A photolithography machine is a device that uses light to etch microscopic circuit patterns onto the surface of a silicon wafer, the most important step in the semiconductor chip manufacturing process. This is the technology that determines the smallness - speed - strength of chip lines such as 5nm, 3nm or 2nm.
Without a photolithography machine, there would be no smartphones, electric cars, artificial intelligence or IoT devices like today.
Photolithography machines are mainly developed and manufactured by leading technology companies, especially from the United States, Japan, and Taiwan. The most involved countries:
=> It can be seen that when asking “which country is the photolithography machine from”, the answer is: many countries participate in production.
The working process of a photolithography machine includes:
EUV machines can create details of just a few nanometers — tens of thousands of times smaller than bacteria.
DUV uses light with a wavelength of about 193 nm, suitable for older generation chips or high-power chips. Meanwhile, EUV uses 13.5 nm light, allowing the creation of ultra-small transistors, suitable for 3 nm or 2 nm chips. EUV machines are proprietary technology and play a core role in the production of advanced chips.
Countries that want to develop advanced chips must have access to EUV. However, because of the export control policies of the US and the Netherlands, not all countries are allowed to buy.
Photolithography is a bottleneck in the semiconductor supply chain. The equipment costs hundreds of millions of dollars, requires dozens of containers to transport, and takes months to install. Without photolithography, any plan to expand chip production becomes meaningless.
The world's dependence on a single company makes this field a geopolitical hot spot. Countries all want to be self-sufficient, but the large technology gap makes replacement almost impossible. Therefore, ASML and the Netherlands are always at the center of global technology strategy.
Vietnam currently does not have an advanced chip manufacturing factory at the 5nm or 3nm level, so there is no need to invest in EUV. However, with the vision of developing the national semiconductor industry, understanding which country's photolithography technology and how this equipment operates is an important foundation for developing the supply chain in the future.
Photolithography machines are produced by many countries, but EUV - the most important technology for producing advanced chips - is mainly owned by the Netherlands (ASML). Understanding the operating mechanism and technology segment helps Vietnam orient itself correctly in the journey of developing the semiconductor industry and gradually moving towards high-tech autonomy in the future.
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