Taiwan Advances Nanoscale Metrology to Safeguard Semiconductor Leadership

Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) is strengthening the calibration and measurement of nanoscale semiconductor metrology. The initiative enables chipmakers to precisely control the critical dimensions (CD) and material purities. Current performance supports 2-nanometer and angstrom-level process nodes, alongside early-stage deployment of measurement systems for emerging quantum technologies.

At a press briefing, Yi-Ling Chen, Director-General of the Bureau of Standards, Metrology and Inspection (BSMI), stated that metrology underpins everything from daily transactions to advanced industrial manufacturing. BSMI is responsible for building and maintaining Taiwan’s highest national measurement standards across both civilian and high-tech applications.

As Taiwan’s semiconductor industry is moving towards a global leadership position, reliance on overseas measurement has become increasingly impractical for certain advanced processes.

The Executive Director of ITRI’s Measurement Center, Dr. Yu-Ping Lan, emphasized that national laboratories now play a critical role in supporting leading-edge manufacturing.

BSMI noted that the National Measurement Laboratory (NML) has developed advanced tools such as X-ray critical dimension measurement systems and SuperSizer in-line monitoring platforms, which have significantly improved process control for advanced nodes. Beyond semiconductors, precision measurement technologies are also being applied to renewable energy, including AI-enabled acoustic inspection systems that dramatically reduce wind turbine maintenance time and costs.

Looking ahead, BSMI aims to further align Taiwan’s measurement standards with international benchmarks, deepen investment in frontier metrology, and reinforce precision measurement as a cornerstone of industrial competitiveness.

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