Chinese startup Prinano claims nanoimprint tech can mass-produce optical chips without ASML gear

Prinano, a startup from Hangzhou in Zhejiang province, asserts that it has successfully validated the mass production of photonic chips on 8-inch silicon wafers through nanoimprint lithography (NIL), achieving this at just one-tenth the expense of conventional deep ultraviolet lithography (DUV). In collaboration with Shenzhen Litra Technology, the company announced on its WeChat account on Friday that it produced 8-inch optical chip wafers without utilizing DUV. Utilizing Prinano's PL-AS vacuum air-cushion NIL equipment along with tailored double-layer imprinting materials, this method could significantly lower chip manufacturing costs and facilitate wafer-level production for applications in optical communication, sensing, and lidar. This innovation may provide a new direction for China's chip industry, especially as ASML's DUV machines and all EUV systems face export restrictions. Nonetheless, discussions persist regarding NIL's actual benefits in terms of volume, yield, and non-photonic chips. Last August, Prinano also delivered what it claimed to be China's inaugural semiconductor NIL system to a local client, marking its initial foray into commercialization.