China’s chip manufacturing capabilities seem to be growing rapidly. A local company has created the first electron beam lithography system for commercial use.
Typically, in the field of lithography equipment, China lags far behind Western competitors because it does not have access to advanced installations of the ASML company. This is the main barrier to creating high-performance semiconductors. Nevertheless, Chinese companies are trying to develop their own EUV lithography systems, although it will take a long time for them to appear.
As reported by SCMP, researchers at the Quantum Technology Laboratory of Zhejiang University in Hangzhou have developed the first electron beam lithography (EBL) machine. This machine is named Xizhi — in honor of the famous ancient Chinese calligrapher Wang Xizhi. The device uses a focused electron beam to “write” chip circuits on silicon wafers.
In 2022, the U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security imposed export restrictions on semiconductor manufacturing equipment, including electron beam lithography systems. Washington also pressured its ally, the Netherlands, to restrict ASML from selling its most advanced technologies to Chinese customers in line with restrictions imposed by the Dutch government. Following the US restrictions, China has stepped up its efforts to localize the production of advanced chips. And recent achievements have strengthened China’s research and development capabilities.
Although the new Chinese development is far from the level of ASML High-NA EUV, it has similar features. Xizhi can form circuit lines up to 8 nm wide with a positioning accuracy of 0.6 nm, which is in line with international standards. However, the key disadvantage lies in the operation and productivity features. Electron beam lithography machines provide high-precision circuit application and greater design flexibility. Processing takes place point by point, so it can take hours to form a single plate. All this makes the device suitable only for research, testing, and prototyping, not for mass production.
In practice, China still relies on DUV systems to produce most commercial chips. The new tool can help reduce the research and development gap with Western companies, but it is not suitable for mass production. The United States is still ahead in manufacturing technology, but the gap is gradually closing. And how EBL technology will affect China’s chip manufacturing ambitions will become apparent in the coming years.
Source: wccftech
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