Huawei Achieves World-Shaking Breakthrough in Microchip Printing – Smashes US Chip Sanctions

from digitimes.com / RT/vk.com on Jan 4th 2023 translation/post by thefreeonline

Huawei has patented ultraviolet light conversion technology to eliminate distortion due to interference when operating at extremely short wavelengths.

This development allows you to use the 10nm process to print microchips on its own. So it can not only circumvent US sanctions, but also challenge the entire industry for the production of these devices.

Huawei advanced cellphones, 5G systems and other advanced technology have been been largely banned and blocked by the US and its ‘allied’ states. Google, YouTube, Microsoft, Apple etc are prohibited from selling their systems to Huawei.

Just last month the US declared a new crackdown, forcing its ‘client states’ to stop all sales of advanced microchips to China.

In this context Huawei’s breakthrough has immense importance in breaking the US embargoes, which are clearly illegal under WTO trade rules.

The EUV lithograph.

Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography is so complex that it took the Dutch company ASML 17 years and more than €6 billion of investment to create a commercial facility for its application. In it, droplets of molten tin are irradiated twice with a laser, first to give them the shape of a pancake, and then to evaporate it.

The result is a microcloud of plasma that emits EUV light with the desired parameters. The process occurs at a frequency of 50,000 times per second.

Mirrors in a lithographic machine

This technology is extremely classified, only five companies worldwide have access to it: Intel and Micron in the US, Samsung and SK Hynix in South Korea, and TSMC in Taiwan.

Other manufacturers, such as Huawei, used to simply order chips from TSMC, but after the imposition of US sanctions, this option was no longer available.

It is extremely difficult to replicate the technology, because the necessary EUV radiation is balanced at the edge of the UV and X-ray spectrum.

The Breakthrough

However, Huawei engineers managed to find a way out using a mirror system to combat the effects of interference. The original beam is divided into ‘secondary beams’, which are transmitted to microscopic mirrors with individual rotation parameters.

This makes it possible to adjust the interference effects for their mutual neutralization and, as a result, to sum all the “sub-beams” into a single beam with the properties required for EUV lithography.

TechCult

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Huawei confirms breakthrough in EUV lithography process optimization

Dec 26, 2022Huawei has confirmed in a posting on its website reports about its breakthrough in making a light source component used in EUV lithography systems which are required for making high-end…https://www.digitimes.com › news › a20221226VL203 › euv-huawei.html

Huawei has made a breakthrough in the printing of 10-nanometer … | VK

vk.com›wall-139315008_895729?lang=en Huawei has patented a technology for converting ultraviolet light to eliminate distortion due to interference when working at extremely small wavelengths. This development allows it to use a 10-nanometer process for self-printing microchips. 

Huawei logra un gran avance en la impresión de microchips y elude las sanciones de EE. UU.

1h ago.. by elcomunista.net

Huawei ha patentado la tecnología de conversión de luz ultravioleta para eliminar la distorsión debida a la interferencia cuando se opera en longitudes de onda extremadamente cortas. Este desarrollo le permite utilizar el proceso de 10 nm para imprimir microchips por sí solo. Y así, no solo para eludir las sanciones estadounidenses, sino para desafiar a toda la industria por la producción de estos dispositivos.

La litografía ultravioleta extrema (EUV) es tan compleja que la empresa holandesa ASML necesitó 17 años y más de 6 mil millones de euros de inversión para crear una instalación comercial para su aplicación. En él, las gotas de estaño fundido se irradian dos veces con un láser, primero para darles la forma de un panqueque y luego para evaporarlo. El resultado es una micronube de plasma que emite luz EUV con los parámetros deseados. El proceso ocurre a una frecuencia de 50.000 veces por segundo.

Espejos en una máquina litográfica

Esta tecnología está extremadamente clasificada, solo cinco empresas en todo el mundo tienen acceso a ella: Intel y Micron en EE. UU., Samsung y SK Hynix en Corea del Sur y TSMC en Taiwán. Otros fabricantes, como Huawei, solían simplemente pedir chips a TSMC, pero después de la imposición de las sanciones de EE. UU., esta opción dejó de estar disponible. Es extremadamente difícil repetir la tecnología, porque la radiación EUV necesaria se equilibra en el borde del espectro UV y de rayos X.

Sin embargo, los ingenieros de Huawei lograron encontrar una salida utilizando un sistema de espejos para combatir los efectos de las interferencias. El haz original se divide en «haces secundarios», que se transmiten a espejos microscópicos con parámetros de rotación individuales. Esto permite ajustar los efectos de interferencia para su neutralización mutua y, como resultado, sumar todos los «sub-haces» en un solo haz con las propiedades requeridas para la litografía EUV .

Techcult