Chinese Academy of Sciences Explores DUV Route to Achieve 3nm GAA Process, Bypassing EUV Restrictions
nashnova research
China's top research body is planning a DUV-based path to 3nm GAA transistors — aiming to reach the world's most advanced logic node without any EUV equipment, effectively routing around the core chokepoint of export controls.
What exactly is the Chinese Academy of Sciences attempting?
Institutes under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (中国科学院) are mapping a route to 3nm GAA transistor fabrication using DUV (deep-ultraviolet lithography) instead of EUV (extreme-ultraviolet lithography).
GAA — gate-all-around, a transistor design that wraps the gate around the channel on all sides — is the standard architecture at 3nm and below. Samsung and TSMC both use it in their latest nodes.
This means → the target is not a fallback to older, mature nodes. It is the current global frontier of logic chip manufacturing.
Why does this matter?
The core chokepoint of existing export controls is the EUV lithography tool. ASML is the sole supplier worldwide, and China cannot purchase one.
In plain terms = EUV is the only proven road to the most advanced chips; controls block that road. This DUV route is an attempt to build an entirely different road around the blockage.
If the DUV path proves viable, China could reach 3nm without any EUV equipment — this reflects the fundamental challenge facing any control regime: the restricted party keeps searching for alternatives.
How far along is this effort?
The report comes from a Digitimes exclusive, behind a paywall. Technical details, timelines, and mass-production plans have not been publicly disclosed.
This means → only the direction and intent are confirmed so far; feasibility remains unknown.
The critical validation point: whether the DUV route can approach EUV on yield and cost. These two factors determine whether it stays a lab result or becomes a real production-ready alternative.
市场有风险，内容仅供研究参考，不构成投资建议。