The uses of chips: cell phones, high-speed rail, cars, power grids, home appliances, medical devices, various automated devices, etc.
The function of the chip: perform arithmetic, handle various tasks, output data and instructions. The chip is so powerful, how to make it? The equipment used is the photolithography machine, an important machine introduced in this article.
Now many people say that back then it was harder to build a photolithography machine than to build an atomic bomb. Yes, this is absolutely true.
Nowadays, with advanced information; technological advances; advanced equipment; there are many professionals who have advanced knowledge but cannot make a photolithography machine. The difficulty is obvious.
There's a point to be made here: China can make chips, but the quality and specifications can't keep up with the demands of today's cutting-edge technology.
Today, our country can produce 16-nanometer chips, which is a far cry from the international standard. (There is news that China has been able to make 7 nm photolithography, but this has not been confirmed.)
ASML of the Netherlands is said to have developed a 1-nm chip mask aligner; TSMC of Taiwan and Samsung Group of South Korea are vying for it.
Whoever owns the equipment will be able to produce state-of-the-art products and capture the world's high-end chip market, and there will be big money to be made, and they will all rush to buy it.
Such a lithography equipment is said to cost 3 billion yuan.
The world's most authoritative, leading and powerful company producing photolithography is the Dutch company ASLM.
This company is not a pawn, and has strong support from the US and the EU.
There are more than 10,000 components for the production of photolithography machines from several countries.
There are two other Japanese companies that also produce them: Canon and Nikon. As you can see, these two companies are world-renowned and used to produce cameras and video recorders. But the technology is behind the Dutch companies.