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Technology ministry claims ‘significant technological breakthroughs’ in deep-ultraviolet lithography by unnamed companies.
www.scmp.com
The Chinese government is promoting two domestically made chip-making machines that it says have achieved significant advances, as the country strives towards technology self-sufficiency amid US sanctions.
The lithography machines, which print highly complex circuit patterns onto silicon wafers, “have achieved significant technological breakthroughs, own intellectual property rights but have yet to perform on the market”, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), which did not name the companies behind the two machines.
One of the deep ultraviolet (DUV) lithography machines operates at a wavelength of 193 nanometres (nm), with a resolution below 65nm and an overlay accuracy below 8nm, according to a new list of “major technological equipment” published by the MIIT earlier this week. The other DUV machine has a wavelength of 248nm, with 110nm resolution and 25nm overlay accuracy, according to the list.
The two machines are still far behind the most advanced options available on the market. One of Dutch equipment maker ASML Holding’s most advanced DUV machines, for instance, can operate at a resolution of below 38nm with an overlay accuracy of 1.3nm.
I'm wondering if these are test machines or actual production machines. Looking at ASML's history, their test machines spend some time with customers before they are refined and actually production ready. For EUV, I remember the years. First test machine went to IMEC and a lab in the US in 2006. Second wave of test machines went to customers in 2011 and got developed over the next few years. Production ready machines were announced in 2016 and the first chips came out in 2018.
The other question I keep wondering about is if the quality of optics has improved. That was the bottleneck I identified a few years back.
I'm wondering if these are test machines or actual production machines. Looking at ASML's history, their test machines spend some time with customers before they are refined and actually production ready. For EUV, I remember the years. First test machine went to IMEC and a lab in the US in 2006. Second wave of test machines went to customers in 2011 and got developed over the next few years. Production ready machines were announced in 2016 and the first chips came out in 2018.
The other question I keep wondering about is if the quality of optics has improved. That was the bottleneck I identified a few years back.
their main problem is the ridiculous mindset on wlb.
other wise they can get this done much faster.
those who are willing to work like a slave are general ly tier three and lower talents who can't find a decent job in other companies.
they are very slow in figuring out how those things works.
if they have the same league of engineers as amat they can get this done in three years for sure. a lot of reverse engineering of a ten years old tech won't be too much a issue.
I'm wondering if these are test machines or actual production machines. Looking at ASML's history, their test machines spend some time with customers before they are refined and actually production ready. For EUV, I remember the years. First test machine went to IMEC and a lab in the US in 2006. Second wave of test machines went to customers in 2011 and got developed over the next few years. Production ready machines were announced in 2016 and the first chips came out in 2018.
The other question I keep wondering about is if the quality of optics has improved. That was the bottleneck I identified a few years back.
It is kind of lame but it is progress I guess. They used to be stuck at 90 nm.
That 65 nm machine is probably not from SMEE. Since it is not on their website at all.
www.scmp.com
