[Photoresist Series Part 14] Can China Localize Photoresist Production? The Barrier of ArF and EUV

When discussing China's semiconductor localization policy, attention is often focused solely on lithography equipment and GPUs.

However, even with the equipment, semiconductors cannot be manufactured without the necessary materials.

A prime example of this is photoresist.

So, can China produce photoresist entirely on its own?

In conclusion,

is what I believe to be the reality as of 2026.

Do not lump 'Chinese photoresist' into a single category

The first important step is to categorize by generation.

For photoresist,

• g-line

• i-line

• KrF

• ArF dry

• ArF immersion

• EUV

exist.

The difficulty levels are not the same.

Being able to mass-produce g/i-line for mature processes and being able to stably supply ArF immersion or EUV for cutting-edge logic are completely different technologies.

When looking at China's localization efforts,

it is necessary to look at "which wavelength and which process has been certified for mass production," rather than "whether they can make photoresist."

is what needs to be examined.

g-line/i-line—the area where localization is easiest to advance

g-line and i-line are mature lithography technologies that have been used for many years.

They are still used in a very wide range of applications today, including power semiconductors, MEMS, analog, displays, and packaging.

Chinese companies have built up their product lineups in this area relatively quickly.

According to disclosure materials from Tongcheng New Materials in 2025, the company's semiconductor products cover g-line, i-line, KrF, and even ArF.

Therefore,

"China cannot produce photoresist at all"

is now a clearly incorrect statement.

KrF—The Practical Field for Localization

The 248nm KrF is widely used from mature nodes to some memory processes.

KrF is important for Chinese companies.

The reason is that while it is not as technically difficult as cutting-edge EUV, the usage volume in semiconductor factories and the market value are significant.

However, even here, there is a difference between "sample development" and "mass production certification."

Material manufacturers are evaluated over a long period for their

• sensitivity

• resolution

• CD uniformity

• defects

• lot-to-lot stability

• storage stability

.

To increase the localization rate, it is necessary to increase not the number of products, but the number of products actually adopted for customers' mass production layers.

ArF—The barrier where Chinese companies are focusing their efforts the most

193nm ArF is extremely important for advanced semiconductors.

As of the end of 2024, China's Nata Opto-Electronic Material has disclosed that three types of ArF photoresists have passed certification by downstream customers and have begun sales.

This is a major step forward.

Furthermore, the company explains that it is advancing the localization of everything from raw materials to the resist itself, including functional monomers, resins, and photosensitizers.

In other words, Chinese companies are moving from

the stage of localizing only the finished resist solution to the stage of localizing everything including the raw materials

.

However, there are levels of difficulty even within ArF.

The required standards differ between ArF dry and ArF immersion.

Furthermore, even with the same immersion process, performance requirements change depending on which node and which layer it is used for.

It is dangerous to judge readiness for advanced mass production based solely on the phrase "ArF certified."

Why is advanced ArF so difficult?

For advanced ArF resists, it is not enough to simply react at 193nm.

What is required is:

• high resolution

• high sensitivity

• low LER/LWR

• low defects

• high etching resistance

• compatibility with immersion water

• extremely low metal impurities

• extremely low particles

and

And the biggest hurdle is reproducibility.

Even if a clean pattern is produced once in a laboratory, that alone does not make it a mass-production material.

It must yield the same results even after producing hundreds or thousands of lots.

This is a capability that cannot be acquired simply by copying a recipe.

EUV—A Different Dimension of Difficulty

When it comes to 13.5nm EUV, the situation becomes even more severe.

In EUV, the number of photons is low, and stochastic defects caused by statistical variations in secondary electrons and acid generation become a problem.

Resists require:

• high EUV absorption

• high sensitivity

• low LER

• low defects

• etching performance in thin films

are required simultaneously.

At the current cutting edge, not only conventional chemically amplified resists but also metal oxide resists (MOR) are strong candidates.

However, MOR requires a new technological foundation ranging from metal clusters and precursors to high-purity filtration and supply equipment.

The localization of EUV resists is no longer just a "polymer chemistry problem."

Another barrier for China — Exposure and evaluation environments

Resist development requires actual exposure equipment.

Especially with EUV, performance cannot be fully evaluated just by creating the material.

A development environment that includes state-of-the-art scanners, metrology tools, defect inspection, and etching equipment is necessary.

This is a very significant barrier to entry.

This is because material development cannot be separated from equipment development.

Even so, China's localization efforts will continue.

After reading this far,

"So, is it impossible for China?"

you might think.

It is not that simple.

China has a massive domestic semiconductor market.

The presence of domestic fabs allows material companies to repeatedly conduct joint evaluations with customers.

Furthermore, policy support, R&D investment, corporate acquisitions, and talent acquisition are continuing.

The 2025 annual report of Beijing PkU Sci. & Tech. shows that they are expanding their product matrix to include ArF, KrF, i-line, g-line, and peripheral materials.

Nata Opto-electronic is also advancing customer certification and sales of its ArF products.

This progress cannot be ignored.

"Complete self-sufficiency" and "practical localization" are different.

When considering China's goals, there is no need to look only at 100% self-sufficiency.

For example,

Being able to procure 70% domestically.

Being able to certify multiple domestic manufacturers.

Being able to maintain mature nodes even if imports are halted.

Even this alone has significant implications for the supply chain.

Therefore, China's realistic strategy is,

It is highly likely that it will take shape.

Will Japanese companies lose to Chinese competitors?

This is not a binary choice either.

Even if Chinese companies grow, it does not mean that Japanese companies will disappear immediately.

Japanese companies have:

• decades of mass production experience

• raw material purification

• high-purity processing

• customer certification

• global supply

• joint development of EUV and High-NA

.

On the other hand, Chinese companies have:

• huge domestic demand

• policy support

• geographical proximity to customers

• strong incentives for localization

.

Moving forward, rather than a simple win-or-loss scenario of "Japan vs. China,"

market share will likely be divided by product generation

.

What is likely to happen around 2030

In the author's prediction,

g-line/i-line

The share of Chinese manufacturers will continue to rise.

KrF

Adoption in domestic fabs is expanding, and competition with Japanese and overseas players is intensifying.

ArF

Multiple Chinese companies are expanding mass production certification. However, Japanese companies are likely to maintain their advantage in cutting-edge immersion lithography.

EUV

R&D and prototyping are progressing, but the lithography equipment, material ecosystem, and mass production certification remain the biggest barriers.

I anticipate a phased composition like this.

This is not a definitive conclusion, but a scenario based on publicly available information as of 2026.

Summary

China is already moving forward with the localization of photoresist.

However,

there is a difference between "being able to make photoresist" and "being able to achieve stable mass production at the world's most advanced fabs."

The real competition is a comprehensive battle that includes

• raw materials

• molecular design

• high purification

• defect control

• customer qualification

• co-optimization with equipment

.

And for High-NA EUV, which we will cover next time, the required standards will rise even further.

Reference Materials

• Nata Opto-electronic 2024 Annual Report: ArF Photoresist Certification and Sales Status

• Beijing Kehua 2025 Annual Report: Semiconductor Photoresist Product Lineup

• imec: High-NA EUV patterning ecosystem

Hashtags

#Semiconductor #Photoresist #ChinaSemiconductor #ArF #EUV #Localization #SemiconductorMaterials #SupplyChain