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Photoresist: The Unsung Hero of Chip Manufacturing, Can China Break Through?

Tech 2024-08-02 14:26:29 Source: Network
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Photoresist: The Unsung Hero of Chip Manufacturing, Can China Break Through?IntroductionIn 2019, Japan's "across-the-board" action against the semiconductor supply chain made the world realize that photoresist, a seemingly unremarkable material, is actually the lifeblood of chip manufacturing. This "chokehold" incident exposed the shortcomings of China's semiconductor industry and brought more attention to this material, which is known as the "mother of chips

Photoresist: The Unsung Hero of Chip Manufacturing, Can China Break Through?

Introduction

In 2019, Japan's "across-the-board" action against the semiconductor supply chain made the world realize that photoresist, a seemingly unremarkable material, is actually the lifeblood of chip manufacturing. This "chokehold" incident exposed the shortcomings of China's semiconductor industry and brought more attention to this material, which is known as the "mother of chips."

Photoresist: The Unsung Hero of Chip Manufacturing, Can China Break Through?

Photoresist: The Unsung Hero of Chip Manufacturing

Photoresist, a seemingly ordinary chemical material, plays a crucial role in chip manufacturing. It is like a micro-engraver's tool, meticulously carving the microscopic world of chips, determining the final performance and functionality of the chip.

Photoresist: The Unsung Hero of Chip Manufacturing, Can China Break Through?

The Key Step in the Process: Lithography

One of the core processes in chip manufacturing is "lithography." This technology uses light to "etch" the chip design pattern onto the silicon wafer, like precisely replicating a "blueprint" from the microscopic world into reality. Photoresist, as the medium for "etching," plays a key role in this process.

Photoresist: The Unsung Hero of Chip Manufacturing, Can China Break Through?

The Three Steps of Photoresist

The entire lithography process can be divided into three steps:

Photoresist: The Unsung Hero of Chip Manufacturing, Can China Break Through?

1. Coating: Photoresist is evenly coated onto the surface of the silicon wafer, forming a thin film. Just like an artist laying down paint on a canvas, the thickness and uniformity of the photoresist directly affect the final quality of the chip.

2. Exposure: The silicon wafer is exposed to ultraviolet light, using the photosensitivity of the photoresist to create the desired pattern for the chip. This process is like "projecting" the chip design pattern onto the silicon wafer using light.

Photoresist: The Unsung Hero of Chip Manufacturing, Can China Break Through?

3. Development: The silicon wafer is placed in a developer solution to remove the photoresist in the areas exposed to light, revealing the chip pattern. This is like "developing" a photograph using developer solution, revealing the final form of the chip.

The Fine Requirements of Photoresist

Photoresist: The Unsung Hero of Chip Manufacturing, Can China Break Through?

The application of photoresist places extremely high demands on material properties. It needs to have the following characteristics:

  • High Resolution: Photoresist needs to be able to precisely "etch" the microscopic structures of the chip, which requires it to have extremely high resolution to "carve" smaller and smaller circuit patterns.

Photoresist: The Unsung Hero of Chip Manufacturing, Can China Break Through?

  • High Sensitivity: Photoresist needs to be highly sensitive to light to form clear patterns during exposure.
  • High Resistance to Etching: Photoresist needs to be able to resist corrosion by etching solutions to protect the chip pattern from damage.

Photoresist: The Unsung Hero of Chip Manufacturing, Can China Break Through?

  • High Stability: Photoresist needs to remain stable throughout the lithography process to prevent degradation or failure.

The "Chokehold" Dilemma of Photoresist

Photoresist: The Unsung Hero of Chip Manufacturing, Can China Break Through?

The production of photoresist requires sophisticated technology and strict control, resulting in a limited number of companies worldwide that can produce high-end photoresist. Currently, the photoresist market is dominated by Japanese companies, accounting for 70% to 90% of the global market share. China is still in the early stages of development in this field, with limited capacity to produce high-end photoresist.

The Current State of Photoresist in China: Significant Gaps

Photoresist: The Unsung Hero of Chip Manufacturing, Can China Break Through?

Although China has made some progress in photoresist research and development, there is still a significant gap compared to advanced countries. This is mainly reflected in the following aspects:

  • Technological Gap: China has a significant gap in the technical development of high-end photoresist compared to Japan, the United States, and other countries, particularly in terms of material formulas and process control.

Photoresist: The Unsung Hero of Chip Manufacturing, Can China Break Through?

  • Equipment Gap: China also has gaps in photoresist production equipment, with some key equipment relying on imports, restricting the development of domestic photoresist.
  • Talent Gap: High-end talent in the photoresist field is relatively scarce in China, lacking relevant experience and technical accumulation.

Strategies to Break Through the "Chokehold" of Photoresist

To break through the "chokehold" dilemma of photoresist, China needs to take multi-faceted measures:

  • Increase Research and Development Investment: Strengthen research and development investment in photoresist, break through key technologies, and achieve independent control.
  • Introduce Talented Individuals: Attract talented individuals from domestic and international photoresist fields to accelerate technical accumulation and talent cultivation.
  • Strengthen International Cooperation: Engage in technical cooperation and exchanges with foreign companies to learn advanced technologies and experience.
  • Build an Industrial Ecosystem: Improve the photoresist industry chain, create a complete industrial ecosystem, and form a virtuous cycle.
  • Strengthen Intellectual Property Protection: Strengthen intellectual property protection in the photoresist field, encourage innovation, and promote technological progress.

Photoresist: The Cornerstone of Future Chip Technology

As chip technology continues to advance, the requirements for photoresist become increasingly demanding. In the future, photoresist needs to meet the following trends:

  • Higher Resolution: As chip sizes shrink, photoresist needs to have higher resolution to "carve" finer circuit patterns.
  • Lower Costs: The production costs of high-end photoresist are high, and future efforts should explore lower-cost production technologies to reduce chip manufacturing costs.
  • More Environmentally Friendly: The production and use of photoresist can generate some harmful substances, and future efforts should develop more environmentally friendly photoresist materials to reduce environmental pollution.

Conclusion

Photoresist, as the "unsung hero" of chip manufacturing, is undeniably important. Breaking through the "chokehold" of photoresist is a crucial step in the development of China's semiconductor industry. Only through continuous technological innovation and continuous improvement in photoresist research and development capabilities can China truly achieve independent control of chip manufacturing, providing strong support for the future development of China's semiconductor industry.


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