In the field of semiconductor manufacturing and nanotechnology, lithography has been a key force driving the industry. In recent years, electron beam lithography (EBL) technology has gradually become the focus of attention due to its extremely high resolution and accuracy. This article will delve into the development of electron beam lithography in recent years, its application areas, and how it compares to other lithography technologies.
1. The development status of electron beam lithography
In recent years, electron beam lithography technology has made significant progress, and the market size continues to grow. It is predicted that by 2030, China's electron beam lithography market will account for more than 25% of the world's market. The size of China's EBL equipment market is expected to exceed US$520 million in 2025, accounting for 13.7% of the global market, and this proportion is expected to increase to 19% by 2030. This growing trend not only reflects the market demand for high-precision lithography technology, but also demonstrates the broad application prospects of electron beam lithography technology in many fields.
In terms of technological advancement, the commercial application of multi-beam parallel writing technology has significantly improved production efficiency. In 2025, the throughput of mainstream EBL equipment is expected to reach 8 wafers per hour (12-inch wafer), which is 300% higher than that of traditional single-beam equipment. In addition, the breakthrough in electron scattering suppression technology on GaN substrates has improved the processing accuracy of EBL in the field of wide bandgap semiconductors to 0.8nm. These technological breakthroughs not only improve production efficiency, but also further expand the range of applications for electron beam lithography.
Policy support has also provided a strong impetus for the development of electron beam lithography technology. In the "14th Five-Year Plan" national special plan for semiconductor equipment, EBL is listed as the focus of "stuck neck" technology research, and the scale of central and local financial matching funds will exceed 4.5 billion yuan in 2025. This policy support not only helps to accelerate technology research and development, but also promotes the rapid development of the industry.
In terms of production capacity layout, Suzhou, Hefei and other places have formed EBL equipment industry clusters, and the annual production capacity of local enterprises will exceed 80 sets in 2025, which can meet 70% of the domestic mid-end market demand. Domestic substitution is also accelerating, and domestic companies such as Shanghai Microelectronics and Zhongke Instrument have achieved a 50% substitution rate of domestic equipment in power devices, MEMS sensors and other market segments. In 2025, the self-sufficiency rate of core components such as electron guns and laser interferometers is expected to reach 50%, which will further reduce the dependence on imported equipment and enhance the independent and controllable ability of the domestic industry.
Figure: Electron beam lithography: the rise and breakthrough of high-precision lithography
2. The application field of electron beam lithography
The application fields of electron beam lithography continue to expand, from traditional semiconductor manufacturing to emerging fields such as biomedicine and quantum computing, showing its strong technological potential.
(1) Semiconductor manufacturing
In the field of semiconductor manufacturing, electron beam lithography is mainly used to manufacture high-precision integrated circuits, chips, etc. Especially in the sub-3nm process production line, the EBL equipment procurement budget has accounted for 19% of the total investment in lithography. With the development of semiconductor manufacturing technology to smaller processes, the high-precision advantages of electron beam lithography will become more prominent.
(2) Biomedical
In the biomedical field, electron beam lithography can be used to manufacture biochips, drug delivery systems, and more. For example, dissolvable microneedle arrays for drug delivery systems have begun to use the EBL+ encapsulation integrated process. This high-precision processing technology can significantly improve the efficiency and accuracy of drug delivery, bringing new development opportunities to the biomedical field.
(3) Quantum computing
Quantum computing is one of the cutting-edge directions in the current scientific and technological field, and electron beam lithography also plays an important role in it. It is used to process key components such as the Josephson junction of quantum computing chips, and provides important technical support for the development of quantum computing technology.
(4) Display panel
In the field of display panels, electron beam lithography can be used to fabricate nanostructures for AR microdisplays. With the continuous development of AR technology, the accuracy and performance requirements of display panels are getting higher and higher, and the application of electron beam lithography technology in this field has broad prospects.
(5) Photonic integrated circuits
Photonic integrated circuits are an important development direction of future communication and computing technology, and electron beam lithography is increasingly widely used. It is used to manufacture photonic devices such as photonic integrated circuits, which can significantly improve the performance and integration of photonic devices.
(6) MEMS sensors
In the field of MEMS sensors, electron beam lithography can be used to manufacture high-precision sensor components. With the popularity of the Internet of Things and smart devices, the demand for MEMS sensors is increasing, and the application of electron beam lithography will help improve the performance and reliability of sensors.
3. Comparison of electron beam lithography with other lithography technologies
(1) Comparison with extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV).
Extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV) is one of the most advanced optical lithography technologies and is widely used in large-scale integrated circuit manufacturing. Electron beam lithography offers significant advantages in terms of resolution compared to EUV. The ultimate resolution of EBL can reach below 2 nm, while EUV lithography currently has a resolution of around 5 nm. However, in terms of production efficiency, EUV lithography has a relatively high production efficiency and is suitable for large-scale mass production. After the application of multi-beam parallel writing technology, the production efficiency of EBL has been significantly improved, but there is still a gap compared with EUV.
From a cost perspective, EUV lithography equipment is extremely expensive and requires complex photoresist and mask technology; The cost of EBL equipment is relatively low, but it has cost advantages in the scenario of customized chips and low-volume production. In terms of application fields, EUV is mainly used in large-scale integrated circuit manufacturing; EBL is mainly used in semiconductor manufacturing for mask making and some high-precision, low-volume chip manufacturing.
(2) Comparison with optical lithography
Optical lithography is currently the most widely used lithography technology and is widely used in large-scale integrated circuit manufacturing. Compared with optical lithography, electron beam lithography has a much higher resolution than optical lithography, and can achieve nanometer or even sub-nanometer processing accuracy. However, in terms of production efficiency, optical lithography has a high production efficiency and is suitable for large-scale production; EBL is less productive, but it has improved with technological advancements.
From the perspective of cost, the cost of optical lithography equipment is relatively low, and the technology maturity is high; EBL equipment is costly, but it is irreplaceable in some high-precision applications. In terms of application fields, optical lithography is widely used in large-scale integrated circuit manufacturing; EBL has unique advantages in some fields that require high-precision processing, such as quantum computing and biomedicine.
4.Conclusions
Electron beam lithography technology has made significant progress in recent years, with the market scale continuing to grow, significant technological progress, and expanding application fields. Compared with extreme ultraviolet lithography and optical lithography, electron beam lithography has unique advantages in resolution and high-precision processing, although there is still room for improvement in production efficiency and cost, but its application prospects in semiconductor manufacturing, biomedicine, quantum computing and other fields are broad. With the continuous progress of technology and the further expansion of the market, electron beam lithography is expected to play a more important role in the field of nanotechnology in the future.
