Chinese startup Langdao Silex has demonstrated the development of the first homegrown extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV) laser source, gradually paving the way for China's complete supply chain independence. The system, named FlintNano LPP-OXXO, reportedly delivers over 15 W of EUV output and uses components that are approximately 90% domestically sourced or developed. It relies on laser-produced plasma (LPP), a technique using high-powered lasers to generate plasma and produce the EUV radiation required for advanced chip manufacturing, similar to the process used by ASML. According to specifications published by Langdao Silex, the Flint Nano system employs a 1,000 W driving laser operating at repetition rates between 1 and 20 kHz. Its conversion efficiency exceeds 2%, and the company claims the equipment can operate continuously for more than 100 hours. The prototype is reportedly suitable for wafer exposure testing, although further finetuning is still necessary.
Readers might recall that EUV lithography tools are banned from being sold in China, as the United States government previously pressured the Dutch government to halt sales of these advanced tools. In fact, ASML has never shipped a single EUV scanner to China, as the Dutch government, under pressure from the United States, blocked exports in 2019. Not a single system has been deployed, but ASML continues to ship DUV systems to Chinese customers. More importantly, developing a light source is only one part of building a complete EUV scanner. Such systems also require extremely precise reflective optics, sophisticated wafer positioning mechanisms, and complex integration across numerous subsystems. Chinese companies are currently mass-producing immersion DUV machines. For example, Shanghai Yuliangsheng Technology is creating an argon-fluoride (ArF) excimer laser to produce DUV light at a 193 nm wavelength, but EUV is still years away. Even a functional domestic EUV light source does not mean China has developed a full EUV lithography system.
Source: TechPowerUp News · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing