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Hoya got its start in 1941 as Japan's first specialty maker of optical lenses.
At the time, the production of optical glass was seen as a leading-edge industry, and Hoya took on the challenge of building this new business from the ground up. Ever since then, the Company has pursued the endless possibilities offered by glass. And glass is more than just a material; it is a conveyor of light. Another key theme since the beginning has been the emphasis on "light" in Hoya's pursuit of technological innovation and expansion into new fields. Today, the Company's business has broadened considerably. Hoya is a partner of choice for the semiconductor and digital equipment industries when it comes to ultra-advanced electro-optics, and also helps individuals lead healthy and fulfilling lives with its eyeglasses, contact lenses and crystal products. The creation of completely new technologies from the ground up, their augmentation with the addition of new technologies, and the further development of existing technologies-Hoya's history is a story of continuous technological innovation. Hoya's core technologies support its development as a "technological creator" company.
Glass Formation Technologies
At any given time, Hoya is producing more than 100 different varieties of optical glass, working from a proprietary "recipe book" that contains over 50,000 different ways to manufacture glass. Hoya carefully selects the purest materials from around the globe, and combines them in a multitude of ways to create an endless variety of glass products with optical characteristics that precisely match market needs. In recent years, as digital cameras have increased in picture definition and functionality, there are increasing demands in terms of refraction, dispersion, light transmittance, degree of homogeneity and other optical properties. From optical material development to lens manufacturing, Hoya creates optical systems that meet each individual customer's needs for all types of optical product.Glass Melting Technologies
Hoya melts glass at around 1,300℃ to 1,500℃, which enables it to produce high-quality glass that is extremely even and homogeneous. The Company introduced platinum furnace and electric melting systems ahead of other companies, and has adopted a continuous melting process. As a result, Hoya offers its customers an extremely stable supply of high-quality products.Molding Technologies
Molten glass can be continuously molded into a variety of different shapes, permitting efficient production of optical glass. Hoya's use of extremely high-precision press molding techniques enables the Company to produce molded aspherical lenses without the need for time-consuming grinding and polishing processes. These technologies allow Hoya to conduct mass production with measurement tolerances at the sub-micron level. Following the merger with Pentax, Hoya has added plastic molding technologies to its capabilities. All aspects of production, from the elaborate designs needed for aspherical lenses to production processing are carried out internally.Polishing Technoloties
Glass substrates are ground and polished to a designated degree of thickness. The grinding process involves the use of diamond grindstones that smooth out bumps, hollows and other irregularities in the substrate, using special polishing powders to produce an ultra-smooth surface. Hoya's highest precision products are the mask blanks and photomasks used in the production of semiconductors, which are polished flat to an accuracy of one thousandth of a millimeter, with a surface roughness of only one millionth of a millimeter. These polishing technologies are also used in interchangeable lenses for SLR cameras and advanced lens modules for compact cameras.Thin Film Technologies
Hoya developed its surface treatment technologies beginning with anti-reflective coatings for optical filters. It has continued to refine these technologies by developing coatings for eyeglass lenses and in mask blanks and glass magnetic-memory disks. Today, Hoya uses these technologies for a wide range of product types, from cameras to endoscopes.Precision Processing (Lithographic Technologies)
The photomasks employed in the production of semiconductors stand at the pinnacle of the world of high-tech products that require ultra-precise processing technologies. Leading-edge lithographic technologies are used to etch extremely fine circuit patterns with line widths of only several tens of nanometers. Hoya is challenging the limitations of technologies and pushing back the frontier of physical materials, providing assistance to semiconductor makers who continue to develop products that perform better and achieve ever greater integration.Optics Design
Hoya's optical products are used in a wide variety of applications, from eyeglass and contact lenses to endoscopes and lenses for digital cameras and optical pickups. The driving force behind all these offerings is Hoya's optical design technology. Hoya develops all the core technologies needed for optical design in-house. Examples include software such as programs for optimizing optical properties and an imaging performance simulator that combines geometric and wave optics, as well as hardware such as interferometers and simulators that enable users to confirm performance directly. Making use of these technologies and tools, Hoya generates advanced, unique optical design.Optomechatronics Technologies
Based on Pentax's optical design technologies and precision processing technologies accumulated over the years since its founding, optomechatronics is an engineering technology used in finished products, the sum of the technologies used in SLR cameras and endoscopes. Going forward, Hoya will continue to pass on these proprietary optomechatronics technologies for use in creating products that feature unique creativity and ease of use.