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Chinese chip start-up aims to build 5-nanometre equivalent chips without using EUV by 2029

The company says the production line launch marks a critical step towards China’s drive for tech self-sufficiency

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A Chinese chip start-up has launched what it claims to be the world’s first 8-inch production line for two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors. Photo: qq.com
Ben Jiangin Beijing

A Chinese chip start-up has launched what it claims to be the world’s first 8-inch production line for two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors, marking the country’s latest push to develop alternative chip technologies amid US curbs on its access to advanced chipmaking equipment.

Shanghai-based Yuanjiwei on Thursday unveiled the pilot production line, saying it supports tape-out – or final stage of chip design – and covers the entire manufacturing process from 2D material preparation to chip integration, according to a statement published to its WeChat public account.

Yuanjiwei would expect to use the line to develop 5-nanometre equivalent chips without using extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography machines by 2029, a company executive said.

The launch shows China’s 2D semiconductor technology has moved from laboratory research to engineering validation and industrial production, the company said in the statement, adding that it was a critical step towards the country’s drive to achieve self-sufficiency in core technologies.

China has been increasing efforts to boost its alternative chipmaking technologies amid US export controls. Meanwhile the global semiconductor industry at large has also been searching for new ways to make advanced chips, as traditional silicon-based three-dimensional (3D) chips have been approaching physical limits.

2D chips were widely seen as one of the most promising directions for next-generation chips and have attracted growing international competition, said Fan Hao, director of advanced materials at the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Science and Technology, at the unveiling of the production line.
For decades, chipmakers have been improving chips’ performance by making transistors smaller, a process which has become increasingly difficult and expensive.
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