Chinese startup claims photonic chip production without DUV lithography, says nanoimprint process cuts costs by 90%

Chinese startup Prinano claims successful mass production of photonic chips without conventional deep-ultraviolet (DUV) lithography, using its vacuum air-cushion nanoimprint lithography (NIL) technolo... Read original →

If Prinano’s vacuum-cushion nanoimprint lithography (NIL) truly enables DUV-free photonic chip mass production, it directly undermines ASML’s pricing power in mature-node tools and forces materials suppliers to fast-track dual-layer imprint resists and wafer-level pressure control systems. Compliance-wise, this route sidesteps U.S. lithography export controls, yet sub-90% yields would erase its claimed 90% cost advantage through rework and testing overhead. While TSMC and Samsung remain focused on optical lithography for logic chips, they may deploy patent walls or strategic investments to contain Chinese NIL adoption in high-growth sectors like LiDAR and datacom optics. Within 18 months, equity backing from SMIC or Huawei’s Hubble Capital would signal China’s formal pivot toward non-optical patterning. ASML, meanwhile, will likely leverage EUV service contracts to lock in customers and slow NIL’s industrial scaling.