India’s semiconductor chip sizes, manufacturing machinery details, and where India stands
India is entering the semiconductor manufacturing space after decades of depending on imports. Different chip sizes, known as process nodes measured in nanometers, decide how modern and powerful a chip can be. India will not start with cutting-edge 3 nm or 5 nm chips.
India will focus on mature and high-demand nodes used in cars, power devices and electronics.Plants coming up in Gujarat, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha and Punjab plan to produce chips between 180 nm and 28 nm, which is a decade old technolgy. These nodes cover power management chips, display drivers, microcontrollers and sensors. They are widely used in electric vehicles, mobile devices and industrial machines. India also targets packaging and testing units, which add value after chips are made.
Table of India semiconductor sizes
Semiconductor Process Nodes
| Semiconductor size (nm) | Applications | Countries manufacturing | First introduced (year) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 180 nm | Power ICs, sensors, basic automotive chips | India, China, Taiwan, USA | 1999 |
| 130 nm | Display drivers, power devices, analog chips | Taiwan, China, USA | 2001 |
| 90 nm | Microcontrollers, automotive ECUs | Taiwan, China, Malaysia, India (SCL) | 2003 |
| 65 nm | IoT chips, RF chips, MCUs | Taiwan, China, USA, South Korea | 2006 |
| 45 nm | Mid-range processors, networking chips | Taiwan, USA | 2008 |
| 28 nm | GPUs, 5G parts, AI accelerators | Taiwan, South Korea, China | 2011 |
| 16 nm / 14 nm | High-performance CPUs and GPUs | Taiwan, South Korea, USA | 2014–2015 |
| 7 nm | Flagship processors, AI chips | Taiwan, South Korea | 2018 |
| 5 nm | Latest mobile processors | Taiwan, South Korea | 2020 |
| 3 nm | Advanced mobile and HPC chips | Taiwan | 2022 |
| 2 nm | Next-gen processors (not mass yet) | USA (R&D), Taiwan | 2024 announcement, 2025–2026 expected production |
The roadmap includes a gradual shift to finer technology like 22 nm and 14 nm. Private companies, global partners and strong government support are helping this move. It will take time, trained engineers and advanced material supply. Still, the start shows India wants a place in global electronics supply chains.
What kind of Semiconductor Machinery India will use
India will start with DUV machine, which are based on old technolgy.
Lithography methods in semiconductor manufacturing
| Lithography method | What it does / why it matters | When introduced / widely used |
|---|---|---|
| DUV (Deep Ultraviolet) lithography |
Uses ultraviolet light (wavelength about 193 nm or 248 nm) to print circuit
patterns on silicon wafers. Suitable for many nodes including older and
mid-range chips (about 40–100+ nm).
Source: Fluorocarbon |
Mature by late 1990s / early 2000s. Widely used for chips through 2000s and 2010s.
Source: Wikipedia |
| Immersion-DUV (a variant of DUV) |
Improved DUV. Adds a liquid (often water) between lens and wafer to boost
resolution and push features smaller than simple DUV can handle.
Source: EECS at Berkeley |
Used from mid-2000s onward as chips shrank below about 90 nm. |
| EUV (Extreme Ultraviolet) lithography |
Uses much shorter wavelength light (about 13.5 nm), enabling very fine circuit
patterns. Needed for very small node sizes like 7 nm, 5 nm, 3 nm, 2 nm.
Source: Wikipedia |
Research began in 1980s–1990s. First prototype tools around 2010. Commercial
high-volume manufacturing with EUV started around 2017–2018.
Source: ASML history |