NAURA Technology Group, a leading Chinese semiconductor equipment maker, has published an academic paper in an IEEE journal unveiling a critical process breakthrough for next-generation 3D DRAM memory chip manufacturing: a two-step cyclic etching technique. The technology specifically addresses the high-aspect-ratio selective etching challenges that arise when memory chips transition from two-dimensional planar designs to three-dimensional stacking, enabling critical fabrication steps to be completed without EUV (extreme ultraviolet) lithography equipment.<\/p>\n
The timing of the announcement is notable. Just around the paper’s publication, CXMT delivered an impressive market report card. According to Counterpoint Research’s global DRAM market analysis, total global DRAM revenue surged 385% year-over-year in the second quarter of 2026, with sequential growth of 57%. CXMT’s global revenue share climbed to 10% during the quarter, up 4 percentage points year-over-year and 2 percentage points quarter-over-quarter, ranking fourth and making it the fastest-growing DRAM supplier of the period.<\/p>\n
Among the leading players, South Korea’s Samsung Electronics held the top spot with a 38% share, followed by South Korea’s SK Hynix at 25% and Micron Technology at 24%. Notably, SK Hynix’s share dropped 4 percentage points from 29% in the previous quarter, while CXMT and Micron each gained 2 percentage points. Market analysts believe the share CXMT captured came largely at SK Hynix’s expense.<\/p>\n
CXMT’s growth trajectory has far exceeded expectations. In 2023, the company held less than 1% of the global DRAM market. That figure rose to 4% in the second quarter of 2025, reached 8% in the first quarter of 2026, and broke through the 10% threshold in the second quarter. Counterpoint Research, along with institutions such as UBS, had previously projected that CXMT would not reach a 10% shipment share until around 2028 \u2014 a milestone achieved two full years ahead of schedule.<\/p>\n
Industry observers typically regard a 13% to 15% share as a “tipping point.” Once a company crosses this threshold, economies of scale fully kick in and expansion can accelerate further. At the current growth pace, CXMT is not far from that inflection point.<\/p>\n
The Core Etching Breakthrough<\/p>\n
To appreciate the value of NAURA’s technology, one must first understand the manufacturing challenges of 3D DRAM. In traditional DRAM, transistors are integrated on a single plane. As process scaling approaches physical limits, further shrinking of line widths becomes increasingly difficult. The core concept of 3D DRAM is to shift from two-dimensional planar scaling to three-dimensional vertical stacking, increasing memory cell density by layering transistors.<\/p>\n
NAURA’s paper targets a 64-layer 3D DRAM structure with alternating silicon and silicon-germanium (SiGe) stacks. The fabrication process requires precise etching and removal of SiGe layers, creating voids in the remaining silicon layers where word lines, bit lines, and gate structures are built. However, lateral selective etching in high-aspect-ratio structures has long been an industry challenge \u2014 one must precisely remove a single layer from dozens of alternating material stacks without damaging adjacent layers.<\/p>\n
The two-step cyclic etching technique divides the process into iterative “etch” and “clean” phases. The first phase uses bias-free, electrically neutral fluorine radicals for targeted SiGe layer etching, demonstrating extremely high selectivity against silicon while forming a fine germanium fluoride protective film on the silicon surface. The second phase introduces reactive gases to clear byproduct deposits at the bottom, ensuring smooth vertical penetration of etching gases.<\/p>\n
According to data disclosed in the paper, the process achieves a SiGe-to-silicon etch selectivity ratio exceeding 500:1, meaning SiGe is etched more than 500 times faster than silicon. In 200-nanometer interlayer structures, single-pass silicon loss is controlled to within 1 nanometer. More critically, structural uniformity exceeding 95% was achieved across a 64-pair alternating layer stack.<\/p>\n
As CXMT’s largest Chinese-made equipment supplier, NAURA’s etching, thin-film deposition, thermal processing, and cleaning equipment have long been deployed in CXMT production lines, with the partnership dating back to 2019. Beyond the paper, the company holds production-validated equipment capabilities and a deep collaborative relationship forged over years of integration.<\/p>\n
CXMT’s Full-Spectrum Catch-Up<\/p>\n
CXMT’s rise is not confined to conventional DRAM. In mobile DRAM, the company was first to announce LPDDR6 mass production, ahead of formal mass-production declarations from Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix. Xiaomi’s latest flagship foldable phone has been confirmed to feature LPDDR6 chips manufactured by CXMT.<\/p>\n
In the high-bandwidth memory (HBM) arena, the catch-up pace is equally striking. According to U.S. tech outlet The Information, CXMT has begun small-volume production of its fifth-generation HBM product, HBM3E, and is conducting product testing with Chinese AI accelerator developers including Alibaba and Cambricon, with plans to enter large-scale mass production as early as 2027. The industry had originally expected CXMT to begin HBM3 mass production only this year, meaning actual progress is running one to two years ahead of schedule.<\/p>\n
Using Samsung Electronics’ April 2024 HBM3E mass-production start as a reference point, if CXMT achieves large-scale production in 2027, the gap in mass-production timing would narrow to roughly three years. Not long ago, industry assessments of the technology gap between China and South Korea in HBM generally stood at around five years.<\/p>\n
Financial data further corroborates the quality of CXMT’s growth. In the first half of 2026, the company posted revenue of 150.31 billion yuan (approximately $22.4 billion), up 874% year-over-year, with net profit of 77.605 billion yuan (approximately $11.6 billion), successfully swinging to profitability with a net margin of 51.6%. By comparison, Micron’s net margin over the same period was 63% \u2014 the gap is narrowing rapidly. Just a year ago, CXMT’s net margin was still negative.<\/p>\n
A Shifting Global Competitive Landscape<\/p>\n
CXMT’s rapid ascent is reshaping the competitive dynamics of the global DRAM market. In July, the company listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange, raising $8.6 billion for capacity expansion. Its shares soared 466% on the first day of trading, with market capitalization briefly reaching $487 billion. According to S&P Global Market Intelligence, CXMT’s current market value stands at approximately $582.5 billion.<\/p>\n
The Wall Street Journal noted that CXMT still trails Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron by “two to three generations” in DRAM technology. The publication projects CXMT will lift its global DRAM share to 15% by 2030. However, given that Micron raised its share from 22% to 25% in just one year, that forecast may prove conservative.<\/p>\n
CXMT has also filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Defense seeking removal from its blacklist of “Chinese military-linked companies.” In a statement, the company said: “CXMT is not a military enterprise and has no connection whatsoever with the Chinese military. Since being added to the list in January 2025, the company has continued to suffer reputational damage and commercial losses.”<\/p>\n
Apple is reportedly lobbying the U.S. government for permission to use CXMT memory chips in devices sold in the China market, aiming to reduce procurement costs. Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix currently supply more than 70% of Apple’s mobile DRAM demand combined. If CXMT successfully enters Apple’s supply chain, it would deal a direct blow to the revenues of the two South Korean memory giants.<\/p>\n
From laboratory to production line, the chasm in the semiconductor industry has never been small. NAURA’s paper data has not yet been independently verified, and public disclosures do not specify process node names, performance metrics, yields, or mass-production timelines. Whether CXMT can integrate this process into its production lines, and when 3D DRAM mass production might be achieved, remain open questions.<\/p>\n
But the signal is clear. 3D DRAM technology is expected to see a new wave of R&D breakthroughs by 2027, potentially emerging as a viable path to circumvent EUV restrictions. For China’s domestic memory industry, this represents a strategic opportunity to shift from two-dimensional catch-up to three-dimensional leapfrogging. For NAURA, it is a critical step in evolving from an equipment supplier to a process-solution provider. For the industry as a whole, it is a long race that could redraw the global DRAM competitive landscape.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NAURA Technology Group, a leading Chinese semiconductor equipment maker, has published an academic paper in an IEEE journal…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":144646,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[73405,11446,645,6697,699,3534,56484,276,241,275,3246],"class_list":["post-144645","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sk-hynix","tag-3d-dram","tag-counterpoint-research","tag-cxmt","tag-euv-lithography","tag-hbm","tag-micron-technology","tag-naura-technology-group","tag-samsung-electronics","tag-sk","tag-sk-hynix","tag-tsmc"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/144645","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=144645"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/144645\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/144646"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=144645"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=144645"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=144645"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}