As Soon As Possible

Name

As Soon As Possible

Legal name

株式会社エイ・エス・エイ・ピイ

Website

https://asap-semi.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Saitama

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Semiconductor Manufacturing Equipment Sales: ASAP designs, manufactures, and sells photolithography processing equipment including coaters/developers, lift-off equipment, and mask aligners. Equipment is sold fully customized to user needs. The company also designs software for production equipment as part of its service offering.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

ASAP designs, manufactures, and sells photolithography processing equipment for semiconductor production, including coater/developer systems, lift-off equipment, and mask aligners handling 2–8 inch silicon and compound semiconductor substrates. All equipment is custom-designed to user specifications for production scale, substrate type, and factory layout, and the company also develops the embedded software for its production equipment. A 100% subsidiary of Nanyo Co., Ltd. (stock code: 7417) since July 2022.

Product overview

ASAP is a semiconductor manufacturing equipment company offering a focused portfolio of three core photolithography processing products—Coater/Developer, Lift-off Equipment, and Mask Aligner—complemented by a custom order-made service. All equipment handles 2-8 inch substrates for silicon and compound semiconductors, featuring full customization capabilities to optimize factory space and reduce defect rates. The company provides equipment across three tiers: high-spec models for high-volume production (600-1000+ wafers/day), standard models for medium-scale production (300-500 wafers/day), and R&D models for research and development applications (100 wafers/day). The three core products work together in the photolithography process flow: coating applies resist, the mask aligner performs exposure, and lift-off equipment removes unwanted material.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Coater/Developer (コーター／デベロッパー) Fully automated resist, polyimide, and dopant coating and baking equipment with a C-to-C (conveyor-to-conveyor) system for semiconductor and electronic parts manufacturers. Processes 2–8 inch wafers without setup changes, handles low to high viscosity solutions, and accommodates wafer curvature up to 200μm. Available in high-spec (1,000+ wafers/day), standard (500+ wafers/day), and R&D (100+ wafers/day) models.
• Lift-off Equipment (リフトオフ装置) High-pressure jet lift-off equipment using ASAP's proprietary diamond-coated nozzles (φ0.1mm) with microcavitation high-pressure cleaning for semiconductor and electronic parts manufacturers. Removes metal burrs and organic film residue without damage, eliminating re-attachment, back-surface contamination, and lift-off residue issues common with DIP bath methods. Available in high-spec (600+ wafers/day), standard (300+ wafers/day), and R&D models.
• Mask Aligner (マスクアライナー) C-to-C auto batch scale exposure mask alignment equipment with contactless gap management via laser displacement meters and FAST image processing auto alignment for semiconductor and electronic parts manufacturers. Provides proximity exposure with 0–999μm gap adjustment, ±5% illuminance uniformity, ±1μm alignment accuracy, under 5μm resolution at 20μm gap, and 120 wph throughput. Compact 1m × 1m design supporting wafer sizes up to 8 inches and mask sizes up to 9 inches.
• ASAP Order-Made (オーダーメイド) Custom order-made semiconductor production equipment built to user specifications for semiconductor and electronic parts manufacturers. Configurations include selectable processing caps and liquid nozzles, production scale optimization, and multi-wafer size compatibility (e.g., 2&4 inches, 4&6 inches, 6&8 inches). Available from manual R&D through mass production equipment, with documented ability to reduce defect rates from 4% to 1%.

Quantifiable outcome

• Defectiveness rate decreased from 4% to 1% after implementing ASAP's customized equipment
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• JipalminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerJipal engineers provide local field support and local contact window services for ASAP's overseas markets including China, Taiwan, Korea, ASEAN regions, and the US. Jipal technicians handle on-site support, with Japanese ASAP engineers deployed for equipment installation and handover. Japanese engineers travel for cases deemed too difficult for local technicians.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves1 record

Direct peers

• SCREEN Holdings: SCREEN is a global leader in semiconductor cleaning equipment and coater/developer (track) systems—the same photolithography support category ASAP serves. It is the most direct comparable for ASAP's coater/developer product line, though operating at vastly larger scale.
• EV Group (EVG): EVG manufactures lithography, wafer bonding, and nanoimprint equipment serving semiconductor, MEMS, and compound semiconductor customers. Its proximity lithography and specialty lithography tools overlap with ASAP's mask aligner and photolithography processing offerings.
• SUSS MicroTec: SUSS MicroTec specializes in mask aligners, lithography, and wafer bonding equipment for semiconductor, MEMS, and compound semiconductor manufacturing—directly overlapping with ASAP's mask aligner and photolithography processing portfolio.
• Tokyo Electron (TEL): TEL is the world's dominant supplier of coater/developer track equipment for advanced semiconductor fabs. It directly competes with ASAP in the photolithography support segment, with broader product breadth and global installed base.

Broad incumbents

• ASML: ASML is the dominant global supplier of advanced lithography systems (EUV/DUV steppers). While it operates in the broader lithography category where ASAP plays, it serves leading-edge logic/foundry fabs rather than ASAP's compound semiconductor and R&D niche.
• Hitachi High-Tech: Hitachi High-Tech manufactures semiconductor manufacturing and inspection equipment, and is a Japanese-headquartered broad incumbent. It shares customer relationships with ASAP in Japan-based semiconductor fabs and offers overlapping equipment categories at much larger scale.
• Nikon Precision: Nikon manufactures semiconductor lithography steppers and related equipment. It competes in the broader photolithography equipment market but focuses on mainstream stepper applications rather than ASAP's specialty coating and lift-off niche.
• Lam Research: Lam Research is a major global supplier of semiconductor wafer fabrication equipment (etch, deposition, cleaning). While it operates in adjacent process steps rather than photolithography support, it competes for semiconductor fab capex budgets against ASAP's served market.
• Canon: Canon produces semiconductor lithography equipment (including nanoimprint systems) as part of its diversified industrial portfolio. It is a broad incumbent in the lithography space adjacent to ASAP's mask aligner and photolithography processing offerings.

Regional players

• Ulvac: Ulvac is a Japanese manufacturer of vacuum equipment and semiconductor/flat-panel production systems. It shares ASAP's Japanese roots and serves semiconductor manufacturing customers, with broader coverage in deposition, etching, and related process equipment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/makoto0030
• Facebookfacebook.com/asapsemicom
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/asap-co-ltd-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about As Soon As Possible