More than 100 billion rubles will be allocated for the development of equipment for semiconductors
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The Russian authorities intend to create mechanical engineering for microelectronics in the country virtually from scratch by 2027, developing equipment for all cycles of semiconductor production. The cost of the project is estimated at more than 100 billion rubles. Compared to the investments of global industry players, the figures look modest: ASML spent €3.25 billion on R&D last year alone. But the problem, experts warn, is not only about money: in Russia there are literally only a few specialists capable of engaging in such developments.
In the period 2023–2025, more than 100 billion rubles will be allocated to carry out experimental design work (R&D) to develop equipment for the production of micro-, microwave, power and optoelectronics, as well as specialized materials, the Ministry of Industry and Trade told Kommersant.
Financing, the ministry clarified, will be organized by subsidizing work on existing state support mechanisms, as well as work on public procurement under 44-FZ within the framework of the state program “Scientific and Technological Development of the Russian Federation.” The Ministry of Industry and Trade did not specify the ratio of budgetary and extrabudgetary funding.
In general, in 2024 alone, 210 billion rubles will be allocated to support the microelectronics industry. “In 2020, budget investments did not exceed 10 billion rubles. for the year, this year they have already amounted to 147 billion rubles, and next year they will exceed 210 billion,” Deputy Prime Minister and Head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov said on October 10 (quoted by Interfax).
Today, the global market for the production of advanced equipment for the production of microelectronics is virtually monopolized by the Dutch ASML: Fitch in April 2023 estimated its share of the lithograph market by revenue at 90%; Moody’s in August 2023 – “more than 80%.” The rest of the market is shared by Japanese Nikon and Canon. According to ASML’s reporting for 2022, the company invested €3.25 billion in R&D at the end of last year (RUB 343.48 billion at the Central Bank exchange rate as of October 11).
Judging by the speech of the General Director of the International Scientific and Technological Center MIET (ISTC MIET, was established in 2021 as a competence center for electronic engineering) Oleg Nefedov at the Microelectronics 2023 forum within the framework of a specialized plenary session, based on the results of the implementation of all R&D, the authorities intend to receive by 2027 year, an almost complete range of equipment for the production of microelectronics at three key stages.
We are talking about the release of silicon wafers, the planar cycle and the silicon cutting procedure. In addition, it is planned to subsidize the development of computer-aided design (CAD) systems.
These are, for example, photolithographs, ion implantation installations, plasma-chemical etching clusters, installations for growing silicon, etc. The authorities intend to receive the first Russian photolithographic installation with a standard of 350 nm in 2024 – its development is currently being developed by the ZNTC, according to the presentation of the ISTC MIET, which Kommersant got acquainted with.
It also follows from the materials that at a number of stages of production at Russian factories, equipment from China and Belarus will be used. To implement the plans, the Ministry of Industry and Trade plans to launch 54 specialized R&D projects next year alone.
However, the project is already facing a number of problems, Oleg Nefedov emphasized during the profile session.
According to him, the problem is that only enterprises belonging to small and medium-sized businesses have the competence to implement R&D. Because of this, they cannot fulfill the conditions of subsidies for 50% co-financing of work.
Companies, according to Nefedov, have problems with obtaining budget funds for development and under 44-FZ, which requires the contractor to have experience in performing the necessary R&D: “The organization does not have the competence to perform such work, most of them cannot fulfill this standard.” .
Problems exist not only on a bureaucratic, but also on a practical level. Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Deputy Head of the Department of Micro- and Nanoelectronics at MIPT Evgeniy Gornev emphasizes that an attempt to rapidly develop a wide range of equipment for the production of microelectronics is already encountering a number of difficulties. The fact is, says Mr. Gornev, that even large enterprises that have competence in developments in the field of mechanical engineering since Soviet times are wary of undertaking such R&D projects.
“Enterprises do not have enough employees capable of calculating the technological process of such installations, nor scientists with sufficient knowledge in the field, for example, of practical physics,” explains Mr. Gornev. He said that “not so long ago” he helped employees of the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the management of one of the enterprises find specialized specialists: “There were literally four or five of them in Russia. Everyone is either under 80 or over 80 years old.”
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