News Dutch government bans even simpler chipmaking tools from export to China — DUV lithography tools now get the axe

[Admin]

ASML can no longer sell its Twinscan NXT:2050i and NXT:2100i DUV lithography systems to Chinese clients. The impact isn't expected to be significant, given existing restrictions.

Dutch government bans even simpler chipmaking tools from export to China — DUV lithography tools now get the axe : Read more

 

[TechLurker]

Probably boils down to the EUV license that ASML entirely relies on. The EUV tech underpinning ASML's dominance was entirely funded by the US under CRADA, and IIRC, only 3 groups got the licensing rights. Intel, SVG, and ASML. Canon and Nikon wanted in too, but they were denied the licensing since the US felt they were a threat to US dominance in chip production systems back in the 90s.

Intel botched their program and gave up. Silicon Valley Group ended up being bought by ASML, giving them a partial US presence and incorporating SVG's IP into their own and basically cornering the EUV market as there were no other players left. However, the rights and whatnot is still held by the US, having been funded by taxpayer money years ago, and a lot of sweetheart deals were made to let ASML continue to be the only company with an active license instead of the US giving a new license to another player or two.

Hence, what the US says, ASML and the Dutch follow.

That said, many of the components making up the EUV machines also come from places like Japan, and Japan also has a near-monopoly on the exotic chemicals needed to produce chips, so ASML and the US fabs also play nice with Japan in that regard (Dupont also produces some of the exotic chemicals, but IIRC, they're not as pure or produced at the same scale and cost as Japan does).

Sure, there are some rivals still independently working out EUV tech; namely China and Japan itself, but they're also looking beyond it to other options that could let them break out beyond DUV tech.