中国半导体的顽强生命力
2024-06-14 04:36阅读：
芯片制造技术的进步以及中国采取的战略措施，凸显这一产业的动态性和快速发展性。中国在这一领域取得的成就凸显科技格局的重大转变。面对美国制裁，中企表现出的韧性和创新能力再次凸显中国的战略政策重点，以及对实现“技术主权”这一核心关注点的决心。随着中国在半导体制造领域的不断进步，全球在科技治理等领域的力量平衡将发生深刻变化。
Chips and geopolitics part two: China's semiconductor
resilience
By Kari McKern
In my previous article, I discussed how the AI chip sector has
become a critical battleground in the ongoing rivalry between the
United States and China.
What I should have elaborated on is just how China has managed to
achieve these goals and the larger ramifications of that
success.
I will try to address that, here.
Recent reports by Tom’s Hardware, as reported on Kevin Walmsley’s
YouTube channel “Inside China Business” provide valuable insights
into the pace of progress:
N
ews reports this year.
“SMIC and Huawei could use quadruple patterning for China-made 5nm
chips: Report”
By Anton Shilov, published March 25, 2024
“Huawei patent reveals 3nm-class process technology plans — China
continues to move forward despite US sanctions.”
By Anton Shilov, published May 29, 2024
To understand the significance of China’s achievement, it is useful
to grasp the fundamental physics of chip making, particularly a
comparison between the capacity of Self-Aligned Quadruple
Patterning (SAQP) versus Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) lithography, in
which silicon wafers are layered, etched then layered again, until
transistors are built up and connected together up to comprise an
integrated circuit such as the Soc in our best smartphones.
SAQP is a complex alternate lithography technique that can be used
to create extremely fine features on semiconductor wafers. The
reason it was largely discounted as a solution in the USA was
because it involved additional steps, designated as the “spacer
deposition” and “anisotropic etching” step.
In this alternative technique of multiple patterning, every step
must be meticulously executed at least twice, in comparison to the
EUV’s machine’s single direct write.
However, SAQP, when successful, allows for the doubling of the
pattern density with each spacer formation step, allowing the
engineers, by working around the limits of refraction, to match EUV
by proxy.
To double the number of steps and end with a flawless and hence a
working chip requires not only the flawless execution of production
methods involving vacuum deposition and ion beam etching but also
the complete absence of any trace gasses or dust particles
whatsoever.
In contrast, EUV lithography simplifies the chip-making process by
using a single exposure to create each layer of patterns,
streamlining the manufacturing workflow. A wavelength of 13.5 nm
allows for feature sizes ranging from 10 to 20 nm. The minimum
width of the line achievable using EUV approximately equivalent to
the wavelength of light employed.
The shorter wavelengths require much higher energies, which
requires both the cooling and the unique high-precision UVB optics
created by the Dutch giant ASML, the one technology out of reach of
the Chinese due to Biden’s ban on EUV machine exports.
To review, while SAQP involves more steps and is more complex than
EUV lithography, both techniques achieve high resolution. SAQP
incurs higher costs due to multiple steps, while EUV requires
substantial initial investment in tools but can be more
cost-effective in the long run. SAQP reduces alignment errors but
can introduce yield loss due to its complexity, whereas going any
further with EUV faces challenges due to the physics of refraction;
using even shorter wavelengths difficult for a host of
reasons.
SAQP is adaptable for advanced nodes like 7 nm and 5 nm FinFETs,
while EUV is usually crucial for nodes below 7 nm.
What is yet to be understood in the suburbs of Washington DC is the
extent to which China’s rapid progress in semiconductor technology,
particularly its leap from 7-nm to 3-nm chips, represents a
significant technological breakthrough.
This advancement challenges the West, which has traditionally led
in cutting-edge semiconductor technology. Furthermore, the use of
SAQP for manufacturing advanced chips implies a continuing ability
to innovate, even in the face of Western sanctions and increasingly
restricted access to ASML’s EUV machines.
By drawing on the experience and skills of its PV panel makers and
supported by a now unrivalled industrial and science base, China is
evidently largely unimpeded technologically in the face of Western
sanctions.
The whole suite of US sanctions that aimed to limit China’s access
to advanced semiconductor technologies and equipment, particularly
EUV lithography machines, in retrospect, appears to have been
preemptively sidestepped by adroit policymaking on the Chinese
side.
From a Chinese perspective, the country’s semiconductor policy had
been outlined in the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025), which
explicitly set the goal of achieving technological self-sufficiency
in “core technologies”.
The policy included substantial investment in R&D, focusing on
core technologies like integrated circuits and advanced
semiconductor materials, with a growth target of 7% per annum. The
plan aimed to foster innovation in economic zones and industrial
areas by working closely with industry, academia, and
government.
Additionally, strategic initiatives such as Xi's “Made in China
2025” sought to comprehensively upgrade the semiconductor industry
and secure China’s position in global production chains with the
stated goal of guaranteeing Chinese resilience and technological
sovereignty in the face of geopolitical constraints.
It is perhaps unsurprising considering that Chinese companies like
SMIC probably worked closely with domestic tool makers with silicon
expertise in PV fabs to improve yields on these advanced node
processes.
Ultimately, this collaboration has enabled China to produce more
advanced chips using older equipment, despite US sanctions.
Moreover, China his now exploring several alternative technologies
and processes to continue its advancements in semiconductor
manufacturing. By investing heavily in domestic R&D,
collaborating with local tool makers, and exploring alternative
technologies like SAQP, China has managed to circumvent many of the
challenges posed by US export controls.
The advancements in chip-making techniques and the strategic
measures adopted by China highlight the dynamic and rapidly
evolving nature of this industry, with significant implications for
global technology governance and national security.
China’s achievements in this domain underscore a significant shift
in the technological landscape. The resilience and innovation
demonstrated in the face of US sanctions highlight again the
country’s strategic policy focus and the strength of the commitment
to achieve “technological sovereignty”, a central preoccupation of
Chinese policymakers.
As China continues to advance in semiconductor manufacturing, the
global balance of power in technology and national security will
experience profound change.
This evolving dynamic warrants close observation as it unfolds in
the coming years.
https://johnmenadue.com/chips-and-geopolitics-part-two-chinas-semiconductor-resilience/
