China's Successful Development of 28nm Lithography Printer Raises Questions About ASML's Monopoly

According to Xinhuanet citing securities news, Shanghai Microelectronics has made a significant breakthrough in the research and development of 28nm immersion lithography printers and is expected to introduce the SSA/800-10W lithography machine to the market by the end of 2023.

Lithography printers are the core determinant of semiconductor manufacturing processes, comprising optical systems, electronic systems, computer systems, precision mechanical systems, control systems, and other highly complex and precise components.

In reality, lithography printers encompass three distinct types: front-side lithography printers, back-side lithography printers, and wafer lithography printers.

Front-Side Lithography Printers, commonly known as lithography printers, are primarily used for wafer production and can be divided into two types: DUV and EUV. Currently, only ASML manufactures this type of machine due to its high complexity. Back-Side Lithography Printers are used for packaging after chip production. Wafer Lithography Printers are used for wafer production.

Of course, lithography printers are just one part of the entire semiconductor manufacturing industry chain. They are also related to many other components such as photoresists, lithography gases, light sources, lenses, adhesive development, photomasks, and many other components. It is known that significant investments are being made in these areas, so it's not far-fetched for China to achieve autonomy in the semiconductor industry.