum equipment category.
Through strategic acquisition of intellectual property rights and appropriate IP management, our IP department supports collaboration and partnerships with relevant organizations, contributing to technological advancement and the practical application of innovation in society.