Huawei and Chinese Parter Pursue Advanced Chip Production Techniques Despite US Export Controls

Huawei Technologies, along with a clandestine chip-making collaborator in China, has filed patents for innovative methods aimed at enhancing semiconductor production. 

Huawei Pursue Advanced Chip Production Techniques Despite US Export Controls

These techniques, centered around self-aligned quadruple patterning (SAQP), could potentially enable China to advance its chip manufacturing capabilities, circumventing US export restrictions.

SAQP involves etching lines on silicon wafers multiple times to enhance transistor density, thereby boosting performance. Huawei's patent application outlines a method leveraging SAQP to fabricate sophisticated semiconductors, potentially increasing circuit pattern design flexibility. 

Meanwhile, the state-backed chip equipment developer SiCarrier, in collaboration with Huawei, has patented a SAQP-based approach utilizing deep ultraviolet lithography (DUV) machines to achieve technical benchmarks akin to 5-nanometer chips.

While quadruple patterning technology could facilitate chip production at the 5nm level, acquiring EUV machines remains a long-term necessity for China. However, SAQP implementations might alleviate certain technical constraints associated with EUV dependency, though not entirely eliminating them.

China's Tech Sector Resilience Amid International Restrictions

Despite advancements, alternative production methods could result in higher chip manufacturing costs compared to industry standards employing EUV machines. Currently, the most advanced commercially available chips utilize 3nm technology, with China capable of producing 7nm chips, positioning it two generations behind global leaders.

US-led efforts to curb China's semiconductor access, including bans on exporting critical chip-making equipment, have prompted Chinese companies to invest heavily in domestic chip capabilities. Huawei's strides in developing advanced processors for smartphones underscore China's tech sector resilience amid international restrictions.

Semiconductor Equipment Manufacturers

In response, the Biden administration seeks to escalate containment measures, urging allies to join efforts and considering additional sanctions on Chinese chip firms linked to Huawei. 

Chinese semiconductor equipment manufacturers, like Naura Technology Group and Advanced Micro-Fabrication Equipment, are exploring SAQP coupled with etching systems to produce 7nm or more advanced chips, given the unavailability of EUV machines.

Beijing's recent endorsement of key chip equipment suppliers underscores its commitment to bolstering domestic semiconductor capabilities, signaling heightened competition in the global chip-making landscape.