Chinese Firm's 'Breakthrough' 28nm Chipmaking Tool to Debut Soon: Report

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SMEE reportedly makes significant lithography breakthrough.

SMEE
(Image credit: SMEE)

Shanghai Micro Electronics Equipment Group (SMEE), a state-backed firm, is on track to reveal its first scanner capable of producing chips on a 28nm process technology by the end of 2023, state-controlled the Global Times reports. The machine could help China reduce its dependency on foreign wafer fab equipment, Bloomberg noted.

SMEE is aiming to introduce the first domestically produced SSA/800-10W lithography machine to the market by the end of 2023, which would be a major breakthrough for the company, which currently only produces scanners good enough for 90nm nodes and older. The litho scanner is expected to use locally developed and produced components, which is why the stock price of China-based optical components manufacturers Mloptic, Kingsemi, and Castech were up on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, there is still uncertainty about whether the Shanghai-based firm can produce these machines at scale. Details about this technological advancement were not readily available on Wednesday, and the sources of information are the state-owned Global Times and Xinhua News Agency. 

China's major chipmakers, such as Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. (SMIC) and Hua Hong Semiconductor, all use equipment made abroad by companies like ASML, Canon, Nikon, and Tokyo Electron. However, the U.S., Japan, and the Netherlands recently imposed restrictions on Chinese companies when it comes to sales of advanced wafer fab equipment. These restrictions essentially blocked access to 14/16nm-capable tools for China-based foundries. 

For now, SMIC and Hua Hong can purchase 28nm-capable tools from abroad, but a local scanner would be more cost-effective. Furthermore, its emergence would mark SMEE's ability to leapfrog several generations of scanners and go straight from a 90nm-capable to a 28nm-capable machine. SMEE's reported breakthrough could be a significant step in developing self-reliant chip manufacturing, assuming that the company designed the device entirely in-house.

Founded in 2002, SMEE is China's leading lithography machine maker and is considered China's only potential competitor to ASML.

Anton Shilov
Anton Shilov
Contributing Writer

Anton Shilov is a contributing writer at Tom’s Hardware. Over the past couple of decades, he has covered everything from CPUs and GPUs to supercomputers and from modern process technologies and latest fab tools to high-tech industry trends.

13 Comments Comment from the forums
  • gg83
    Just placed a "made in china" on a 28nm ASML tool and calls it a breakthrough.
    Reply
  • Thunder64
    gg83 said:
    Just placed a "made in china" on a 28nm ASML tool and calls it a breakthrough.

    Why not, didn't they just do that recently with Intel CPU's?
    Reply
  • razor512
    That process node will put them well in the range for making good NAND storage, since for write endurance, you typically want to be in the 30nm range to balance density and endurance. With good vertical integration, they could keep prices low while bringing back mass produced MLC and SLC SSDs.
    Reply
  • _Shatta_AD_
    It vexes me that a lot of ‘westerners’ seems to think Chinese scientists are dumb or nonexistent and only capable of the single function of copy-paste. I’ve read numerous research papers both unpublished and peer-reviewed of highly detailed research into lithography processes, manufacturing and DUV/EUV light source since back in 2012. For them to announce a 28nm scanner a decade later seems just about what typical development time produces if not albeit slow. So to downright calling them out for copy-pasting an ASML design without proof nor credit to those research seems like prejudice as if to say Chinese people are stupid and not capable of doing their own research/innovating. And if people have done more research, they’ll know that SMEE have even more advanced light source/node in prototype machines undergoing testing since 2017-2020. I bet when they announce a 7/14nm scanner in 2026, ppl will say they hijacked a ASML EUV scanner and paste their brand on top.
    Reply
  • samopa
    _Shatta_AD_ said:
    It vexes me that a lot of ‘westerners’ seems to think Chinese scientists are dumb or nonexistent and only capable of the single function of copy-paste. I’ve read numerous research papers both unpublished and peer-reviewed of highly detailed research into lithography processes, manufacturing and DUV/EUV light source since back in 2012. For them to announce a 28nm scanner a decade later seems just about what typical development time produces if not albeit slow. So to downright calling them out for copy-pasting an ASML design without proof nor credit to those research seems like prejudice as if to say Chinese people are stupid and not capable of doing their own research/innovating. And if people have done more research, they’ll know that SMEE have even more advanced light source/node in prototype machines undergoing testing since 2017-2020. I bet when they announce a 7/14nm scanner in 2026, ppl will say they hijacked a ASML EUV scanner and paste their brand on top.

    https://www.tomshardware.com/news/asml-china-worker-stole-info-about-chipmaking-tools
    Just call me skeptical, but with news like above, just less than 6 month ago, I could argue that this tool might be one of the results.
    Reply
  • hotaru251
    _Shatta_AD_ said:
    It vexes me that a lot of ‘westerners’ seems to think Chinese scientists are dumb or nonexistent and only capable of the single function of copy-paste.
    mainly due to the past when thats what China was known for. (and msot ppl don't let go of that stuff)

    China for sure does have some smart ppl who can make stuff, but they also do use "shortcuts" (not saying other companies dont btw just focus is china in this topic) of info they shouldnt have legally to advance faster than one normally would.

    I have no hate for Chinese people (in fact they have great art, literature, & food I enjoy greatly) just gov is issue (and this isnt political mods o_o) and do wish stereotyping would go away as it does diminish the effort many chinese workers accomplish.
    Reply
  • Gauche Cockney
    Did they successful re-brand 4th gen Intel scrap or what?
    Reply
  • mitch074
    Gauche Cockney said:
    Did they successful re-brand 4th gen Intel scrap or what?
    Nah, they re-branded the machines used to make Intel's 4th-gen from scratch...

    To make it more clear to you : a Chinese company managed to create the equipment needed to manufacture 2015-era semiconductors without outside components, when they were previously stuck at 2009-era.

    Meaning a 7-years lap in 2 years since the US decided to enforce sanctions against China. Other posts indicate that by 2025 they may be at 2022-era... At this rate, by 2030, they might actually be leading. And THEY have the rare metals and manufacturing capabilities to flood the planet with cheap, high quality, high performance chips by then - especially if they decide to focus on making RISC-V chips, that would have no legal barrier to export : their internal market is large enough to make it a local standard, meaning software editors would take it into account, it would trickle down to the whole of Asia, and from there to Africa, Eastern Europe...

    <Political content removed by moderator>
    Reply
  • tomscomments
    _Shatta_AD_ said:
    It vexes me that a lot of ‘westerners’ seems to think Chinese scientists are dumb or nonexistent and only capable of the single function of copy-paste. I’ve read numerous research papers both unpublished and peer-reviewed of highly detailed research into lithography processes, manufacturing and DUV/EUV light source since back in 2012. For them to announce a 28nm scanner a decade later seems just about what typical development time produces if not albeit slow. So to downright calling them out for copy-pasting an ASML design without proof nor credit to those research seems like prejudice as if to say Chinese people are stupid and not capable of doing their own research/innovating. And if people have done more research, they’ll know that SMEE have even more advanced light source/node in prototype machines undergoing testing since 2017-2020. I bet when they announce a 7/14nm scanner in 2026, ppl will say they hijacked a ASML EUV scanner and paste their brand on top.


    China is the first patent depositor in the world in high tech
    As for copying, everyone does it.
    Patents were invented and mostly used by great britain to sanction usa after independance and preventing us from having industrial machine. What did we do ? we paid people in uk who did steal british technology at that time, because we were cornered

    On another scale :

    China invented printing (discoverd many centuries later by gutenberg through british embassy in ottoman emopire) , ink, compass, vaccin, paper money, missiles, gun powder, even the mechanical differential many centuries ago and we can add tons of inventions

    Summerians/persians/babylonians (irak and middle east nowadays) = literraly inveted writing, wheels and even the first human rights declaration (Cyrius, Iran or Persia)

    Arabs and muslims gave to Europe their own knowledge and greek knowledge. They gave to the west algebra and algorithms wich is the latinised name of the arab mathematician (al khawarizmi)

    Abbas ibn farnass (Morocco and Spain) was a moroccan and spanish arabic north african who was the first man trying to fly and have many invetions like world maps, optics, corrective lens, principles of aviation and so forth

    Egyptians had the most complete library in the human history. Many of its books went to persia than Europe through muslim world. Some say that egyptians invented principles of steam car and computing

    When muslims and chinese were at war, muslims (including arabs, persians and other ethnic groups) learned from chinese ink and paper writing techniques. Add to this printing invented by chinese and we understand how they permitted knowledge and religions to spread aound the world.

    In the recent history,
    german knowledge was stolen within the west itself.
    TSMC and Lam research corporation were founded by chinese born scientists
    One of the most iconic american successful man is of muslim syrian origin : steve jobs

    China is the actual leader of technology inventions
    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/mar/02/china-leading-us-in-technology-race-in-all-but-a-few-fields-thinktank-finds

    So, all those things should be put into perspective. China (like all power looking for strategic independance) did steal when they were cornered by sanctions but it is no different from others.
    The west is the continuation of ancien civilisation knowledge. And they were no patents at that time
    Patents are a good thing to protect investors but when they are weaponized for other reasons, it's producing opposite effects

    There is far more beneficits to cooperate for instance in the space and climate problematics, especially as natality is declining and humanity needs all of its brains to make this world even better.
    USA has a great asset : its constitution, freedom , great universities and attracting talents. I'm optimistic for the us. No need to fear other nations rising.


    Reply
  • nookoool
    Impressive, however, i feel getting to 14nm will at least secure China to being in self sufficent in producing "modernish" cpu chips for devices.
    Reply