Shenzhen SiCarrier Technologies Co., Ltd. (SiCarrier; ) is a Chinese

semiconductor A semiconductor is a material with electrical conductivity between that of a conductor and an insulator. Its conductivity can be modified by adding impurities (" doping") to its crystal structure. When two regions with different doping level ...

equipment company headquartered in

Shenzhen Shenzhen is a prefecture-level city in the province of Guangdong, China. A Special economic zones of China, special economic zone, it is located on the east bank of the Pearl River (China), Pearl River estuary on the central coast of Guangdong ...

. The company is backed by the Shenzhen Municipal Government and works extensively with

Huawei Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. ("Huawei" sometimes stylized as "HUAWEI"; ; zh, c=华为, p= ) is a Chinese multinational corporationtechnology company in Longgang, Shenzhen, Longgang, Shenzhen, Guangdong. Its main product lines include teleco ...

Background

SiCarrier was established in 2021 in Shenzhen. Its major backer is the Shenzhen Major Industry Investment Group, a semiconductor investment fund established by the Shenzhen Municipal Government. SiCarrier has formed a close relationship with Huawei,where it mainly interfaces with its internal research arm, 2012 Lab which is named after the ''

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

'' film. The two have exchanged both staff and patents. SiCarrier has hired engineers to work directly on Huawei's projects. Huawei has transferred about a dozen patents to SiCarrier, including sound-proof technologies for electronic machines and data center designs. Apart from being a semiconductor equipment manufacture for Huawei, SiCarrier also is a nexus between Huawei and the rest of the supply chain. SiCarrier has subsidiaries that are involved in critical processes for semiconductors such as Cornerstone (

photoresist A photoresist (also known simply as a resist) is a light-sensitive material used in several processes, such as photolithography and photoengraving, to form a patterned coating on a surface. This process is crucial in the electronics industry. T ...

), Zetop (

photolithography Photolithography (also known as optical lithography) is a process used in the manufacturing of integrated circuits. It involves using light to transfer a pattern onto a substrate, typically a silicon wafer. The process begins with a photosensiti ...

) and Ueascend (chip equipment). In late 2023, SiCarrier was granted a patent involving self-aligned quadruple patterning (SAQP). The patent employed deep ultraviolet lithography chipmaking machines and SAQP technology to achieve certain technical thresholds for the

5 nm process In semiconductor manufacturing, the International Roadmap for Devices and Systems defines the "5 nm" process as the MOSFET technology node following the 7 nm process, "7 nm" node. In 2020, Samsung Electronics, Samsung and TSMC entered volume ...

. This could avoid the use of

extreme ultraviolet lithography Extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUVL, also known simply as EUV) is a technology used in the semiconductor industry for manufacturing integrated circuits (ICs). It is a type of photolithography that uses 13.5 nm extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light fro ...

machines while reducing manufacturing cost. The underlying technology was seen to used by Huawei to produce a 7nm chip for its Mate 60 Pro smartphone in 2024. In December 2024, SiCarrier was targeted in a new round of US

export control Export control is legislation that regulates the export of goods, software and technology. Some items could potentially be useful for purposes that are contrary to the interest of the exporting country. These items are considered to be ''controlled ...

s and added to the

United States Department of Commerce The United States Department of Commerce (DOC) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government. It is responsible for gathering data for business and governmental decision making, establishing industrial standards, catalyzing econ ...

Entity List The Entity List is a trade restriction list published by the United States Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), consisting of certain foreign persons, entities, or governments. It is published as Supplement 4 of Part ...

. In March 2025, SiCarrier made its debut at Semicon China, an annual industry event in

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

organized by

SEMI SEMI is an industry association comprising companies involved in the electronics design and manufacturing supply chain. They provide equipment, materials and services for the manufacture of semiconductors, photovoltaic panels, LED and flat pan ...

. At the event, it unveiled dozens of tools which related to etching and deposition process, optical metrology and inspection which attracted significant attention. Prior to the event, SiCarrier held a low profile. SiCarrier then emerged as a challenger to ASML and other foreign companies in the semiconductor equipment field.

References

{{Electronics industry in China Huawei 2021 establishments in China Companies based in Shenzhen Electronics companies established in 2021 Equipment semiconductor companies Semiconductor companies of China

Background

See also

References