[News] China’s SiCarrier Reportedly Eyes DUV Breakthroughs for 5nm, Debuting Products This Week

As China seeks to cut reliance on Western chipmaking machines such as extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography systems, the country has been pushing existing deep ultraviolet lithography (DUV) to its limits. According to Bloomberg and South China Morning Post, Huawei-linked SiCarrier may enable domestic 5nm chip production with its self-aligned quadruple patterning (SAQP) technology.

South China Morning Post notes that SiCarrier grabbed headlines in 2023 with a patent for making 5nm chips using DUV tools—a breakthrough linked to Huawei’s 7nm chip in the Mate 60 Pro. During SEMICON China, it is going to unveil new products for the first time, the report adds.

According to the company’s WeChat account, it is showcasing several key wafer fabrication tools this week—each named after a famous mountain. Highlights include Emei mountain epitaxial products, Wuyi mountain etching systems, Changbai mountain chemical vapour deposition (CVD) equipment, Putuoshan physical vapour deposition (PVD) gear, and Alishan atomic layer deposition (ALD) tools.

Is Multiple Patterning the Answer?

As noted by South China Morning Post, SiCarrier’s debut grabbed attention among Chinese chip insiders, marking its first public appearance alongside domestic players like Naura, China’s largest semiconductor equipment company specializing in sectors like etching and thin-film deposition.

What’s behind these mystical products of SiCarrier may be the quadruple patterning technology, a patent it has secured in late 2023 for making 5nm chips using DUV tools.

According to Bloomberg, the tech could etch silicon wafers multiple times to boost transistor density and performance. In addition, by leveraging DUV lithography, it reportedly aims to achieve 5nm capabilities without EUV, potentially lowering production costs.

Notably, Bloomberg indicates that Chinese chip equipment makers like Naura and Advanced Micro-Fabrication Equipment are also exploring etching systems to complement multiple patterning for 7nm and beyond, as EUV remains out of reach.

However, another Nikkei report seems to be less optimistic, noting that SiCarrier claims to have built lithography machines for 28nm or older nodes, a market currently led by ASML, Nikon, and Canon. However, sources told Nikkei that its ability to commercialize them remains uncertain.

EUV Entering Mass Production Soon?

Meanwhile, China seems to be advancing on two fronts, as it is reportedly making progress on homegrown EUV lithography. According to TechPowerUp, a new system is currently being tested at Huawei’s Dongguan facility.

The information was first revealed by famous tech Twitter account like @Ma-WuKong, suggesting that the EUV machine, which uses laser-induced discharge plasma (LDP) technology, is set for trial production for the third quarter, 2025, with mass manufacturing aimed for 2026.

According to TechPowerUp, China’s new system under testing uses the LDP approach to generate 13.5 nm EUV radiation by vaporizing tin between electrodes and converting it to plasma through high-voltage discharge, with electron-ion collisions producing the required wavelength.

Read more

• [News] China’s Homegrown EUV Machines Rumored for Q3 Trial Production, Spelling Trouble for ASML
• [News] ASML CEO Christophe Fouquet: U.S. EUV Export Ban Causes China’s Chip-Making to Lag by 10-15 Years

(Photo credit: SiCarrier)