Chinas plasma etching machine has reached the advanced level in the world中国等离子体刻蚀机达到世界先进水平

日前，央视财经频道播出的《感受中国制造》第五集《中国“芯”力量》介绍了中国在半导体设备和半导体原材料上取得的成绩和进步。其中，最引人瞩目的莫过于中国企业在刻蚀机上取得的成绩——16nm刻蚀机实现商业化量产并在客户的生产线上运行，7-10nm等离子刻蚀机设备可以与世界最前沿技术比肩。

相对于中国在光刻机上与ASML的巨大差距，在刻蚀机上国内企业不仅可以满足本国企业的需求，还能够进入国际市场上与应用材料、科林等国际巨头一争长短。而这背后，是一群科技人才放弃美国优越的待遇选择回国，并耗费十多年时间持之以恒的付出和努力换来的成绩。

十年磨一剑技术比肩国际巨头

本次最让人振奋的，就是在中国最薄弱的半导体设备方面取得了令人欣喜的成绩——中微半导体的16nm刻蚀机实现商业化量产并在客户的生产线上运行，7-10nm刻蚀机设备可以与世界最前沿技术比肩。

刻蚀机是芯片生产制造的重要设备，不少网友会将光刻机和刻蚀机搞混，有的网友甚至将国内实现16nm刻蚀机量产的新闻误读为实现16nm光刻机量产。

其实光刻机和刻蚀机是两种设备，光刻机的工作原理是用激光将掩膜版上的电路结构临时复制到硅片上。而刻蚀机是按光刻机刻出的电路结构，在硅片上进行微观雕刻，刻出沟槽或接触孔的设备。

等离子体刻蚀机对加工精度的要求非常高，加工精度是头发丝直径的几千分之一到上万分之一。以16nm的CPU来说，等离子体刻蚀的加工尺度为普通人头发丝的五千分之一，加工的精度和重复性要达到五万分之一。

       Recently, the fifth episode "China's core power" of "feeling made in China" broadcast by CCTV financial channel introduced China's achievements and progress in semiconductor equipment and semiconductor raw materials. Among them, the most remarkable achievement of Chinese enterprises in the etching machine is that the 16nm etching machine realizes commercial mass production and runs on the customer's production line. The 7-10nm plasma etching machine equipment can be compared with the most advanced technology in the world. 

      Compared with the huge gap between China and ASML in lithography machine, domestic enterprises in lithography machine can not only meet the needs of domestic enterprises, but also enter the international market to compete with application materials, Colin and other international giants. Behind this, a group of scientific and technological talents chose to return home after giving up the superior treatment of the United States, and spent more than ten years of unremitting efforts and efforts in exchange for achievements.

    One of the most exciting achievements of the international giants in the past decade is that they have made gratifying achievements in China's weakest semiconductor equipment. 

     The 16 nm etching machine of medium and micro semiconductors has realized commercial mass production and operated on the production line of customers. The 7-10 nm etching machine equipment can be compared with the most cutting-edge technology in the world. 

    Etching machine is an important equipment for chip production and manufacturing. Many netizens will confuse the lithography machine with the etching machine. Some netizens even misread the news of realizing the production of 16nm etching machine in China as realizing the production of 16nm lithography machine. 

    In fact, the lithography machine and the etching machine are two kinds of equipment. The working principle of the lithography machine is to use the laser to temporarily copy the circuit structure on the mask onto the silicon wafer. The etching machine is a kind of equipment which carves the micro - groove or contact hole on the silicon wafer according to the circuit structure carved by the lithography machine. 

    The requirements of plasma etching machine for machining accuracy are very high. The machining accuracy is one thousandth to one thousandth of the hair diameter. For a 16 nm CPU, the processing scale of plasma etching is one fifth of that of ordinary human hair, and the processing accuracy and repeatability should reach one fifth of that of ordinary human hair.