ASML intervened, Biden was caught off guard, and the situation changed rapidly.
ASML dominates cutting-edge lithography manufacturing technology, and in the context of frequent changes in U.S. rules regarding chips, ASML has inevitably become an obstacle to U.S. shipments.
ASML does not have the right to ship EUV lithography machines at will, and not only that, but high-end DUV lithography machine models must also be restricted. ASML had a direct confrontation and stated that it could continue to supply within the scope, but Biden did not expect that the change would come so quickly.
EUV lithography machine cost 1$200 million, supply exceeds demand, and ASML earns half of the revenue share by selling EUV lithography machines.
Lithography machines are not disposable, and ASML's EUV lithography machine customers are very few, and once a sufficient number of lithography machines are purchased, I am afraid that they will not continue to order.
As a result, ASML can only direct sales to DUV lithography machines, even if DUV lithography machines are cheaper, as long as they sell more, they can make a lot of money.
However, this part of ASML's business is about to be broken, because the Netherlands has reached an agreement with the United States to join the United States in restricting actions against China, and ASML's DUV lithography machine will be the main target of restrictions. Of course, this is known to the outside world, and the truth is that not all DUV lithography machines will be restricted.
DUV lithography is divided into three processes: KRF, ARF and ARFI, and only top-of-the-line ARFI immersion lithography will be limited.
ASML's immersion lithography machines are available in a variety of equipment models, including NXT:1980DI, NXT:2000i, and NXT:2050i. ASML has directly stated its position, saying that it can continue to ** the products in this range.
ASML says that only NXT:2000i and later devices will be restricted. In other words, only one device model, NXT:1980DI, can be shipped normally.
You know, NXT:1980DI can be used in the 38nm process, although it is 38nm, but if it is achieved many times, it may be able to achieve mass production of 14nm chips. As a result, ASML said that after the agreement is reached, it can still meet the demand for manufacturing mature chips for customers.
The American abacus is playing loudly, and the high-end immersive lithography machines that restrict shipments do not have to worry about the rise of rival technology, and the low-end products that are allowed to be shipped can continue to make money. SMIC is ASML's largest customer in Chinese mainland, and currently SMIC has four 12-inch wafer manufacturing projects in its hands, all of which need to purchase ASML's lithography machines.
According to ASML's statement on the scope of limitations, SMIC can continue to purchase ASML's low-end immersion lithography machines to keep the project running.
The more restrictions the United States imposes, the more counterproductive it becomes. Bill Gates has already said that the United States will never be able to stop China from having powerful chips, while ASML has stressed that these restrictions will allow China to accelerate the development of semiconductor equipment.
In other words, China will accelerate semiconductor research because of the U.S. chip rules, and will continue to invest and make progress in semiconductor R&D. I don't think Biden expected the change to come so quickly, and China's progress in the field of chips has brought two good news.
The first news: Xi'an University of Posts and Telecommunications has made research progress in semiconductor materials.
The development of each generation of semiconductor materials will be accompanied by industrial innovation. The first generation of semiconductor materials is represented by silicon, and researchers at home and abroad have begun to develop first-class semiconductor materials, such as gallium oxide. This material is characterized by high power density and low losses.
According to news from Xi'an University of Posts and Telecommunications, Professor Chen Haifeng's team has prepared high-quality gallium oxide epitaxial wafers on 8-inch silicon wafers, which has taken an important step forward in domestic chip research. The Chinese scientific research team continues to study the preparation technology of gallium oxide, and the progress from 2 inches to the current 8 inches is very obvious.
The second news: Jingrui Electronic Materials Co., Ltd. has realized the mass production of KRF photoresist.
In the chip manufacturing process, a large number of materials are required, including photoresists. The role of photoresist is to form a chip pattern on the ** surface of the lithography machine and transfer the pattern to the wafer. Without photoresist, photolithography cannot replicate the pattern on the wafer.
It's just that the photoresist industry has been monopolized by Japanese companies, and KRF photoresist belongs to the mainstream and has been overtaken by domestic manufacturers.
Jingrui Electronic Materials said on the Interactors platform that some varieties of KRF photoresist have been mass-produced. With the support of photoresist materials, there will be more domestic technology accumulation in the wafer manufacturing process, improve the wafer self-sufficiency rate, and move towards more confident self-sufficiency.
These technological advances are still ongoing, and Biden wants to stop the rise of Chinese wafers, so he keeps changing the rules on wafers, and wooing the Netherlands and Japan to reach an agreement to prevent manufacturers such as ASML from shipping photoresist machines. But Biden did not expect that China's wafers would continue to make progress under pressure and turn pressure into power.
This is evidenced by the progress made in the field of wafers some time ago, and as long as the work continues, there is a possibility that more good news will emerge.