ASML's EUV Lithography Remains China's 'Hardest Barrier' in Semiconductor Push, Says Dutch Expert

According to Marc Hijink, writing in Het Nieuwe Rijnmond, China's semiconductor industry faces its most significant technical barrier in extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography equipment, currently manufactured exclusively by Dutch equipment giant ASML, with no alternative technology available.

Hijink noted that ASML spent approximately 15 years developing EUV technology from laboratory principle to mass production, integrating complex light source and precision manufacturing capabilities. Japanese competitor Nikon, which invested over 100 billion yen in EUV research, failed to produce commercially viable equipment and withdrew from the market. Meanwhile, China has invested years in EUV research and secured patents, but remains without commercialized production equipment. Hijink emphasized that EUV development represents a technological 'no-man's-land' for Chinese enterprises under current export controls, concentrating resources that no single company can easily replicate.