China makes progress in 3-nm chips without advanced lithography tools
Chinese researchers have made early strides in pushing semiconductor processing nodes below 3-nm using older lithography technology, as more advanced extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV) tools from ASML remain blocked under US sanctions. The breakthrough marks the latest progress in China’s drive to chart an alternative path to advanced chipmaking amid US export restrictions. Under current…
Chinese researchers have recently made promising progress in developing semiconductor chips with a node size below 3-nanometers using less advanced lithography techniques. This development comes as the United States continues to block the export of advanced extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV) tools, essential for producing chips at the sub-7-nanometer level, to Chinese entities.
The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has taken a significant step forward in this endeavor by successfully integrating gate-all-around (GAA) nanosheet-channel CMOS transistors using deep ultraviolet (DUV) lithography, according to a report from Digitimes. GAA transistor architecture is considered the next critical evolution in semiconductor production beyond the widely used FinFET designs.
However, the breakthrough remains in an early stage, and the institute's latest development needs to be validated on actual manufacturing lines before it can be considered for mass production. While the progress is a significant achievement, it is still far from being ready for commercial use.
Written by urgent.news from SCMP Tech's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
