EUV lithography, also known as extreme ultraviolet lithography, is technically difficult and economically expensive, and high-performance chips are produced by using EUV mask aligner. According to statistics, ASML Company of the Netherlands only shipped 26 mask aligner in 20 19, and the price of an EUV mask aligner was about 65438+200 million US dollars. High-performance mask aligner will spend a lot of time in transportation, installation and debugging. Although the market is in short supply, in order to ensure the production effect, the time and economic cost of transportation, installation and debugging are large, and it is impossible to mass-produce like mobile phones, computers and other consumer goods.
Another reason is that the production of EUV mask aligner uses many American patents, so the successful sale of a mask aligner still needs the authorization of the United States. As we all know, China has been blocked by the United States in this high-performance technology. At present, it is impossible to produce commercial EUV mask aligner in China, and it is urgent to introduce foreign advanced mask aligner. However, the restrictions of the United States in this respect make the supply of EUV mask aligner in the domestic market in short supply.
In view of the actual production status of EUV in China and the blockade of foreign technologies, it is conceivable that the demand for EUV mask aligner in China is in short supply. EUV mask aligner can be regarded as a technical means to restrict other countries, and long-term introduction is not a long-term road. In order for the country to occupy a place in this high-end technology, researchers also need to work hard to find their own way out in the blockade of foreign countries.