Chinese chip-tool developers continue to make technical progress, with the latest breakthrough in wafer polishing – a critical manufacturing step that flattens and smooths silicon discs – even as the industry remains heavily dependent on foreign suppliers for more complex manufacturing procedures. Hwatsing Technology , China’s leading producer of chemical mechanical polishing equipment, announced a new metrology system for six-inch wafers on Thursday. Turning a raw wafer into a finished chip requires multiple steps, including coating the surface with photoresist, etching intricate layers and wiring microscopic transistors. According to Hwatsing, its new measurement tool can be integrated directly into the polishing workflow – marking the country’s first six-inch metrology system paired with chemical mechanical polishing equipment. The set-up would enable real-time measurements before and after polishing, feeding live data back to the control system, the company said.