It is an ASML ‘Made in China’

China had a great disadvantage in semiconductors. It seems to be solving it, because the Chinese manufacturer of SMIC semiconductors is testing a new machine from deep ultraviolet photolithography (UVP) that yes, is still one step behind the extreme ultraviolet machines (UVE). We are facing a potential turn of events in this Chips war that maintain US and China and that now becomes especially interesting.

Why is it important. Sources close to this project have indicated In Financial Times that SMIC is testing a UVP machine manufactured by a Shanghai startup called Yuliangsheng. If these initial tests are successful we will be facing a great Chinese victory in the semiconductor sector. One that will above all will allow you to further reduce western technology dependence and thus accelerate the production of advanced chips of AI, for example.

A great step for Chinese photolithography. Lin Qingyuan, a semiconductor analyst at the Bernstein consultant, explained precisely as if this DUV machine meets expectations, “will represent an important step for Chinese companies, which can start from this technological milestone to create machines (of photolithography) increasingly advanced.” The machine makes use of “immersion technology”, a technique also uses by ASML in its machines.

But. As indicated in FT, although most of the YulianSheng UVP machine are local, there are some parts that have been obtained abroad. That causes there to be some dependence on components that China does not manufacture at the moment, but the company is trying to develop them to solve that problem.

Patience. Not just that. Adjusting these UVP machines have time. This process is necessary to achieve adequate stability and that chips can occur without defects. That period can become up to one year, which makes this Chinese race to avoid the dependence of foreign suppliers.

Those 7 nm have a trick. The UVP machine that SMIC is testing obtaining 7 nm chips. Speaking of nanometers have long been talking about We don’t talk so much of the physical dimensions of the semiconductors and of the generation in which they are at the level of benefits and efficiency. These machines could even achieve 5 Nm chips although more likely that the rhythm of production of reliable chips falls.

China is still linked to UVP machines. The new YulianSheng UVP machines are apparently more advanced than those already worked in some Chinese manufacturers. This also limits Chinese innovation capacity, which depends on machines that were bought before Restrictions entered into force. These UVP machines are the ones that for example They are used for Huawei Ascend chips.

Sicarrier advances. The YuliangSheng matrix It is none other than Sicarrierwhich was created in 2021 and that began to be known in March. It was then that he showed advanced microchips production machines that rivaled those of Tokyo Electron or Applyed Materials. This company has a project to develop an EUV machine, which has as its name “Monte Everest”.

Care, Asml. Until now, Chinese semiconductor manufacturers, like many others worldwide, have depended on the advanced photolithography machines of the Dutch company ASML. The veto for the commercial war between China and the US had notably limited the access of Chinese companies to these machines, which prevented them from competing in equal cnditions. Although there were some options – Shanghai Micro Electronics Equipment also had DUV machines – these were less advanced.

And what about EUV machines? Although the project is an important step forward for the Chinese semiconductor industry, there is an even more important leap to the machines of extreme ultraviolet photolithography (UVE), which are those used to produce the most advanced chips of companies such as NVIDIA. At present, ASML cannot sell EUV teams to China, but be careful: the Asian giant He is already working to access this technology.

China will continue a step back. Not being able to access EUV machines is still very important to slow down Chinese innovation capacity. TSMC and other companies already They make use of EUV Machines of ASML Able to work with photolithographic nodes of 2 Nm, something that significantly increases the chip density and the efficiency and power of all types of processors, including those used for AI accelerators that sell NVIDIA.

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