Chinese Company Prinano Makes Optical Chips Without Asml Gear
The announcement offers a potential workaround for Chinese semiconductor firms blocked from importing ASML's advanced lithography equipment, but the lack of commercial-scale data and analyst skepticism suggest the breakthrough is far from disrupting the market.
Reporting from 1 sources: GIGAZINE.
Chinese startup PRINANO announced it has manufactured 8-inch optical chip wafers using its own nanoimprint lithography equipment, without deep ultraviolet exposure tools from ASML. The company claims the process cuts costs to about one-tenth. No production volume or yield data has been disclosed, and analysts say the technology is unlikely to challenge ASML's dominance in cutting-edge chip manufacturing.
PRINANO, a Chinese startup specializing in nanoimprint lithography (NIL), said on June 5 that it had produced 8-inch optical chip wafers using its PL-AS vacuum air-cushion nanoimprint system, which it claims achieves resolution below 10 nm. The company stated on WeChat that the process avoided deep ultraviolet exposure equipment entirely and reduced costs to roughly one-tenth of conventional methods, making it suitable for optical communications and LiDAR chips at the wafer level.
The announcement comes as Chinese firms face restrictions on purchasing ASML's advanced semiconductor manufacturing gear, following U.S.-led export controls. PRINANO had previously reported delivering NIL equipment to domestic customers in September 2025, signaling a move from research to production.
However, the company has not released data on throughput or yield, and analysts at SemiAnalysis argue that NIL's true cost advantage depends on factors like template manufacturing and process integration, and that it is unlikely to replace EUV lithography for cutting-edge logic chips. Other companies, including Canon, Dai Nippon Printing, and Kioxia, are also developing NIL technology for memory manufacturing.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.