China’s chip giant AMEC launches 6 new machines to boost semiconductor production

Chinese semiconductor equipment manufacturer Advanced Micro-Fabrication Equipment (AMEC) has unveiled six new chip-making machines as it expands beyond its traditional core in etching and pushes deeper into China’s semiconductor manufacturing supply chain. The new equipment was announced at an industry conference in Wuxi, China, on September 2 and covers several key stages of semiconductor production. These include etching machines, deposition systems and equipment designed for the manufacture of silicon-carbide power chips. Four of the six newly announced products are deposition tools, highlighting AMEC’s effort to broaden its portfolio beyond the etching equipment for which it is best known. In case you are unaware, etching and deposition are two fundamental processes used repeatedly during semiconductor manufacturing. Deposition systems add extremely thin layers of material onto a silicon wafer. These layers can be conductors, insulators, or semiconductor materials and may be only a few nanometers thick. Etching equipment essentially performs the reverse operation. AMEC unveils new toys It selectively removes material from the wafer, allowing microscopic patterns produced during earlier manufacturing stages to be transferred into the layers beneath. Modern chips can require hundreds of individual processing steps involving repeated cycles of deposition, patterning and etching before their transistors and electrical connections are complete. AMEC has built much of its semiconductor equipment business around etching, making its expansion into deposition particularly significant. The six-machine launch reflects the company’s wider attempt to develop into a more comprehensive supplier of semiconductor manufacturing equipment rather than remaining focused on a single part of the fabrication process. The company also unveiled equipment associated with silicon-carbide semiconductor production. Silicon carbide (SiC for short) is a semiconductor material increasingly used in power electronics because it can operate at higher voltages and temperatures while suffering lower energy losses than conventional silicon devices in many applications. That makes SiC devices particularly attractive for electric vehicles, charging infrastructure, industrial power systems, and other applications where electrical efficiency and heat management are important. The six new machines are currently at different stages of commercialization, meaning not all of the equipment has necessarily entered large-scale use in semiconductor factories. Reducing dependence on imports Moving from the development of semiconductor equipment to widespread commercial deployment can require extensive testing and customer qualification. Chip manufacturers need equipment to deliver extremely high levels of precision, repeatability and reliability while operating continuously in production environments. AMEC’s expansion comes as China continues efforts to increase the proportion of domestically produced equipment used by its semiconductor industry. Chinese chip manufacturers remain dependent on overseas suppliers for several important categories of fabrication equipment, while export restrictions imposed by the United States and its allies have limited Chinese access to some of the most advanced technologies. The restrictions have increased pressure on Chinese companies to develop domestic alternatives across the semiconductor supply chain. For AMEC, the latest launch therefore represents more than the introduction of six individual machines. It shows the company attempting to move from a specialist supplier into a broader semiconductor equipment manufacturer capable of addressing a larger share of the machinery required inside Chinese chip fabs. Get the latest in engineering, tech, space & science - delivered daily to your inbox.Christopher graduated from Cardiff University in 2004 with a Masters Degree in Geology. Since then, he has worked exclusively within the Built Environment, Occupational Health and Safety and Environmental Consultancy industries. He is a qualified and accredited Energy Consultant, Green Deal Assessor and Practitioner member of IEMA. Chris’s main interests range from Science and Engineering, Military and Ancient History to Politics and Philosophy.