China’s largest memory manufacturers Changxin Memory and Yangtze Memory have purchased a large number of deep ultraviolet lithography (DUV) machines from the Netherlands’ ASML, which should be enough to implement production expansion plans in the next three years, according to the Financial Times.
The supply of ASML EUV equipment to China is still limited, but manufacturers can purchase older DUV scanners for producing large quantities of wafers on mature processes. Amid the memory shortage, Changxin Storage and Yangtze Storage are ramping up production to meet growing domestic demand. At the same time, Chinese companies are also trying to build their own installations and gradually reduce their reliance on foreign suppliers.
According to the Financial Times, Yuliangsheng is one of them and is expected to produce up to 12 DUV equipment by the end of 2026. It was previously reported that the affiliated company Shanghai Essena Electronic Technology Group plans to produce 5 machines per year and increase the number to 20 machines by the end of 2027. From the perspective of manufacturer demand, China’s equipment development is still not as good as ASML equipment, but DUV is progressing significantly faster than EUV.