our only technolgical bottleneck is Euv and <5nm tech
Well <5nm is for ultra low energy consumption apps like cellphone, while for almost all other apps from auto, electrical machinery, aviation to military use >14nm, China Mainland fabs can fully provide Russia, no worry.
EUV lithography is blown out of proportion, it was Apple that bankrolled hence changed the race course from ArF immersion to EUV.
Like all fabs, TSMC's supply chain is heavily dominated by the Japanese in the 1980's, both materials (till even nowadays) and machinery. To break monopoly of Nikon lithography machine, Dr. Burn-Jeng Lin of TSMC invented Immersion lithography tech and brought ASML to assemble the 193nm immersion lithography machine, three years ahead of Nikon's new products. Samsung and Intel all jumped in and invested heavily with this new tech, bringing along with their capital (buy ASML shares), purchase orders and manpower to develop this tech all the way to nowadays. The cartel of TSMC, along with Samsung and perhaps Intel, can erect another ASML if needed, they are the ones dictating the techs and supply chain.
TSMC originally plan to use ArF immersion lithography all the way down. It was back when ASML was struggling with EUV, making slow progress on a questionable technology, they were looking for an early adopter to take the plunge and convince the industry that EUV was real. At the time, Samsung, TSMC and Intel were not signed up to EUV and viewed it very suspiciously. Nobody was willing to be the first to commit to it. Then Apple changed all that by telling TSMC it needed to do EUV, and Apple would write a cheque for it. ASML got into a room with TSMC management and cut a deal, TSMC went from an EUV non-believer to a full on convert virtually over night. TSMC went from “never EUV” to its biggest customer and user, with cheque written by Apple.
Nonetheless SMIC has determined to explore FinFET N+1 without EUV, various paths are under experiment including going further down on ArF immersion (which has been suspended by TSMC), or adopt new laser lithography tech from SIANO (Suzhou Institute of Nano-tech & Nano-bionics).
-Intel's access to high-NA EUV tools may be their elixir of life -TSMC's EUV adoption helped it vault faltering Intel & Samsung -Maybe ASML should invest in Intel like Intel invested in ASML -Shoe is on the other foot- But cooperation helps chip industry Intel is dependent upon ASML for its...
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