u/Fun-Back4800

Title: How one engineer single-handedly altered the TSMC, Samsung, and SMIC 7nm timeline

Most semiconductor news focuses on trade bans, state subsidies, and multi-billion-dollar fabs. But the trajectory of the modern chip race was heavily shaped by a single individual: Liang Mong-song (梁孟松).

Here is a quick breakdown of how one R&D leader impacted three global chip giants over two decades:

• TSMC Era: As one of the core R&D directors, Liang helped steer TSMC toward copper lithography over IBM's approach, laying the foundation for TSMC's manufacturing dominance. After being bypassed for a promotion in 2009, he left the company.
• The Samsung Leap: Moving to South Korea, Liang spearheaded Samsung's shift straight to 14nm FinFET, allowing Samsung to temporarily beat TSMC to market and capture major orders for Apple and Qualcomm. This resulted in a landmark trade-secrets lawsuit in Taiwan.
• SMIC & The 7nm DUV Workaround: Joining SMIC in 2017, Liang rapidly raised 14nm yield rates. When US export controls blocked access to ASML's EUV machinery, Liang leveraged multi-patterning techniques on existing Deep Ultraviolet (DUV) equipment to achieve commercial 7nm production.

I put together a deep-dive visual documentary covering his career, the FinFET physics transition, and how SMIC pushed past EUV limitations:

Watch here:https://youtu.be/jHE3OetNf2U

Would love to hear your thoughts on how viable DUV multi-patterning remains for SMIC moving forward, or if the yield costs make it unsustainable long-term.