mariiabezpala

Nanoimprint Resist: a game-changer in the semiconductor industry

by mariiabezpala May 6, 2024 Comments0

As technology advances, the demand for higher-performance semiconductors comes in, and we are looking towards tomorrow to develop and innovate. Utilising the knowledge and technology that we’ve been cultivating in the development of photoresists, we’ve created a new semiconductor material – Nanoimprint Resist. It helps to reduce costs and energy consumption in the manufacturing of advanced semiconductors and improve throughput and yield – common issues for the practical application of nanoimprint lithography.

A closer look

A newly designed semiconductor material has a molecular structure optimised for Nanoimprint Lithography technology. It was developed based on a detailed analysis of the resist’s flow behaviour during the imprinting process and the interaction of the resist with wafer surfaces and masks.

The Nanoimprint Resist allows you to quickly and uniformly fill in the complex circuit patterns engraved on the mask, and transfer and form nanometer-scale circuit patterns in a short time. More than that, after curing by UV radiation, it shows excellent mold-releasing properties that do not cause loss of circuits even when the mask is removed at high speed.

We’ve also enhanced it with the benefits of inkjet technology. Utilising our experience with industrial inkjet printers, we’ve designed a formulation that allows the optimum amount of droplets to be applied to the wafer surface using an inkjet method. Compared to the spin-coating method used in the current manufacturing process, this saves loads of resist used, reducing the amount to approximately 1/100.

The Nanoimprint Resist uses a hydrocarbon compound as a release agent instead of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), going for a safer alternative.  

We aim to use this latest addition, tailored for cutting-edge semiconductor needs, to meet rising customer demands and industry challenges, driving innovation in the sector. The new material will be provided to the Japanese market through FUJIFILM Electronics Materials Corporation, our core company in the electronic materials business. Curious to know more? Check here.

Filed under Blog Innovation

Dream Gap: Girls’ Day 2024 at Fujifilm HQ

by mariiabezpala April 26, 2024 Comments0

Can you separate dreams…by gender? In childhood, we see the world is literally ours for taking. We dream of being presidents, scientists, astronauts, and see no boundaries to make it happen. Everything’s possible. Until someone makes us think it isn’t. All of a sudden, a strange, huge gap appears, diving jobs into stereotypically girls’ and boys’ “proper choices”. So, at which point does everything change?

A mind-blowing study, published in Science, showed that by age 6, girls were already less likely than boys to believe that members of their gender are “really, really smart”, lumping more boys into this category. Exposed to gender-related bias early in development, girls start believing that they may work hard but are not naturally really smart. Add to this the fact that girls are three times less likely to be given a science-related toy, or that parents are twice as likely to google “is my son gifted?” than “is my daughter gifted?”.

These stereotypes discourage girls, making them opt out of majors like physics or programming, despite having high grades. They stop pursuing academic paths and thinking of a scientific career in technology, engineering, math, or hinder their success in the field. Despite the progress made in recent years, still less than 30% of researchers globally are women.

To close the gap, we need to empower girls from an early age, making them believe again that everything is possible, showing them female leadership in STEM fields and the story behind it, introducing them to innovative technologies and exciting possibilities they open. It’s also about creating opportunities and supporting dedicated initiatives.

Girls’ Day is a nationwide orientation day in Germany for young girls, which helps them get to know various career and study opportunities in fields such as IT, crafts, natural sciences, and technology, where the proportion of women is less than 40%. It’s also a great opportunity for them to meet female role models in leadership positions.

On April 25th, for the second time, we welcomed 12 girls, aged between 11 and 16 at our Fujifilm Europe HQ in Ratingen. Committed to women’s empowerment, we were happy to introduce to them the extensive range of our cutting-edge technologies, showing how our photography and film technologies found their way into other industries and how exciting it can be to be a part of the healthcare and science industries. Our guests also got a chance to see what’s possible with our X-Ray machines and see firsthand how it works. Armed with our INSTAX cameras, all girls could capture their experiences and create lasting memories getting shots to remember.

At Fujifilm, we are committed to fostering diversity and inclusivity, and events like Girls’ Day are just one way we strive to inspire the next generation of women in these fields. Can’t wait to welcome a new group of talented girls next year, so we are already looking forward to the next Girls’ Day!

Filed under Be Inspired Blog

16 Fujifilm products took the Red Dot Design Award 2024

by mariiabezpala April 24, 2024 Comments0

The year has just started, and we’ve already hit a home run at the Red Dot Design Award 2024. All 16 products that we submitted have won international acclaim in the Product Design category! Each entry has been recognized for its beautiful appearance and design achieving outstanding functionality and performance by a panel of world-known design experts. More to the story, our INSTAX mini Evo™ Brown has received the highest-ranked “Best of the Best Award”.

What’s worth the golden mark? Here is a little hall of fame for a closer look.

INSTAX mini Evo™ Brown: Best of the Best Award

Released in 2021, this hybrid instant camera has been a global sensation since its launch due to its hybrid nature of analogue and digital functions. It incorporates digital technology and supports the card-size “mini format film”. The camera comes with 10 lens effects, including Soft Focus and Light Leak, and 10 film effects, including Monochrome and Retro. These two types of effects can be freely combined to create 100 different shooting effects, allowing you to express your emotions in a unique way. The camera body sports a premium and classical look, featuring analogue-like operation with the lens dial, film dial, and print lever, designed with exceptional attention to details such as operation noise.

Instant camera INSTAX mini 12

Packed with easy-to-use modes and controls, this playful instant camera is full of joy, creativity, and color. It allows you to adjust shutter speed, flash brightness, and more to match the ambient light and experience perfectly exposed images every time. This definitely makes it ideal for close-ups!

Instant camera INSTAX SQUARE SQ40

This elegant instant camera looks as good as it takes photos. Featuring automatic exposure function, it’s your go-to companion for all your creative endeavors. You can also switch to selfie mode with a simple twist of the lens, glance in the selfie mirror – and voila! More beauty to it, its analogue-inspired design adds a touch of sophistication, making it a perfect accessory.

Digital Camera INSTAX Pal

It’s a super small digital camera that’s waiting to capture your spontaneous photos and make small moments seem big. It allows you to take advantage of the remote shutter release, giving a live view of the upcoming shot via a free devoted app. There you can adjust your images with filters, set a self-timer, and turn the flash on or off. Connected to an INSTAX Link printer, it prints your most beautiful moments on INSTAX mini, SQUARE, or WIDE films.

Mirrorless digital camera FUJIFILM GFX100 II & Vertical battery grip VG-GFX100 II

Featuring the newly developed high-speed 102MP sensor and the latest image processing engine, this flagship model delivers the highest burst-shooting, AF, and video performance in the history of GFX Series. Its weather-resistant battery grip withstands dust and difficult weather conditions, allowing you to shoot even at temperatures as low as -10℃.

Mirrorless digital camera FUJIFILM X-S20

The compact X-S20 is a lightweight, small camera that does great things. Weighting only 491 grams, it has a 5-axis image stabilization system (IBIS) with effective anti-shake protection of up to 7 stops, and a powerful battery that won’t run out until you have the perfect shot.

FUJINON Lens GF110mmF5.6 T/S Macro

This telephoto tilt-shift lens for the GFX Series combines image quality and functionality in a compact form. It offers unprecedented control with a resolving power of more than 100 megapixels to produce distortion and aberration-free images, and the maximum magnification of 0.5x makes it a perfect choice for macro and still-life photography.

FUJINON Lens GF55mmF1.7 R WR

With its impeccable handling, responsive autofocus, and rugged durability, this portable, versatile lens delivers high-quality images for a broad range of applications and provides a natural perspective, which makes it an essential partner on your GFX journey.

FUJINON Lens GF30mmF5.6 T/S

Designed for use in situations where image quality is paramount, this wide-angle tilt-shift lens strongly suppresses spherical aberration, coma aberration, and image curvature. It produces high image quality and exceptional detail from the center to the corners of the frame, even when the shift function is used. It also features a unique Nano GI coating technology that reduces ghosting and flare to deliver sharp, detail-packed results.

FUJINON Lens XF8mmF3.5 R WR

This lens is the perfect addition to your standard zoom. It offers an extremely wide angle of view that enables dynamic shots with enormous depth. It’s also great for video recording, for example, when you’re filming yourself while vlogging.

FUJINON FOCUS DEMAND EPD-51A-G02

This focusing aid provides the high-precision focusing required for shooting with broadcast box lenses mounted on a base. It adopts the grip-type format widely used in sports broadcasting and provides precise focusing and improved operability.

FUJINON HZK24-300mm

It’s an awesome broadcast zoom lens from the Duvo series. Crafted specifically for shoulder-mounting, handheld shooting, and other situations where you have to stay on the move, it delivers beautiful, cinematic images with shallow depth of field, with the operation style of a broadcast lens.

FUJIFILM SX1600

This long-range surveillance camera features a 40x-zoom FUJINON lens that covers a focal length range from the wide-angle 40mm to the world’s longest 1600mm telephoto. Equipped with an advanced image stabilization system and fast and accurate AF, it allows for exceptional image clarity, whether it’s international border controls, port surveillance, or remote inspection of infrastructure facilities.

PROOFIT iQ

It’s a portable medical system that allows for simple and accurate drug identification. You can simply tap a photo taken with a smartphone to identify the drug using AI, and compare it with Fujifilm’s proprietary master image with engraving and text emphasis.

Acuity Prime Hybrid

It’s a versatile and reliable wide-format inkjet printer for rigid and roll print. The design is based on the award-winning Acuity Prime, including the printhead carriage, ink system, Automatic Printhead Maintenance System (APMS), and software interface. From its user-friendly GUI, to accessible printheads for ease of maintenance, this machine is extremely intuitive and designed with an operator in mind.


Assist function for CT scan AutoPositioning

An AutoPositioning option enables stress-free, optimized imaging workflow when working with CT.

This remarkable achievement marks a valuable recognition, as we remain committed to creating designs that enhance functionality and bring new product value to our customers. There is more to come, so stay tuned!

Filed under Awards Blog Innovation

Fujifilm CodeBlue: Supporting life-saving work with IT solutions

by mariiabezpala April 17, 2024 Comments0

COVID-19 has become a serious global challenge that has tangibly changed the shape of societies and work environments all around the world. But it has also become a wake-up call that has shown just how invaluable access to real-time data can be, especially when it comes to critical care and life-saving services.

Since most EU countries urged workers to stay at home, setting up long-term lockdowns and restrictions, companies faced an urgent need for quick digital solutions that would facilitate their operations and keep them on track. So did Presbyterian Support Northern (PSN).

PSN is a health and social service organisation that provides practical and compassionate support to New Zealanders. One of their services, Lifeline Aotearoa, runs a 24-hour crisis helpline, providing support to people in distress, including those at high risk of suicide. In 2020, in response to the pandemic, the New Zealand government declared a national lockdown, forcing all employees to stay home. The PSN and its mental health helpline service team had only 48 hours to find and set up a quick and effective digital solution for remote working so that they could continue to help people needing mental and emotional support.

“Before COVID, we supported about 8,000 calls every month. And since COVID, we’re now supporting 10,000 calls a month. And we support about 15 to 25 people every day that are at high risk of self-harm,” – Helena de Fontenay, Lifeline Aotearoa, a service of Presbyterian Support Northern.

For Fujifilm CodeBlue, it became a priority to effectively address this challenge, as they witnessed its magnitude. For almost 20 years, they’ve been helping businesses throughout Australia and New Zealand access affordable and forward-thinking technology solutions – from managed IT services and cloud solutions, to video conferencing and project management – to help them work smarter and more efficiently.

The company has already been providing IT support to the PSN Lifeline team for some time, but this case was especially urgent. After the lockdown, there was a huge increase in calls, and the Lifeline team could not work from home. Fujifilm CodeBlue had to quickly provide a remote working environment that allowed the team to access their systems and collaborate with the same level of flexibility that they would have from the office. It allowed to respond to calls and texts around the clock and ensured secure communication for the staff and people calling the helpline.  

“During lockdown we had a call from a young lady who was having thoughts of wanting to hurt herself or self-harm. And she really didn’t see what her value was in this world. Through talking to her, we could find what was important to her. And what was important to her was her peers at school, and that she brought a shining light to them. Her self-harming or not being here anymore meant that shining light wasn’t going to be there. Finding that meant that the thoughts around self-harm or ending her life had faded. And every call like that means that we can support someone that needs us,” – Daniel Mclvor, Fujifilm CodeBlue New Zealand.

Read the full story here.

Filed under Business Consumer

The Photography & Video Show 2024: where creativity’s born

by mariiabezpala March 22, 2024 Comments0

Whether you are a fully-fledged professional in photography and filmmaking or an absolute beginner passionate about moving visuals and content creation, the Photography & Video Show is where you had to be last week. It’s the largest UK event of its kind that every year gathers about 30,000 creative minds. Last Saturday, it once again opened its doors in Birmingham, and we were thrilled to see you at our booths at the National Exhibition Centre. 

With more than 250 exhibitors, including globally recognised brands, offering a wide range of accessories, printing solutions, albums, clothing, editing software, and training supplies, it was a great chance for our customers to try out and purchase the latest products and services, and discover new tools to support their business needs.

  • Gallery Image
  • Gallery Image
  • Gallery Image
  • Gallery Image
  • Gallery Image

Endless Discoveries

Our visitors could test out cutting-edge equipment, or get personal hands-on experiences instead of online guesswork, compare, try, and make informed decisions investing in their creative endeavours. With over 350 seminars, live demos, tailored masterclasses, and workshops across six stages and theatres, they could network and learn from the industry’s foremost experts. We were happy to join the line-up and share useful professional techniques and insights about photography, filmmaking, and content craft.

Our Line-Up

March 16th

10:20 – 11:10
Visual storytelling with Mr Whisper

11:30 – 12:20
Stills, video or both? Hybrid weddings with the Fujifilm X-H2S

12:15 – 12:45
What makes a good composition?

12:40 – 13:30
An Introduction to Basic Lighting for Portraits and Headshots

13:50 – 14:40
Unleashing your creativity with the Fujifilm X-T5

15:00 – 15:50
Wildlife action photography

16:00 – 16:30
Travelling the UK as a multi-genre photographer

March 17th

10:20 – 11:10
Visual storytelling with Mr Whisper

11:15 – 11:45
Wildlife photography & conservation: What does it mean to you?

11:30 – 12:00
Hybrid film making – making the switch from photo to video

11:30 – 12:20
Stills, video or both? Hybrid weddings with the Fujifilm X-H2S

 12:15 – 12:45
What makes a good composition?

12:40 – 13:30
An Introduction to Basic Lighting for Portraits and Headshots

13:50 – 14:40
Unleashing your creativity with the Fujifilm X-T5

15:00 – 15:50
Wildlife action photography

16:10 – 17:00
Documenting baby’s first year

March 18th

10:20 – 11:10
Finding meaning and exploring authenticity in documentary photography

11:30 – 12:20
Sports photography with the Fujifilm X-H2S

 12:40 – 13:30
An introduction to basic lighting for portraits and headshots

 13:50 – 14:40
‘At event’ printing for larger (format) profit!

15:00 – 15:50
Capturing Antarctica: Land of ice and snow

16:00 – 16:30
Bigger sensor: Bigger profit

16:10 – 17:00
Documenting baby’s first year

March 19th

10:20 – 11:10
Finding meaning and exploring authenticity in documentary photography

11:30 – 12:20
Sports photography with the Fujifilm X-H2S

12:40 – 13:30
The art of landscape and travel photography

13:50 – 14:40
Capture One ecosystem with Fujifilm colours and quality

15:00 – 15:50
Capturing Antarctica: Land of ice and snow

16:10 – 17:00
An introduction to basic lighting for portraits and headshots

Stay tuned as there’s more to come. See you there next year!

Filed under Blog Photography

One-of-a-kind shots: INSTAX mini 99 & PHOTO SLIDE film

by mariiabezpala March 20, 2024 Comments0

From our first-ever INSTAX mini 10 launched in 1998 to the latest teeny-tiny INSTAX Pal digital camera that turned the instant photo experience upside-down, we continue to pursue the advantages of both analogue and digital technology, maximising the benefits of each.

Today, we celebrate the first INSTAX launch in 2024 and the new addition to our INSTAX analogue product line-up, the INSTAX mini 99. With its classic and stylish matte black finish, this new analogue instant camera maintains the premium look and feel as the INSTAX mini 90 but also brings advanced features that no other analogue camera has seen before.

Be one-of-a-kind with light & colour

The INSTAX mini 99 is a camera for those who are not afraid to experiment. What makes it truly one-of-a-kind is its built-in LED-light feature that enhances your prints with an authentic analogue feel. You can select different colours using the special Colour-Effect Dial. This includes Faded Green, Warm Tone, Light Blue, Soft Magenta, Sepia, and Light Leak. So, right when you take the photos, one of six different colour effects will be reflected in your prints, creating a unique shot every time.

You can also combine these colour effects with other modes, like Brightness Control. This feature offers five distinct levels of brightness: the Light (“L+”) setting indicates the brightest exposure, the “L”, “D”, and “N” settings offer the normal range of brightness, and the Dark (“D-”) setting represents the darkest available brightness level. 

The new camera also comes with an exciting new Manual Vignette Switch. It allows you to easily add an artistic shaded frame around the image, manually controlling the vignette with an easy-to-use switch on the lens housing.

Shooting Modes

Each moment is unique, and this camera takes it into account. With a set of different shooting modes, you can choose the one that perfectly suits the occasion and take shots even in low-light conditions. For instance, Sports Mode increases the shutter speed, so you can grab the perfect shot in action. The Double Exposure Mode lets you combine two images into one, and the Bulb Mode increases the amount of light let in, creating a brightened effect on the print. 

Apart from those, the INSTAX mini 99 offers Landscape, Standard, and Macro Focus modes, easily accessible by adjusting the lens dial. The Landscape mode works great for distant subjects, while the Macro mode is perfect for close-ups and selfies.

Self-timer & Flash Control

With the self-timer feature, you can capture perfect group photos without the need for extra hands to hold the camera, letting everybody be part of a frame. You can choose among the Auto Mode, Fill-in (the flash will always fire regardless of lighting), Red-eye Removal, or turn the flash off, depending on your lighting situation.

Grip & Tripod Mount

The INSTAX mini 99 comes with a precision-milled base grip and a tripod mount that also acts as a grip when attached to the camera. This ensures a comfortable and secure hold on the camera, reducing the chances of shaky shots or accidental drops, especially in the most active shooting situations.

New INSTAX mini film: PHOTO SLIDE

With the launch of the INSTAX mini 99, we are also releasing a new INSTAX mini film, PHOTO SLIDE, that offers a new print design to add to your collection. Inspired by the photo slide used in old slide projectors, it is based on a stylish ivory colour that makes an outstanding photo effect.

Try it out firsthand, experiment with light and colours, and let your small moments feel big… and one-of-a-kind!

Filed under Blog Consumer Spotlight