MetaOptics Ltd (9MT) and Elsoft Research Berhad (0090) said on Jul, 30 2026 that they have entered a strategic partnership to co-develop and mass-produce next-generation equipment for manufacturing and testing semiconductor metalenses.

The plan covers three product lines: 1. A 12-inch direct laser writer that patterns metalens geometry at roughly 120 nm resolution, enabling simultaneous fabrication of hundreds of lenses per wafer. 2. Wafer-level automatic testers that evaluate point-spread function, modulation transfer function, throughput and uniformity across visible (425–630 nm), near-infrared (740–940 nm) and short-wave infrared (1245–1310 nm) bands. 3. An integrated module assembly and test system that performs sub-micron active alignment, UV-cured bonding and embedded optical testing for high-volume production of smartphone-camera and AR-glasses modules.

MetaOptics will provide metalens design and process expertise, while Elsoft contributes its automated-test and precision manufacturing capabilities. The companies said the collaboration aims to shorten development cycles and accelerate the move from prototyping on MetaOptics’ existing 4-inch platform to high-volume production on the new 12-inch tools.

MetaOptics is in discussions with prospective foundry customers in the United States, Japan and Europe regarding supply of the planned equipment. The companies do not expect the partnership to have a material effect on their current-year net tangible assets or earnings per share.