Mask aligner over one hundred dollar will be introduced into China and the breakout war in chips begins

Recently, the ZTE event gets people understanding the importance of semiconductor technologies. The manufacturers have capability to autonomously design mobile chips, for instance, Huawei who is widely praised.

     Previously, few domestic manufacturer have ability to produce high-end semiconductor chips, but there will be a break from the status quo. Two Chinese enterpises order two high-end mask aligners about $17.7 million from ASML in order, who are determined to make an acheievement in chips.

    The first mask aligner purchaser is YMTC. The company, set up in 2016, is one of China High-end Chips Alliance initiators and has high expectations in advancing the research and development of China’s semiconductor industry.

    The other mask aligner purchaser is SIMC, who also buys an EUV mask aligner about $1.2 hundred million from Dutch chip equipment manufacturer. It almost spend all the profits SIMC in 2017. It profits are $1.264 hundred million in last year. But when people learn about the importance of EUV equipment, they will know it deserves the cost.

    Why mask aligner costs so much? What is its magic?

    Chip is the an essential part of electronics. Chip manufacturer succeeds in making chips with mask aligner. High-end mask aligner is the most sophisticated instrument around the globe and is know as the flower of mordern optical industry. Potoetching decides precision of semiconductor circurt, power dissipation and performance of chips. As the most advanced mask aligner, EUV is the only equipment to produce the processing below 7nm. Because the wave launched by it is a fifteenth of existing equipment.

    According to public information, mask aligner is the core equipment of producing large scale integrated circuit, whose manufacturering and maintenance need high potics and electronic industry basis mastered by a few companies. Therefore, mask aligner usually costs between $30 million and $5 hundred million.

    The leader of global maks aligner researching and development is ASML, whose headquarters is in Netherlands. Chip makers such as Intel, Samsung and TSMC prefer ASML as their mask aligner supplier. ASML owns 90% high-end mask aligner market, with core technologies of latest two generations of high-end mask aligner. There is no doubt that mask aligner with higher precision can produce smaller nanoscale and more powerful chips.

    The two mask aligner introduced in China cost $17.7 million. It is convinced that China will be farther in chips and will get rid of the destiny relying on inported chips, and really make chips by itself.