On April 30, 2025, the University of Southampton in the United Kingdom opened the world's second electron beam lithography factory, which is undoubtedly a blockbuster in the field of semiconductors. As the first facility of its kind outside of Japan and the first cutting-edge semiconductor factory in Europe, it shows the ambitious layout of the UK in the global semiconductor industry competition, and seems to be shouting: British semiconductors are going to overtake with electron beam lithography technology! But what kind of opportunities and thorns are hidden behind this big gamble?
1. Electron beam lithography: Southampton's "king bomb" technology
Electron beam lithography technology can be called the "sharp knife" at the forefront of semiconductor manufacturing. It uses a high-energy electron beam to expose the photoresist to draw semiconductor circuit patterns, and the biggest advantage is that it breaks through the optical diffraction limit and can achieve sub-10 nanometer accuracy. The 200kV accelerated voltage direct-write electron beam lithography system (JEOL JBX-8100 G3) introduced by the University of Southampton can achieve sub-5nm fine structure resolution processing on 200mm wafers, suitable for photoresists as thick as 10 microns, and the sidewalls are almost vertical. What does this mean? With today's state-of-the-art 5nm process chips as a reference, which require extremely high precision and structure, Southampton's equipment has the potential to make its mark in this process area.
Although electron beam lithography is currently mostly used as an auxiliary process for mask making, the layout of the University of Southampton obviously has the potential to enter the core field of chip manufacturing. It is no longer satisfied with being a "supporting role" for mass production, but tries to open up a new channel that is different from the traditional commercial technology route. It's like lighting a light of exploration in the no-man's land of precision manufacturing, which may illuminate a new path to high-end manufacturing for British semiconductors.
Pictured: The University of Southampton in the United Kingdom opens the world's second electron beam lithography factory
2. British semiconductors: ambitions, shortcomings and ways to break the game
The British semiconductor industry did not have a strong global presence before. In 2022, the UK will account for less than 2% of the global semiconductor market sales, which is not a star and a half compared with giants such as the United States, South Korea, and Taiwan, China. However, the UK has a deep foundation in the field of semiconductor R&D and design, and has leading achievements in optical communication and radio frequency technology. But if R&D advantage is not translated into manufacturing advantage, it is like an attic in the sky, which can collapse at any time.
The electron beam lithography plant at the University of Southampton is a key piece in the UK's breakthrough. The UK government's emphasis on the semiconductor industry is visible to the naked eye, and from 2023 to 2025, the government will invest more than 100 million pounds to support semiconductor R&D and infrastructure. This factory is a product of policy support, carrying the hope that Britain will move from an R&D power to a manufacturing power.
However, the shortcomings of British semiconductors are also eye-catching. The semiconductor industry chain is huge and complex, involving materials, equipment, and components. The operation of electron beam lithography equipment, high-purity photoresist, stable electron gun components, and precision control systems are also indispensable, but the UK's self-sufficiency in key supporting areas is limited, and it has to rely on imported "blood transfusion". The high-resolution photoresist market has been monopolized by several Japanese companies for a long time, and it is not easy for the UK to get rid of dependence.
Looking at talents, the skills gap in the British semiconductor industry will reach more than 30% in 2024, and there will be a shortage of professionals in key positions such as lithography technology and chip manufacturing process. Although British universities have semiconductor-related majors, the speed of talent training is far from keeping up with the pace of industrial expansion, which is like throwing an anchor to a high-speed car, and industrial development has to slow down.
3. Stirring the undercurrent of the global semiconductor pattern
In the global semiconductor industry, oligopoly has been monopolized for many years, and ASML in the Netherlands occupies nearly 90% of the global high-end lithography machine market with EUV lithography technology. The electron beam lithography factory at the University of Southampton may become a "catfish" to break this pattern.
It has landed outside Japan and in Europe, providing new ideas for the development of semiconductors in Europe. Europe has been trying to break through in the field of semiconductor manufacturing, trapped in the gap between the United States and Asian industries. The University of Southampton's attempt is like throwing boulders on a calm lake, causing ripples. In the future, if enterprises and scientific research institutions are attracted to form industrial clusters, they may be able to open up new branches in the global semiconductor supply chain and drive the coordinated development of chip design, packaging and testing industries.
From the perspective of technological competition, electron beam lithography and EUV lithography are not life and death, but have their own strengths. EUV lithography is suitable for mass production of high-end chips, while electron beam lithography has unique charm in the field of low-volume, high-precision, and customized chip manufacturing. Like quantum computing and photonic chip R&D, electron beam lithography can shine without mask direct writing and the advantages of high resolution, quickly respond to R&D needs, and reduce costs.
4. Realistic Challenges: Stumbling Blocks or Stepping Stones?
The University of Southampton's electron beam lithography facility is exciting, but it also has its challenges. First of all, electron beam lithography has a lower production efficiency, and the exposure area per unit time is much smaller than that of laser lithography. Industry data shows that EUV lithography machines can produce 150-200 pieces of 300 mm wafers per hour, and the output of electron beam lithography equipment may be less than one-tenth of it, production costs have skyrocketed, and market competitiveness has been greatly reduced.
Secondly, the cost of equipment and operation and maintenance costs are prohibitively high. A 200kV electron beam lithography machine costs tens of millions of dollars or even hundreds of millions of dollars, and it is extremely picky about the operating environment, and the vacuum system, power supply, and maintenance team are indispensable, and the long-term operation capital pressure is huge.
In addition, at present, electron beam lithography is mainly suitable for 200mm wafers, but the global semiconductor industry has transformed to 300mm wafer manufacturing. 300mm wafers have obvious advantages in terms of output and cost control, and if the University of Southampton cannot overcome the technical problems of adapting to 300mm wafers, the application scope will be severely limited.
In the face of these challenges, the UK has not sat still. The University of Southampton and JEOL work closely together to improve the efficiency and stability of the equipment; The government actively promotes the improvement of the semiconductor industry chain and attracts materials and parts companies to settle down; Colleges and universities adjust their professional settings and jointly cultivate talents with enterprises, trying to make up for their shortcomings little by little.
5. Future prospects: the rise of British semiconductors
The world's second 200kV electron beam lithography machine at the University of Southampton in the UK outlines a future full of opportunities for British semiconductors. In the short term, it will serve local and European R&D institutions and enterprises, accelerate the research and development of cutting-edge fields such as quantum chips and silicon photonic chips, and is expected to see innovative chip product prototypes in the next 2-3 years.
In the medium term, if the technology is mature and the industrial chain is perfect, Southampton is expected to form an industrial agglomeration, and by 2030, the UK's global semiconductor market share may increase to more than 5%, gradually narrowing the gap with traditional powers.
In the long run, if the UK breaks through the bottleneck of large-scale production of electron beam lithography and upgrades to 300mm wafers, its global semiconductor status will change qualitatively. In 2035 and beyond, the UK's semiconductors are expected to take the lead in high-end manufacturing, driving the development of emerging industries such as quantum computing and artificial intelligence hardware, and injecting strong impetus into economic transformation.
The road to overtaking in the corners of British semiconductors has begun. The key development of the electron beam lithography factory at the University of Southampton is a technological exploration and an industrial breakthrough. Although the road ahead is bumpy, it provides a fresh sample for the diversified development of global semiconductors, and let us wait and see the wonderful transformation of British semiconductors on the global stage.
