Key Takeaways
1. Huawei has introduced its first 5 nm smartphone SoC, the Kirin 9030, made with SMIC’s N+3 technology for the Mate80 series.
2. A recent patent reveals Huawei’s potential move towards 2 nm technology, focusing on innovative techniques for advanced semiconductor nodes.
3. The patent outlines a method to achieve a 21 nm metal pitch using DUV infrastructure with only four exposures, thanks to Self-Aligned Quadruple Patterning (SAQP).
4. There are concerns about the practical application of this technology, particularly regarding low yield rates for commercial production.
5. Despite reports of China developing EUV tools and a 3 nm node, recent updates are scarce, and any official announcements may be delayed.
A few days ago, Huawei showcased its first 5 nm smartphone SoC made using SMIC’s N+3 node technology. The Kirin 9030 is the driving force behind the latest Mate80 series. Now, it seems that Huawei might be on the verge of another significant advancement: moving to 2 nm technology. Semiconductor researcher Dr. Frederick Chen found a patent from Huawei dated 2022, which has recently been made public but is still pending approval.
New Techniques for Advanced Nodes
The patent talks about leveraging existing DUV infrastructure to achieve a 21 nm metal pitch, making it comparable to 2 nm chips from TSMC and other competitors. Normally, DUV lasers would require multiple exposures to accomplish this, but Huawei has innovatively reduced the number to just four using SAQP (Self-Aligned Quadruple Patterning).
Challenges Ahead
Naturally, there are doubts about the practical application of this project. For one, the yield rates might be too low to support commercial production. Even if yields improve, they are unlikely to match those of EUV-based technologies.
Earlier reports mentioned that China was developing its own EUV tools and a 3 nm node utilizing carbon nanotube semiconductors. However, there hasn’t been much recent news on this front. Even if this initiative comes to fruition, it is expected that official announcements will be delayed due to China’s tendency to keep its semiconductor advancements under wraps.
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