Zeiss estimates a 15‑year gap for China in developing its own EUV equipment
- Zeiss believes that China will need ~15 years for its own EUV equipment.
- The bans from the US and the Netherlands completely block the import of EUV scanners to China.
- ASML remains the only global supplier of EUV technology, while Zeiss provides its optics.
China is actively investing in replacing imported solutions in semiconductor manufacturing, trying to reduce dependence on Western supplies. Against the backdrop of these efforts, Western analysts regularly assess how far behind Chinese projects are compared to global leaders.
A representative of the German group Zeiss, responsible for optical components, stated that a realistic timeframe for creating a fully domestic EUV scanner is about fifteen years. In his opinion, it is currently difficult to predict the exact dynamics of the development of Chinese technologies, but such a timeframe seems plausible.
What is EUV lithography
EUV (extreme ultraviolet) is a type of lithographic equipment that uses short-wavelength ultraviolet radiation. Thanks to this technology, manufacturers are able to produce chips with a 7 nm technology and even smaller structures, which is currently considered the leading edge in the industry.
Western restrictions imposed by the USA and the Netherlands completely block the supply of EUV scanners to China. Therefore, Chinese companies have to develop their own solutions, which requires significant scientific and financial resources.
Currently, the only manufacturer of EUV scanners in the world remains the Dutch company ASML, and the optical components for its machines are supplied by Zeiss. Equipment of the previous generation – DUV (deep ultraviolet) – is still exported to China almost without restrictions, except for the most advanced models, for which a U.S. license is required.
The head of Zeiss warned that further tightening of export rules for DUV equipment could harm European manufacturers, but at the same time increase incentives for Chinese engineers to develop their own equipment.
According to a Zeiss representative, the Chinese industry has been working on creating EUV technology for several decades, but the gap remains significant. 'We are still ahead of them,' he emphasized, pointing to the current technological divide.
It is important to note that Zeiss optical components are used in the production of about 80% of all microchips produced in the world. This highlights the scale of the advantage that Western companies maintain in the semiconductor supply chain and indicates how difficult it will be to catch up without access to key technologies.
Source: 3DNews
