China's self-developed ion implanter. /CFP
China's new independently developed ion implanters can now produce 28-nanometer chip wafers, a critical component in China's chipmaking industry, and provide a complete set of solutions for global chip manufacturing companies, the China Electronics Technology Group Corporation (CETC) announced Wednesday.
The country used to depend on imported technology for chip manufacturing. However, the CETC's successful development of ion implanter products, from medium current, high current and high energy implanters to implanters for special applications and third-generation semiconductors, has boosted China's efforts to achieve self-sufficiency.
Covering 28-nanometer manufacturing process to create semiconductors, the ion implanter puts different chemical elements, in the form of ions with programmed energy, into semiconductor materials to alter the materials' electrical performances.
Boasting a total of 413 core patents, the CETC has achieved a high-end technological breakthrough in ion implanter products and will accelerate research to achieve advanced industrialization, one CETC insider said.
The CETC, a state-owned company, currently owns over 500 enterprises and public institutions, including 47 national research institutes and 11 listed companies. It employs more than 200,000 people and has 35 key national laboratories, research and innovation centers.