Naura claims etch breakthrough enabling CXMT 3D DRAM without EUV

September 4, 2026 at 10:21 PM1 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

China's Naura Technology Group claims a two-step etch process for 3D DRAM manufacturing, potentially enabling CXMT to bypass EUV sanctions. The firm reports uniform etching across 64 layer pairs of silicon and silicon-germanium. The claim, published in an IEEE journal, has not been independently verified.

Key Facts

Naura Technology Group claims a two-step etch process for 3D DRAM manufacturing.
The process reportedly achieves uniform etching across 64 layer pairs of silicon and silicon-germanium.
Western sanctions restrict sales of advanced EUV lithography machines to China.
Huawei earlier announced Tau Scaling technology with LogicFolding architecture for vertical chip stacking.

The Etch Process Claim

Naura Technology Group, a Chinese semiconductor equipment maker, claims a two-step etch process for 3D DRAM chips. The process targets uniform etching across 64 alternating layers of silicon and silicon-germanium. Silicon-germanium layers are removed to create space for wordlines, bit lines, and gates in the channel floor. Naura claims the method overcomes traditional limitations such as chemical damage to adjacent silicon layers and by-product buildup at the stack bottom.

Sanctions and Vertical Fabrication

Western sanctions restrict sales of advanced EUV lithography machines to China. Chinese chip designers are increasingly focusing on vertical semiconductor fabrication to bypass EUV constraints. Huawei earlier announced Tau Scaling technology with LogicFolding architecture that folds logic circuits vertically. Huawei's approach aims to achieve performance equivalent to 1.4-nanometer chips by 2031 without EUV.