Mask aligner is the leading giant in this field, accounting for 89% of mask aligner, and the rest are occupied by Nikon and Canon.
Mask aligner is currently divided into DUV (deep ultraviolet) and EUV (extreme ultraviolet). Mask aligner, as its name implies, is carved by light. The shorter the wavelength of light, the sharper the edge of lithography, and the higher the precision of etching chips. DUV mask aligner uses 193nm deep ultraviolet light, which can generally be used to engrave 130nm to 22nm chips, while China has black technology in this field, which can theoretically be extended to 7nm, and EUV uses13,5 nm extreme ultraviolet light, which can engrave 22nm to 2nm chips. EUV can only be made in Asmer.
Not long ago, the chief financial officer of Asmel said that DUV can be exported to China without US permission.
As for the more advanced EUV, I didn't say, that's no good! But it's also a good thing. After all, China also needs DUV at present.
The west has always been wary of China's science and technology, the most concentrated embodiment of which is the Wassenaar Agreement.
The Wassenaar Agreement, also known as the Wassenaar Arrangement Mechanism, currently has 40 member countries including the United States, Japan, Britain and Russia. In essence, it is a group export control mechanism, and export restrictions are divided into two categories: one is a list of dual-use goods and technologies, which mainly includes nine categories: advanced materials, electronic devices, computers, sensors and lasers, navigation and avionics, and propulsion systems; The other is the list of military products, covering 22 categories such as weapons, ammunition, equipment and combat platforms.
The Wassenaar Agreement under American control has always claimed that it is not aimed at China, but if we dig out the G-20 membership map, we will find that it is not aimed at China, but against Mexico, Indonesia and Brazil.
It's no news that the United States is targeting China, but now ASML is actually worried about China's progress. If the United States suppresses China in the field of science and technology, it is impossible for China to stand at attention and be beaten, and it is bound to seek independent scientific research and innovation. If ASML can be calm when he first saw Huawei and other companies investing in mask aligner, then with the entry of Chinese Academy of Sciences, ASML can no longer sit still. It can be the European Union or the United States that can compete with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, but it can never be a Dutch enterprise. At this juncture, ASML can sell it again, just to make some noise. However, once the dispute over science and technology starts, it's not up to you to decide.
It is generally believed that China's semiconductors are about 10 years behind the international level, but this does not mean that it will take 10 years for China to catch up, because the latecomers have advantages, and the pioneers stumble forward because they don't know where the road is, and there is no worry about the direction when they catch up. At present, the development of semiconductors has stopped at 2nm, and the gap is far from imagination. It may only take three or five years to catch up with the advanced level.
The power of the country is enormous. On April 196 1, Soviet astronaut Gagarin went into space, which greatly stimulated the United States. The United States immediately launched the Apollo program in May of that year, and eight years later, American astronauts landed on the moon. China sent a man into space in 2003, and manned moon landing is planned for 2030. In contrast, it takes only eight years for the United States to send a man to the moon, which reflects the horror of the whole country climbing the tree of science and technology. In the past two years, the confrontation between China and the United States has been multifaceted, and the trade war has been fought with you. In order to curb our Belt and Road Initiative and cruise China in the South China Sea, we are more concerned that you should not bump into it again ... It's just that the chip has wronged the people.
Facing the west, if you kneel on the ground, they will not pity you but step on it again. Russia in the 1990s is the best example. What they really respect is only a close opponent. Admittedly, there is still a long way to go on the road of scientific and technological innovation, but after experiencing difficulties, all China people have realized the importance of independent research and development. As long as they realize this, it will never be too late.