SMEE’s Domestic Lithography Machine Surpasses 10 Million Wafer Runs in Production

Shanghai Micro Electronics Equipment (SMEE) has achieved a key milestone for the domestic dry-step lithography platform: more than 10 million wafer run-outs in production lines. This is a significant milestone because it shows that the equipment has progressed from the prototype stage to industrial-scale applications. This is a notable achievement for equipment buyers and semiconductor industry onlookers, as it serves as a testament to the robustness of the domestic supply chain.

SMEE's new architecture supports I-line and KrF routes with fully autonomous components

The 9th China International Import Expo in Shanghai saw SMEE present the new architecture for front-end dry lithography. The platform can handle both I-line and KrF technology paths. Both are well-established routes to fabricating older-node logic and memory chips. Right now, the SMEE is the sole domestic player capable of stable mass production and delivery for this type of equipment.

Specifications

• Cumulative Wafer Runs: Over 10 million
• Effective Operation Rate: Over 92%
• Supported Tech Routes: I-line and KrF
• Core Components: Fully autonomous lenses, illumination, and stages

The core components of this lithography machine all operate in full autonomy, including high-precision objective lenses, illumination systems, and high-speed double-wafer stages. All components are linked through an automated material-handling system. SMEE claims that this equipment has an effective operation rate above 92%.

SMEE has announced the performance parameters of the machine. By SMEE's own numbers, this equipment is rapidly approaching world-leading performance levels. First, SMEE claims the imaging performance is on par with international leading peers in this equipment category.

In addition, the registration accuracy and production efficiency are rapidly approaching international-level benchmarks. SMEE has yet to release the specific model for this platform.

In a nutshell, the release confirms the operating scale of the domestic lithography industry. The fact that more than 10 million wafers have been run on the platform confirms its robustness in logic and memory fabs. In addition, the 92% operation rate confirms a high level of reliability for the equipment in production lines. As a result, this technology has become a proven element in the domestic semiconductor system.