"With China's Technology, It Shouldn't Be Possible...? How Huawei Managed to Produce 7nm Chips Independently"

Estimation of Advanced DUV Technology with In-House Production
Overcoming 10nm Using 'Multi-Patterning' Technology
"Chinese Companies Still Possess Massive Innovation Capabilities"

Huawei, a leading Chinese IT company under strict sanctions from the U.S. Department of Commerce, has attracted global attention by releasing a cutting-edge smartphone developed with domestic technology. The core of Huawei's 'Mate 60 Pro' smartphone is a semiconductor manufactured using a 7-nanometer (nm) process.

On August 30, an employee at the Huawei flagship store in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China, is introducing the new Huawei Mate 60 smartphone to a customer. [Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

Currently, China, which faces U.S. export restrictions on semiconductor technology, is reported to lack the capability to produce 7nm-class semiconductors independently. So how was Huawei able to procure 7nm chips?

China Breaks Through the 10nm Barrier Without Global Advanced Technology

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

Huawei designs its chips through its smartphone application processor (AP) design subsidiary, HiSilicon. HiSilicon's APs rely on the design architecture (ARMv8) from the UK-based ARM Holdings, so they are not entirely 'Made in China.' However, since ARMv8 is supplied through ARM China, ARM's Chinese subsidiary, there is currently no risk of export restrictions.

The key issue is the semiconductor fab that manufactures the completed designs. After being blacklisted by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Huawei has been unable to contract with the world's top foundries like TSMC and Samsung Electronics. Its only option is the Chinese company SMIC. It is reported that Huawei's 7nm chips were produced using SMIC's technology.

The problematic smartphone equipped with a 'domestically produced 7-nanometer (nm) chip,' Huawei Mate 60 Pro [Image source=Yonhap News]

The problem lies in advanced process technology. China is currently unable to import the technology needed to manufacture advanced semiconductors. Among these, the ASML EUV lithography machines, which are essential for producing chips below 10nm, are effectively unavailable. This means SMIC broke through the '10nm barrier' without EUV lithography machines.

High Possibility of Advanced DUV Technology Developed In-House

Although it is an older technology compared to ASML's EUV, the Chinese company SMEE can also manufacture lithography machines called DUV. SMIC is believed to have used a 'multi-patterning' technique, which draws the DUV light pattern multiple times to increase circuit density, to achieve a 10nm node.
[Image source=SMEE]

SMIC's 7nm process first appeared last year. At that time, U.S. semiconductor industry analysis firm TechInsights obtained and analyzed some 7nm chip samples produced by SMIC, claiming they were similar to TSMC's 7nm process chips. It is highly likely that the process applied to Huawei's 7nm chips is this technology.

How did SMIC succeed in the 7nm process without EUV? The role of EUV is to project extremely fine light onto the semiconductor surface to etch patterns that serve as 'electronic circuits.' However, this 'patterning process' is not exclusive to EUV. It can also be done using DUV lithography, the previous generation technology before EUV. China possesses the technology to manufacture DUV lithography machines domestically.

Since DUV cannot adjust light at as fine a scale as EUV, it was generally accepted that it faces limitations below the 14nm process. However, by using 'multi-patterning' technology, which involves exposing the light multiple times to increase pattern density, some of these limitations can be overcome. Before EUV became widespread, companies like SK Hynix and TSMC also used multi-patterning technology to push the limits of fine processes.

It appears that SMIC overcame 7nm thanks to multi-patterning. While other companies focused on securing EUV, SMIC chose to advance its DUV technology instead.

Chinese Technology Still Behind the U.S.... But "Still Has Significant Capability"

China's largest semiconductor foundry, SMIC
Photo by Yonhap News

However, SMIC's 7nm chips are expected to perform significantly worse than 7nm chips from other companies using EUV lithography. The U.S. IT media outlet Tom's Hardware also evaluated SMIC as having "entered advanced node processes" but noted that "(the chip's) details are likely considerably inferior compared to market leaders."

Most importantly, while SMIC is just beginning to stabilize its 7nm process, other foundries like TSMC, Samsung, and Intel are already exploring the 1nm domain. Purely in terms of technology, Chinese companies are still several steps behind.

However, experts point out that simple export controls and high tariffs may slow China's 'innovation speed' but cannot stop it. Chris Miller, a professor at Tufts University in the U.S., told The Washington Post (WP), "Chinese companies like Huawei still possess significant capabilities," and predicted that "the debate in U.S. politics over whether to tighten regulations on China could intensify."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.