Beyond lithography: Chinese chip toolmaker achieves wafer polishing breakthrough

Chinese chip-tool manufacturer Hwatsing Technology has achieved a significant breakthrough in wafer polishing, a crucial manufacturing process that prepares silicon discs for microchip production. Despite the industry's continued reliance on foreign suppliers for more complex manufacturing procedures, Hwatsing has introduced an ultra-precise metrology system specifically designed for six-inch wafers.

This system enables real-time defect identification and manufacturing consistency, integrating directly into the polishing workflow to enhance wafer uniformity and reduce waste.

The company, based in Tianjin, recently shipped the new system to an unnamed domestic producer of optical silicon materials. The wafer polishing segment remains a strong area for domestic suppliers, with Hwatsing leading the market at 85 percent of the market share. However, the self-sufficiency rate for wafer metrology and inspection tools remains relatively low at 10 percent.

This is in stark contrast to lithography, the strategic chipmaking technology dominated by Dutch company ASML, which China has been barred from accessing advanced technology.