At the moment of fierce competition in the global semiconductor industry, extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography machine technology has become a key factor in determining the development level of semiconductors in various countries. The Dutch company ASML has long dominated the industry with its advanced EUV lithography machine technology. However, due to U.S. trade sanctions, Chinese semiconductor companies have struggled to acquire advanced EUV equipment, and companies such as SMIC and Huawei have been disrupted.
As a leader in China's semiconductor industry, SMIC's 5nm chips face high costs and low yields due to the fact that it can only rely on deep ultraviolet (DUV) equipment. In terms of chip research and development, Huawei is also unable to obtain advanced EUV lithography machines, and the manufacturing process of Kirin chips is limited to 7nm, which is difficult to break through.
In such a difficult situation, Chinese researchers have not given up and are actively exploring the path of independent research and development of EUV lithography machines. According to the latest news, an exciting breakthrough is on the horizon – China's domestically produced EUV lithography machine is expected to enter trial production in the third quarter of 2025 and is expected to achieve mass production in 2026. This progress has undoubtedly brought new hope to China's semiconductor industry.
China's domestically produced EUV lithography machine uses a unique laser-induced discharge plasma (LDP) technology, which is significantly different from ASML's Laser Generated Plasma (LPP) technology. The principle of LDP technology is to evaporate tin between electrodes and convert it into plasma using high-voltage discharge, which generates EUV radiation with a wavelength of 13.5nm during the collision of electrons and ions, which is exactly what the lithography market needs.
Figure: China's domestic EUV lithography machine is dawning: trial production in Q3 2025
In contrast, ASML's LPP technology relies on high-energy lasers and sophisticated field-programmable gate array (FPGA)-based control systems. China's LDP technology has obvious advantages, simplifying the overall design, making the device smaller, while greatly reducing energy consumption and manufacturing costs. This technological innovation has laid a solid foundation for the development of China's domestic EUV lithography machines.
Previously, China's semiconductor industry had long relied on early lithography systems at 248nm and 193nm wavelengths, which were significantly different from the 13.5nm radiation of EUV. In order to reach the advanced process node, SMIC has had to adopt multiple lithography steps, which not only increases the cost of wafer production, but also makes the production process extremely time-consuming, and the significant increase in cost makes it difficult for 5nm chips to compete in the market.
Now, the imminent advent of domestic EUV lithography machines is of great significance to SMIC and Huawei. SMIC is expected to break through the bottleneck of mass production, improve the efficiency and yield of chip manufacturing, and reduce production costs, so as to occupy a more favorable position in the global semiconductor market. Huawei is also able to get rid of the shackles of the chip manufacturing process, take new steps in the research and development of high-end chips, and narrow the gap with international technology giants such as Qualcomm and Apple.
The trial production plan of China's domestic EUV lithography machine is not only a major breakthrough in China's semiconductor industry, but also an important opportunity to reshape the global semiconductor landscape. It indicates that China is gradually getting rid of its dependence on foreign technology in the field of semiconductors and moving towards the development path of independent innovation. In the future, with the continuous maturity and improvement of technology, China's semiconductor industry is expected to show stronger competitiveness in the global market and inject new vitality into the development of the global semiconductor industry.
