Russian firm completes country's first 130nm-capable chipmaking tool, trails modern equipment by 25 years

What happened

ZNTC completes development of Russia's first 130nm-capable lithography (the step that prints circuit patterns onto a chip) stepper, which could be used to produce chips sometimes late this decade, or rather early next. Russia-based Zelenograd Nanotechnology Center (ZNTC) has completed the third R&D stage of the company's first lithography tool capable of processing 200-mm wafers using a 130nm process (a label for how small and dense a chip’s circuitry is) technology, reports CNews .

The tool is currently being tested internally and is years away from being used at a real fab to produce chips in mass quantities. "It demonstrates that Russia has its own engineering expertise required to develop such equipment and paves the way for developing a range of systems targeting smaller process nodes (90nm and 65nm)."

Blogger Dmitrii Kuznetsov suggests that the device is the "first Russian 130nm-capable lithograph" that consists of components made in Russia. This may not be the case, though.

Key facts

• The tool is currently being — tested: internally and is years away from being used at a real fab to produce chips in mass quantities