Semiconductor lithography light source manufacturer Gigaphoton Inc. has begun testing a new krypton fluoride (KrF) excimer laser, a light source for the annealing process at large-scale liquid crystal display manufacturing plants. Testing is taking place within a mass production line at a panel manufacturer. Designed to be a high-output KrF excimer laser at 600 W, the product is expected to be an annealing light source for panel manufacturers both within Japan and abroad as demand for large-scale panels with even greater resolutions increases. Gigaphoton is aiming to ship the first mass-produced models of the KrF excimer laser in the summer of 2017. Gigaphoton is a developer of excimer laser, extreme UV and lithography light sources.