What is a DUV machine that can change the global "technology balance"?

(Dan Tri) - The news that a Chinese company has successfully manufactured a DUV machine and begun mass production has shaken the global technology industry. So what is a DUV machine that every country wants to own?

DUV (Deep Ultraviolet - deep ultraviolet) is a photolithography technology that uses short-wavelength ultraviolet light to fabricate semiconductor chips.

A DUV machine is a photolithography system that uses ultraviolet rays with extremely short wavelengths (usually from 193nm to 248nm) to engrave microscopic electrical circuits on the surface of a silicon wafer, which is an ultra-pure, very thin silicon disk with a mirror-polished surface, serving as a substrate for manufacturing integrated circuits and semiconductor chips.

To make it easier to imagine, the silicon wafer can be seen as a blank sheet of paper, the DUV photolithography machine as a printer, the transistors and circuits are the content printed on the paper (silicon wafer). After completing the "printing" process, the silicon wafer will be cut into hundreds or thousands of individual chips.

DUV photolithography machines are important tools in the chip manufacturing process, including dry DUV and immersion DUV machines. In particular, with a dry DUV machine, ultraviolet rays will pass through the lens system, reach the air layer and finally the silicon wafer.

Basic difference between dry DUV machine and embedded DUV machine (Illustration: TT).

With immersion DUV machines, between the final lens layer and the silicon wafer is a layer of ultra-pure water. Because water has a higher refractive index than air, it will help focus light better, thereby creating smaller details on the chip.

Dry DUV machines are an old generation of technology, while embedded DUV machines can create newer and more modern chips.

Technology newspaper The Information quoted close sources as saying that semiconductor startup Shanghai Yuliangsheng - backed by the Chinese government, Huawei and semiconductor company SiCarrier - has successfully produced an immersion deep ultraviolet photolithography machine (Immersion DUV) and is preparing to mass produce this type of machine.

The photolithography machine helps create semiconductor chips on the surface of the silicon wafer (Photo: Shutterstock).

The source said there will be about 5 embedded DUV machines completed this year and 20 machines shipped in 2027. These DUV machines will be handed over to China's largest chip factories, Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. (SMIC) and Changxin Memory Technologies (CXMT).

This is the first time China is reported to have begun mass production of domestic embedded DUV machines, a key tool to help the country produce chips on its own without relying on foreign countries, especially in the context that the US and allied countries are restricting the export of advanced photolithography machines to China.

This step helps China become the third country globally that can produce and commercialize embedded DUV machines, after the Netherlands and Japan.

Immediately after the information was published by The Information, shares of ASML, a Dutch DUV machine manufacturing company, were sold off by investors, causing the company's market capitalization to "evaporate" by 11%.

An embedded DUV machine system of ASML (Photo: ASML).

ASML still holds more than 98% of the global market share for high-end embedded DUV machines, however, the fact that China can produce its own domestic embedded DUV machines may significantly affect ASML's sales in the future, especially when Chinese companies are famous for their ability to sell products at cheaper prices than their competitors.

There is no information about the detailed configuration of China's DUV machine, but many analysts predict that this machine can create process chips from 28nm to 7nm, used for smart home appliances, cars or some mid-range phones.

Because DUV machines are an important tool in the chip production process, this system is considered a "strategic weapon" in the global technology race. Mastering DUV machines not only helps a country reduce dependence on outside chip supplies, but is also an important foundation for developing the semiconductor industry, promoting fields such as artificial intelligence, telecommunications, defense...

China's successful production of embedded DUV machines on its own shows that this country has achieved important progress in the chip production process to serve the technology development process without depending on outsiders.

DUV is an important technology for chip production, but this technology is still far behind EUV (Extreme Ultraviolet), a photolithography technology that uses extreme ultraviolet rays. EUV technology uses light with a wavelength of only 13.5nm, thereby creating extremely small and extremely precise electrical circuit details.

EUV machines are equipment to produce modern chips with a process of only 5nm, 3nm and are approaching 2nm. These are high-performance chips used in high-end smartphones, AI servers and many expensive electronic devices.

Compared to DUV, EUV machines significantly reduce the number of photolithography times needed to create microscopic electronic circuits, thereby shortening the production process, improving accuracy and increasing chip manufacturing efficiency.

However, EUV machines have an extremely complex structure and high cost. Up to now, ASML is the only company in the world that can manufacture commercial EUV machines.

ASML's EUV photolithography machine worth 380 million USD (Photo: ASML).

The question being asked by the technology world is that after successfully manufacturing an embedded DUV machine, will China be able to achieve progress in EUV technology?

This is certainly not an easy challenge to overcome, as it took ASML two decades and an investment of about 10 billion USD in research and development, along with the cooperation of many large corporations globally to be able to successfully manufacture EUV machines.

"The optical technology in EUV machines is much more complex and advanced than DUV. There are many technological barriers that need to be overcome to build a fully functioning EUV system. I think EUV is out of reach for Chinese companies," commented Stephane Houri, head of research at financial group ODDO BHF.

However, with the potential of Chinese technology companies, it is still too early to confirm whether the country can achieve a breakthrough in manufacturing EUV photolithography machines.