China Made a Chip Breakthrough That Shocked the World
Odd Lots
00:00
Why was China able to produce a 7 nm chip?
China was able to produce a 7 nm chip without access to EV (extreme ultraviolet) technology, which is a major differentiation from TSMC's process. Instead, they used quad patterning and self-aligned quad patterning to overcome this limitation. This allowed them to ship the 7 nm chip faster than Intel, which faced challenges with the same quad patterning EV process. Additionally, the restrictions on advanced deposition and etch tools have been poorly enforced, enabling Chinese entities to acquire and use restricted tools, undermining the intended restrictions.
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