Inspiring! The domestically produced 5nm etching machine has arrived, and its core technology has reached the world's advanced level.

In the semiconductor field, lithography machines are not unfamiliar to everyone, because lithography machines have an unshakable position in chip manufacturing. Therefore, lithography machines are coveted by many countries in terms of cost and core technology. However, today we will talk about another specialized equipment for manufacturing chips, which is the brother etching machine of lithography machines. When it comes to etching machines, many people don't know what they are, but in fact, the function of etching machines is not inferior to photolithography machines. Even photolithography machines require the assistance of etching machines in the chip manufacturing process. The two complement each other in order to create a perfect chip. It can be seen that etching machines also have a very high position in the field of chip manufacturing. How powerful is the etching machine independently developed by China?

According to relevant information, the news about China's independently developed etching machine was first reported in April 2017 from semiconductor research and development company Zhongwei, claiming that Zhongwei had conquered the 5nm process etching machine. After this news was reported, it immediately stirred up a thousand waves in the domestic and foreign semiconductor industry. Because etching machines are not only expensive, but also have extremely advanced core technology and processes, the emergence of domestic etching machines is undoubtedly a heavyweight bomb for the Chinese semiconductor industry. At present, after debugging the 5-nanometer etching machine, Zhongwei Company has passed TSMC's certification. When TSMC mass produces 5-nanometer chips, some of the etching machines used in the production line will be provided by Zhongwei Company, and related products will be engraved with the words "Made in China". According to the plan of Zhongwei Company, the 5nm etching machine will be upgraded again in the future to create the world's most advanced ultraviolet lithography machine, so that when producing 5nm chips, the chip accuracy is highly consistent with the etching machine. It is worth mentioning that currently, Zhongwei Company has accumulated a certain amount of 3 nm chip technology, so it can be inferred from the side that Zhongwei Company is likely to have started manufacturing 3 nm etching machines.

So how does the etching machine work? In fact, in the process of chip manufacturing, a specific high-precision circuit diagram is first copied onto the silicon wafer using a photolithography machine, and then an etching machine is used to carry out construction based on this diagram, etching marked points in the relevant areas, leaving only the most important part of the chip. In fact, this principle is that the etching machine etches the silicon and compounds in the front part, and the metals and electrolytes in the back part. In addition, the etching process in etching machines can currently be divided into plasma dry etching and wet etching, which can be further divided into three categories: silicon etching with the highest difficulty, medium etching with moderate difficulty, and metal etching with the simplest processing technology. At present, Zhongwei Company's semiconductors are mainly engaged in dielectric etching and metal etching processing technology, and the most difficult silicon etching requires the most precise extreme ultraviolet lithography machine. At present, Zhongwei Company is still in the process of tackling key issues, but relying solely on moderately difficult and simple etching technology is enough to keep Zhongwei Company at the forefront of the global semiconductor industry. In the past 10 years, China Microelectronics Corporation has undertaken and successfully completed the research and development of three etching machines; The D projects in the semiconductor field with wavelengths of 65-45 nm, 32-22 nm, and 22-14 nm have all achieved great success. Although 5-nanometer etching machines have also emerged and have indeed entered the world's leading level in the semiconductor field, because etching machines and lithography machines complement each other, 5-nanometer etching machines have only taken a crucial step in the field of domestic chips. In addition, due to certain blockades imposed by Western countries on China's chip exports and manufacturing, the overall level of China's chip manufacturing is still very backward, and there is still a long way to go to truly catch up with Western countries in the future.