Semiconductor innovation: New EUV and DUV methods emerge in Japan and China

Researchers in Japan and China are developing alternative methods to advance semiconductor manufacturing, potentially challenging the current dominance of Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) lithography technology.

At the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST), researchers have designed a simpler and more cost-effective EUV lithography device. This system aims to reduce production costs for chips at 7 nm and below by using a simplified optical design with only two light-reflecting mirrors instead of the standard six used in ASML systems. The OIST design reportedly achieves over 10% energy efficiency to the wafer, compared to approximately 1% in standard configurations, and significantly lowers power consumption to under 100 kW.

In China, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) is pursuing a different strategy to reach sub-3 nm processes without relying on EUV technology. By combining existing Deep Ultraviolet (DUV) lithography with Gate-All-Around (GAA) transistor architecture using stacked nanosheets, researchers have completed an initial process integration stage. While this method aims to achieve transistor densities comparable to 3 nm processes, the technology is currently in the early development and integration phase rather than a complete mass-production process.