In November 1968, the Company announced the development of SELFOC™, an innovative photoconductor glass jointly built with NEC Corporation. SELFOC™ is made of glass rods or glass fibers where the refractive index of light from the center portion to the periphery becomes smaller in a highly regular pattern, making it ideal for optical communication and micro-lens applications.
Applied in a wide range of products, including optical communications, endoscopes and lenses for printers, SELFOC™ was recognized as a “Notable Invention” by the Science and Technology Agency in 1972 and received several other awards since the research first began in 1965.