EUVL in China If ASML is not allowed to deliver to China, Huawei must become creative itself

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In chip manufacturing, lithography with extreme ultraviolet light is the key to the finest nanostructures. For years, China has been denied access to the current lithography standard from market leader ASML. Rumor has it that Huawei has therefore built its own EUV equipment.

EUV lithography (Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography) is a state-of-the-art manufacturing technology for semiconductors that uses extreme ultraviolet light with a wavelength of 10 ft-lb. This allows for the creation of extremely fine structures on silicon wafers, which is crucial for producing modern chips in the 5 ft-lb, 4 ft-lb, and soon also in the 2 ft-lb or 1 ft-lb range. Without EUV, chip manufacturers would have to resort to complex multiple exposures, which are more expensive and prone to errors. Additionally, without EUV, it would be nearly impossible to technically produce advanced chips with high performance and density at these small structure sizes.

So far, EUV exposure machines come exclusively from the Dutch company ASML. Although there are efforts in China to develop their own systems, these are not yet market-ready. The extremely complex and expensive EUV exposure machines from ASML cost several hundred million dollars per unit in the High-NA-EUVL range.

Bring on the EUVL

Interest in these apparatuses comes not only from major manufacturers in the USA, Taiwan, or South Korea—namely Intel, TSMC, and Samsung—but also from China. As one of the world's largest contract manufacturers and a leading company in the country, SMIC has been trying for several years to compensate for the technological disadvantage due to import restrictions on ASML's EUV equipment with its own developments in DUV multi-patterning (Deep Ultraviolet Lithography) to manufacture advanced structures without EUV technology.

A breakthrough in the field of extreme ultraviolet lithography may have been achieved by the Chinese electronics giant Huawei, but caution: it is a rumor that currently cannot be definitively confirmed or refuted.

EUV equipment from Huawei with tests in the second quarter of 2025

The following happened: On March 7 and 8, 2025, two users of the social platform X shared the same photo, reportedly of an interferometer of a Huawei EUV system. The interferometer is used for precise position measurement in chip manufacturing. One of the two sources claims:

"The EUV machine developed in China, which operates with laser discharge-induced plasma technology (LDP), is being tested at the Huawei facility in Dongguan. Test production is planned for the third quarter of 2025, with mass production for 2026." Additionally, on the side of the machine, translated from Chinese, according to eenewseurope, it reads "EUV lithography objective and alignment interferometer. Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics (CIOMP)." According to the source, the allegedly developed EUV machine is based on laser discharge-induced plasma technology (LDP), which, if true, would mean an alternative approach to light source development.

LDP is a more cost-effective light source than the laser-produced plasma (LPP) used by ASML. LPP is more difficult to handle but generates higher plasma power, which corresponds to a higher wafer throughput in the lithography machine.

A big step for Huawei?

The tests with the interferometer for positioning the lenses of the EUV machines suggest that Huawei has made a significant step towards advanced chip manufacturing. However, an EUV system consists of several large and complex components that need to be integrated and adjusted for effective yield, which can take months.

Even if Huawei has developed its own EUV machine, building an entire ecosystem for pellicles, masks, and resists remains a significant challenge, as these are essential for efficient production. Therefore, the industry does not expect Huawei to catch up to other advanced chip manufacturers in the near future. However, in the long run, if this development is indeed accurate, it could mean that Chinese chip manufacturers would no longer be limited by import restrictions on essential manufacturing materials. (sb)

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