As high-end manufacturing increasingly approaches extreme precision, the manufacturing accuracy and inspection difficulty of optical components are being pushed to unprecedented heights. The role of optical testing and measurement technology is undergoing profound changes. Whether it is the complex freeform surface inspection of AR/VR optical waveguides, the mass calibration of automotive-grade LiDAR, or the sub-micron non-destructive flaw detection of TSV vias in advanced packaging, optical measurement and inspection equipment has become the "standard measure" for technology iteration and industrial implementation, deeply embedded across the entire chain from R&D to mass production. The upcoming CIOE Precision Optics Expo & Camera Technology and Applications Expo, to be held in September this year, will intensively showcase key technical breakthroughs and industrial applications in this field.
Freeform Optical Measurement: Breaking the Mass Production Bottleneck of Core Optical Components in Consumer Electronics and Intelligent Vehicles
In the field of optical design, the core value of freeform surface technology lies in breaking the constraints of traditional spherical and axisymmetric aspherical surfaces, integrating multiple optical functions into a single component, thereby drastically compressing system volume, reducing weight, and improving imaging quality. This characteristic makes it a critical choice for optical waveguide coupling components in AR/VR headsets, scanning prisms and receiving lenses in automotive LiDAR, and high-end smartphone lenses. However, the premise of high-precision manufacturing is high-precision measurement. The form accuracy of freeform surfaces has advanced from the sub-micron level to the nanometer level, and these components often feature complex, non-rotationally symmetric profiles. Traditional offline profilometer inspections are time-consuming and struggle to match modern production rhythms.
Industry leaders are accelerating efforts to overcome this challenge. Hexagon has consistently introduced automated inspection systems in recent years that fuse advanced optical measurement with robotics, covering a wide range of needs from micron-level precision measurement to large-scale component inspection, providing flexible and configurable solutions for manufacturing scenarios of various scales. Several optical measurement devices independently developed by Zhongtu Instruments have entered top scientific research institutions. Its fiber-optic laser scale products, based on proprietary laser interference technology, aim to provide localized closed-loop measurement support for semiconductor and ultra-precision processing, taking a solid step toward breaking import dependence and building an independent, controllable measurement chain. Taylor Hobson continues to optimize the efficiency of its non-contact 3D optical measurement system in freeform surface inspection. By introducing automated and intelligent features, it has significantly enhanced the smoothness of production line testing, transforming high-precision measurement from a specialized "slow and meticulous job" into production-line-grade "rapid calibration." These technical achievements and application practices are gradually clearing key bottlenecks for freeform optics between laboratory prototypes and large-scale mass production, providing reliable quality assurance for the rapid adoption of emerging industries like AR/VR and automotive LiDAR.
Industrial Intelligent Inspection: Equipping Intelligent Manufacturing with "Eyes That Never Tire"
If freeform measurement addresses the high-precision forming of individual optical components, industrial intelligent inspection tackles the quality challenges of the entire production line-from power batteries to automotive stampings, and from optical lenses to electronic assemblies. The requirements of industrial production for inspection have long surpassed the scope of traditional machine vision. It must not only be fast and accurate but also adapt to complex and variable materials, multi-variety switching, and continuous operation in unmanned factories. This has driven the deep integration of optical measurement and AI, upgrading inspection systems from "seeing defects" to "understanding defects."
Leveraging its profound accumulation in the field of high-precision optical measurement, Panasonic's ultra-precision surface profile measuring instrument series continues to serve as a benchmark for verification and quality control in ultra-precision machining scenarios such as high-end optics and VA grooves. Simultaneously, it expands its production line application products like laser displacement sensors, striving to play a pivotal role throughout the entire high-end manufacturing process. Dongzheng Optics, a provider of industrial lenses and optical imaging solutions, continues to delve deeply into machine vision and intelligent inspection scenarios. It has recently made progress in expanding its industrial lens product line and securing multiple core patents. Its developed line scan lenses, telecentric lenses, and other products are being applied in lithium battery vision inspection, flat panel and glass defect screening, and other scenarios, helping intelligent manufacturing enterprises accelerate the realization of comprehensive automated quality control on production lines. As AI image processing algorithms mature, optical inspection equipment is evolving from a standalone inspection tool into a core data node within the process optimization feedback loop.
Semiconductor Optical Measurement: Fortifying a "Nanometer-Scale Defense Line" for Chip Yield
If industrial intelligent inspection "captures defects" on a macro production line, semiconductor optical measurement "guards yield" on a micro chip-in the microscopic world of chips, no process allows for error. As manufacturing processes advance to more sophisticated nodes, any nanometer-scale flaw-such as particles on the wafer surface, pattern defects, overlay errors, or microcracks-can cause an entire batch of chips to fail. Capitalizing on non-contact and high-throughput advantages, optical inspection equipment remains the most mainstream technical route in front-end wafer defect inspection and back-end advanced packaging measurement.
Zeiss, relying on its deep optical heritage, continues to empower the semiconductor industry chain, providing comprehensive solutions across the entire chip manufacturing process from photomasks and wafer inspection to packaging failure analysis, while actively aligning with industry standards to enhance manufacturing efficiency and reliability. UCOTEC's white-light interferometer AM-8000 series, equipped with numerous high-speed nanometer piezoelectric ceramics and powered by unique SST+GAT and weak-light extraction algorithms, coordinates with one-click autofocus and leveling technology. It enables fast and efficient measurement of silicon wafers, chips, and high-speed devices, achieving sub-nanometer inspection precision to quickly capture critical data such as micro-topography dimensions, step heights, and roughness, providing robust data support for R&D and production. Bruker is accelerating the development of its photothermal infrared atomic force microscopy spectroscopy (PTIR-AFM) technology, extending the application of nano-IR spectroscopy from traditional nanoscale contaminant analysis to broader research on advanced semiconductor materials and device architectures, offering key chemical characterization capabilities for next-generation chip process R&D. Keyence continuously iterates in machine vision and automated optical inspection, expanding its high-precision 3D scanning measurement and microscopic analysis product lines to maintain its industry edge in efficiency and intelligence. Ideaoptics, which focuses on spectroscopic inspection, has also launched a new generation of front-end semiconductor process inspection solutions. Its ellipsometry measurement technology demonstrates outstanding film thickness detection capabilities in critical process steps such as etching and deposition, becoming an indispensable inline monitoring tool in advanced nodes. Concurrently, capital market attention toward the optical measurement track continues to heat up; multiple M&A and financing events indicate that the strategic value of this field has been doubly recognized by both industry and capital.
All-Chain Aggregation of Optical Testing and Measurement: Everything from Components to Systems, All in One Place
The global optoelectronics industry chain one-stop platform, CIOE (China International Optoelectronic Exposition), will be held from September 9-11, 2026, at the Shenzhen World Exhibition & Convention Center. The Precision Optics Expo & Camera Technology and Applications Expo will intensively present the latest achievements in optical testing and measurement, centering on core sectors like optical measurement instruments, optical imaging systems, machine vision, and industrial automation, comprehensively covering one-stop technical capabilities from optical materials and precision component processing to measurement equipment and software algorithms. The exhibition will feature nanometer-level surface profile measurement solutions for complex optical components like freeform surfaces and aspherical surfaces, and will also showcase online vision inspection systems integrated with AI algorithms to achieve real-time defect judgment and classification on production lines, building an efficient technical matchmaking platform for industrial users and scientific research institutions.
Some of the participating companies include Hexagon, Zeiss, Taylor Hobson, Zygo, Mitutoyo, Panasonic, Zhongtu Instruments, Keyence, Yuchuan Optics, Berlin All-Optics, Qanyao Optics, Chengdu Tech, InterTech, Motic, Beijing Optotech, UCOTEC, Hanhua Semiconductor, Zhaofeng, Xiaogan Huazhong Precision, Suzhou Heihe Electronics, Hangzhou Topu, Bruker, Guangzhou Jinghua, Ideaoptics, Guangheng, Kefeng, Dongzheng Optics, Tuojie, Ankuo, Zhichang Technology, Photon Precision, Taiwan Ultra-Micro Optics, Jinan Sensen, Marposs, Xingqing Optics, etc. *Partial list of companies, in no particular order.
The exhibition venue will also host the "Optical Semiconductor Inspection Technology Forum," bringing together industry experts and corporate representatives to deeply discuss AI-driven intelligent inspection solutions, as well as high-speed, high-precision measurement practices for advanced nodes and packaging. It aims to promote collaborative innovation among industry, academia, and research, and jointly forge a new industrial path for semiconductor inspection moving from "passive detection" to "active intelligent control." Concurrent forums such as the "Ultra-Precision/Nano Optical Manufacturing Technology Forum" and the "CIOE Optical Vacuum Coating Conference" will also address cross-scale inspection solutions in meta/nano and ultra-precision processing, as well as the precise measurement and control of film layers in optical coating.
Three-Expo Linkage: Optical Testing and Measurement Steps from "Standard Measure" to "Enabler"
From freeform surfaces and industrial intelligent inspection to semiconductor optical measurement, optical testing and measurement are shifting from passive quality verification to the core of active process optimization. Measurement methods are accelerating their penetration into production lines through inline and intelligent adaptation, shifting quality control forward from "post-event gatekeeping" to "in-process control." Massive micro-topography data, combined with AI and edge computing, is forming a closed loop of "design-manufacturing-inspection-correction." This precise, intelligent, and line-embeddable measurement solution is driving "technological democratization" in the manufacturing field.
This year, CIOE will be co-located with the IICIE (International Integrated Circuit Innovation Exhibition) and elexcon Shenzhen Electronics Show, spanning a total scale of 340,000 square meters and gathering over 5,000 exhibitors to cover the complete ecosystem of optoelectronics, integrated circuits, and electronic systems. At CIOE, you can find a comprehensive range of optical testing solutions spanning freeform surfaces, industrial intelligent inspection, and semiconductor measurement. Meanwhile, at IICIE, you will see full semiconductor optical measurement solutions, including front-end wafer lithography overlay error measurement and film thickness detection, back-end advanced packaging TSV measurement and bump coplanarity inspection, as well as non-destructive optical testing of bonding quality. The three-expo linkage helps you efficiently complete technology selection and business matchmaking, truly bridging the "last mile" from inspection needs to practical solutions.
From September 9-11, at the Shenzhen World Exhibition & Convention Center, we look forward to witnessing the value leap of optical testing and measurement with you.
