Tsinghua University Claims EUV Photoresist Breakthrough as China Eyes 2030 Chip Self-Reliance
Updated
Updated · The Diplomat · Jul 2
Tsinghua University Claims EUV Photoresist Breakthrough as China Eyes 2030 Chip Self-Reliance
1 articles · Updated · The Diplomat · Jul 2
Summary
A Tsinghua University team said it has developed a new EUV photoresist formulation, addressing one of the last major bottlenecks in China’s push to make advanced chips without foreign technology.
Photoresist purity is the key hurdle: EUV production needs contamination levels in the sub-parts-per-billion to parts-per-trillion range, while China still relies on Japan for about 90% of its high-end photoresists.
The lab result is still far from factory use, and analysts say China must also close gaps in two other chokepoints—EUV light sources of just 100-150 watts versus ASML’s 250-600 watts, and mirrors reflecting 65% versus Zeiss’s 70%.
Those constraints help explain why estimates for a domestic Chinese EUV machine range from a few years to decades, though some industry observers see pilot-line capability emerging around 2030.
The report argues that tracking three measurable indicators—light-source power, mirror smoothness and photoresist purity—offers a clearer gauge of China’s semiconductor self-reliance than headline claims alone.
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China’s 2025 EUV Photoresist Breakthrough: Tsinghua University’s Polytelluoxane and the Race for Chip Independence
Overview
In July 2025, Tsinghua University announced a major breakthrough in semiconductor technology by developing a new Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) photoresist material called polytelluoxane (PTeO). This innovation, published in Science Advances, is designed to meet the strict demands of EUV lithography, which is essential for making smaller and more powerful microchips. By addressing the challenge of reducing defects during chip production, PTeO has the potential to revolutionize advanced chip manufacturing and strengthen China’s push for self-sufficiency in the global semiconductor industry.