As the kids say: Big if true.
In late October we linked to this story, "China reportedly caught reverse-engineering ASML’s DUV lithography". The efforts, which have been going on for years are a very tough slog.*
The Chinese are trying to recreate the most complex machine ever manufactured by human beings. In the example above, the Chinese engineers broke the ASML machine. Hilarity ensued.
They called ASML to request a service call.
Now it appears they may not have to conquer the next-level Extreme Ultra Violet technology to get to next year's state-of-the-art in chip manufacturing.
The DUV will do.
From the always-alert observers at Huawei Central, December 2:
Huawei may have a 2nm chip breakthrough
Huawei is pouring efforts to make a breakthrough in the chip industry, and it looks like the company has plans on this matter based on the 2nm process technology. A new patent is here showcasing the attempts of the firm despite lack of high-end tools.
The Chinese OEM recently issued a patent for a 2nm chip technology. While the company is still facing challenges to catch its rivals in the chipset battle, it is planning to end this phase, probably by the end of next year.
But the question is, how is that going to be possible, as Huawei has just hit the 5nm mark this year with the Kirin 9030 chip (N+3 node), powering the Mate 80? Well, the answer lies in the patent. Let’s explore it in full detail.
Patent: 21nm metal pitches
Starting with the application, the company applied for the new patent with the CN119301758A number on June 8, 2022, and it was published this year on January 10. It is entitled “Metal Integration Method for Manufacturing Integrated Devices”.
It is primarily focused on the manufacturing of advanced semiconductors. Also, it resolves the bottlenecks related to the BEOL patterning for ICs (Integrated Circuits).
BEOL (Back-End-Of-Line) is a crucial stage in the chipmaking process, where metal interconnect layers are deposited to connect the individual transistors and devices developed during the Front-End-Of-Line (FEOL) procedure.
The process is used to create electrical pathways that form the IC and allow signals to transmit between components seamlessly. In terms of 21nm or below chips, this process often becomes a problem in resistance capacitance delay, reliability, and yield.
2nm process
According to a Semiconductor researcher, Dr. Frederick Chen, who spotted the new patent, Huawei can achieve a 2nm process chip, and that too without any advanced EUV machine. This will become possible with the help of DUV equipment.US ban on Huawei in 2019 restricted the company from using the cutting-edge chip technologies. As a result, the OEM began joining hands with the native semiconductor firms like SMIC and relied on the DUV machines for the past few years....
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By-the-bye, for the last couple years there have been stories that Huawei has the EUV technology but that is hard to believe. The problem the Chinese face is that to recreate the world's most complex machine they have to recreate ASML's supplier ecosystem.
From TrendForce, November 10:
ASML’s Magic Uncovered: Tech and Partners Behind Its EUV Edge China Can’t Replicate
While China is racing to close the lithography gap with homegrown tools from Huawei-linked SiCarrier and Yuliangsheng, the reality is that extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography remains an entirely different universe. Machines capable of printing sub-5nm chips are not just complex—they’re the pinnacle of global scientific collaboration.
Take ASML, the Dutch firm that holds a virtual monopoly in EUV. With Intel, TSMC, and Samsung as its main clients, ASML’s dominance isn’t merely about technological leadership—it’s about an ecosystem that no country can replicate overnight.
As Focus: The ASML Way reveals, ASML doesn’t exactly build EUV scanners—it conducts them like a symphony. Instead of crafting the optics, light source, or other core modules on its own, ASML serves as the master orchestrator, coordinating a global network of over 100 top-tier suppliers.
Let’s take a closer look inside this technological marvel—unpacking the structure of ASML’s EUV system, the key enablers behind its core components, and how this intricate collaboration has become the driving force behind ASML’s dominance.
From Light to Chip: Inside ASML’s EUV Process
As ASML explains, its EUV lithography is like carving circuits with a “nanoscale light scalpel.” Imagine trying to etch an entire encyclopedia onto a single grain of rice—ASML’s EUV machines do something similar: they use extremely short-wavelength light to “print” microscopic circuit patterns onto silicon wafers.
First, the system needs a light source. In the case of EUV, it uses a special 13.5 nm wavelength light—5,000 times thinner than a human hair. This incredibly short wavelength is what enables printing such microscopic patterns. But keep in mind that the entire process must occur in a vacuum because this type of light gets absorbed by air instantly. Without a vacuum, the precious EUV light would disappear before reaching the wafer.
Next, ultra-precise reflective mirrors are required to capture, focus, and guide the light through the system—like using a magnifying glass to focus sunlight, but with precision millions of times greater. These mirrors are polished to atomic-level smoothness to ensure no light is lost.
The light is then shaped and shines through a “stencil” called a photomask, which contains the chip’s circuit design. The light projects this pattern onto a silicon wafer, almost like shining a flashlight through a paper cutout to leave a tiny, precise shadow on the surface.
Notably, one critical advantage ASML has is its High-NA EUV technology, which uses anamorphic optics to compress patterns 4x in one direction and 8x in the other—like a smart shrinking lens. This allows a single exposure to create extremely fine features.
In contrast, DUV lithography systems (currently the most advanced technology accessible to Chinese manufacturers) must use multi-patterning—stamping the same area multiple times—to approach similar resolution, making the process slower, more expensive, and more prone to defects.
Team Effort Behind ASML: Key Component Suppliers
Twenty years. That’s how long it took ASML and its partners to perfect EUV lithography technology, according to the company. The payoff? A machine so complex it contains roughly 100,000 parts working in perfect harmony, and shipping a single unit is like orchestrating a small military operation—40 freight containers, three cargo planes, and 20 trucks, all coordinated just to get one machine from factory to fab.
And the price tag? The latest High-NA EUV machine commands over $350 million—more expensive than a private jet, yet essential for manufacturing the world’s most advanced chips. To achieve such a feat, ASML teams up with specialized suppliers, each mastering their part, to build a machine that pushes the limits of chip-making.....
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Which is why it is such a big deal if Huawei can get to similar specifications without having to develop the bleeding edge technology. Even TSMC finds the High-NA EUV to be a bit daunting, cost/performance-wise:
