In the world of semiconductors, the lithography machine is a big star, which can be called the "money printing machine" in the integrated circuit industry. However, for a long time, the key to this "money printing machine" has been in the hands of a few foreign giants, especially ASML in the Netherlands, which is simply a "lone defeat" in the lithography machine industry.
It is said that in the sixties and seventies of the last century, China's semiconductor industry was still a "primary school student", but it had a heart of "scholar". At that time, a group of enthusiastic young people went to Bell Labs on the other side of the ocean, and after returning from their studies, China's semiconductor industry was like a "strong pill" and out of control. From dynamic random access memory to transistors, to TV chips, we have made great progress all the way, although the lithography machine is a headache, but we Chinese never give up easily.
In the eighties and nineties, the lithography machine market changed, and Germany's laser lithography machine was once prosperous, but it was finally swallowed up by giants. Not only is this thing ridiculously expensive, but even the post-service is painfully expensive. As a result, the global lithography machine market has become the "private territory" of several giants, and Chinese semiconductor companies, like children eager to enter luxury amusement parks, can only watch the tickets.
However, changes in the international environment, especially the tension between China and the United States, have made China realize the truth that "if you rely on the mountain, you will fall, and everyone will run". In the face of "technological bullying", China's semiconductor industry is forced to embark on the road of independent research and development. Nanjing Institute of Postal Sciences, whose name sounds like "Postman Training College", has become a "secret base" for the research and development of lithography machines in China.
Just when ASML and other giants were still complacent, thinking that China would not be able to shake its position in a short time, they did not expect that China, with the help of Germany, quietly accelerated the pace of independent research and development. As the game between China and the United States escalated, ASML also had to show its cards, but they seemed to forget that there is an old saying in China: "To strike iron, you need to be hard". Even without imported lithography machines, China can rely on local technology to support the semiconductor industry.
In the face of US sanctions, China's semiconductor industry has not only not been defeated, but has stimulated the enthusiasm for independent innovation. From Foxconn to Huawei, Chinese technology companies are gradually getting rid of foreign dependence and building their own semiconductor ecosystems. Although the road is bumpy, just as the ancients said: "The heavens will descend on the people, and they must first suffer their minds and muscles." "The rise of China's semiconductor industry may be the best footnote to this arduous journey.
So, lithography giants, stop being the phoenix sleeping in the chicken coop. The awakening of China's semiconductor industry has sounded the alarm bell of the high-tech version of the "farmer and snake" story. In the future, it may be the era when China's lithography machine, or even the entire semiconductor industry chain, will lead the world trend!