In May 2002, Belgian research institute imec began the procedure to seek an export license from Belgian authorities for certain planned cooperation with China’s Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC). The move followed a letter of intent, but the contemporaneous report did not establish that the license was granted or that the proposed alliance was completed.
What imec announced in 2002
EE Times reported on May 31, 2002, that imec had taken steps to prepare for a previously announced technology alliance with SMIC. Discussions between the organizations had begun in mid-April, and they signed a letter of intent. In May, imec initiated the procedure to apply to Belgian authorities for an export license.
The planned work concerned advanced chip-making technology. The report said certain cooperation with SMIC on advanced semiconductor process technology would depend on Belgian government approval. It described the start of a licensing procedure, not an approved license or a finalized cooperation agreement. EE Times’ May 31, 2002 report is the contemporaneous account.
Why an export license was part of the proposal
The license was a condition imec attached to certain advanced process-technology cooperation. Gilbert Declerck, then imec president and CEO, said: “For these reasons, certain cooperation with SMIC on advanced semiconductor process technology subject to governmental approval will be conditional on the Belgian authorities’ grant of an export license,” Declerck.
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Declerck also addressed allegations about compliance with international rules: “Contrary to recent allegations in the international press, IMEC has always respected international regulations, and will continue to do so,” said Gilbert Declerck, president and CEO of IMEC. These are statements attributed to him in the 2002 report, not an independent finding about the licensing outcome.
What the report said about chip technology at the time
The article described the technology landscape as it stood in 2002. It said the most advanced technologies it described as approved by the U.S. government and other entities in China were tools and other technologies for making 0.25-micron IC designs and above. It also reported that SMIC and other Chinese chip makers were pushing to develop 0.18-micron designs by the end of 2002 or sooner. Those figures are historical context from the article, not current process-node information.
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- NON-FUNCTIONAL DISPLAY SPECIMEN: This silicon wafer sample is designed for education, display, and collection purposes only. It is not an operating electronic component and does not provide electrical functions.
- EDUCATIONAL SEMICONDUCTOR DEMONSTRATION: Suitable for classrooms, laboratories, STEM programs, engineering teaching, science exhibitions, and technology presentations.
- VERSATILE DISPLAY APPLICATIONS: Ideal for semiconductor-themed displays, photography props, technology art, collections, and modern decorative projects.
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What is—and is not—known about the outcome
The May 2002 report establishes that the organizations signed a letter of intent and that imec started an export-license application procedure. It does not establish that Belgian authorities granted the license, or that the proposed arrangement was completed. The distinction matters: an application step is not proof of regulatory approval, and a letter of intent is not proof that the contemplated work went ahead.
Later context does not resolve that question. In written testimony to the U.S. House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology dated April 8, 2025, Gregory C. Allen discussed industry-source accounts that SMIC might work with European research labs such as imec on EUV-based manufacturing in early 2020. That is attributed context about possible later activity, not confirmation by imec or SMIC that the 2002 proposal was completed or continued. Allen’s written testimony provides that later account.
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- NON-FUNCTIONAL DISPLAY SPECIMEN: This silicon wafer sample is designed for education, display, and collection purposes only. It is not an operating electronic component and does not provide electrical functions.
- EDUCATIONAL SEMICONDUCTOR DEMONSTRATION: Suitable for classrooms, laboratories, STEM programs, engineering teaching, science exhibitions, and technology presentations.
- VERSATILE DISPLAY APPLICATIONS: Ideal for semiconductor-themed displays, photography props, technology art, collections, and modern decorative projects.
- MULTIPLE SIZE OPTIONS: Available in 2 inch, 5 inch, 6 inch, 8 inch, and 12 inch wafer sizes. Each wafer is carefully cleaned and individually packaged to help maintain surface appearance.
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