Rebirth: Dominate The World, Starting From The School Network

Photolithography is the most important processing technology for integrated circuits.

Its function is like that of a lathe in a metalworking workshop.

In the entire chip manufacturing process, the implementation of almost every process is inseparable from photolithography technology.

Photolithography is also the most critical technology for manufacturing chips, accounting for more than 35% of chip manufacturing costs.

In today's technological and social development, the growth of lithography technology is directly related to the operation of large computers and other high-tech fields.

Gordon Moore, co-founder of Intel, proposed an industry norm called Moore's Law:

The number of components that can be accommodated on an integrated circuit doubles every 18 to 24 months (and the corresponding chip manufacturing process continues to shrink).

And every process advancement will also bring about a leap in chip performance.

This is a requirement for chip design.

But at the same time, it is also required that the lithography machine must be one step ahead of the design process and deliver equipment with corresponding specifications.

ASML launches 193nm ArF immersion lithography machine, which can push the process process up to 22hm level!

When the God of Destiny placed the opportunity of immersion lithography in front of players such as ASML and Nikang.

Only Asmai bravely reached out.

As for Ni Kang and others, it is dry micro-photography in Chengye and dry micro-photography in defeat.

In this round of competition in the global lithography machine market, ASML chose the correct technical route and thus won the opportunity to catch up from behind.

Lu Yi looked at Zhang Rujin, then at Jiang Shangzhou, and said, "Professor Zhang, Professor Jiang, I have a proposal now."

“In addition to chip design, Blue Star Electronics also has some ideas of its own in technical fields such as lithography machines.

"You also know that for chip R&D and production, it is not enough to rely solely on a certain company."

"I hope Blue Star Electronics can establish a joint venture with Loongson International and other powerful semiconductor manufacturers."

"The company will focus on the production of photolithography equipment and chip production.

If you want to avoid being stuck by foreign countries in terms of chips, it will definitely not work if you go it alone.

Earlier.

Bluestar Electronics and Huachang jointly established Pangu Semiconductor Company.

The company's focus lies in chip design architecture.

And over the past two years.

Pangu Semiconductor has achieved very good results in the design architecture of chips.

Hundreds of core patents have been produced.

Now.

Lu Yi proposed to establish a joint venture with Loongson International and other powerful domestic semiconductor companies.

It focuses on the equipment for producing chips and the production of chips.

To walk you need to use two legs to walk steadily.

Just being able to design chips can only be said to be walking on one foot, and it is easy to be targeted.

The most obvious example is the flower factory in the previous life.

In addition to the design architecture of the chip, the lithography equipment used to produce the chip is also very important.

otherwise.

It can be designed, but it cannot be produced, and it is useless.

Now.

Lu Yi wants to solve the problem of walking on the other leg.

It's just that the problem of this leg is much more difficult to solve than chip design.

There are too many parts in the photolithography equipment, and the medical system structure is complex.

It is difficult to break through the technical blockade.

Especially in the light source area, it is even more of a problem.

Why can’t Longguo develop high-end photolithography machines?

One of the difficulties is conquering the light source.

The light source used by EUV is the 13.5nm extreme ultraviolet light source, and there is no semicolon except ASML.

but.

In the previous life, in February 2021, the country made a breakthrough in this area.

Tang Chuanxiang's research group from the Department of Engineering Physics of Shuimu University and a collaborative team published a research paper "Experimental Demonstration of Steady-State Micro-bunching Principle" in "Nature", reporting the first "steady-state micro-bunching" of a new type of particle accelerator light source. Proof-of-principle experiments.

Based on this principle, high-power, high-repetition frequency, narrow-bandwidth coherent radiation can be obtained, and the wavelength can cover the terahertz to extreme ultraviolet bands, which is expected to provide broad new opportunities for photon scientific research.

The related extreme ultraviolet light source is expected to solve the core "stuck neck" problem in independently developed lithography machines.

Lu Yi in his previous life also paid special attention to the specific technical details.

When Blue Star Electronics was first established, Lu Yi made great efforts to establish an optical laboratory and recruited many relevant talents to conduct research in this area.

Several years have passed now.

Research on "steady-state micro-bunching" has achieved good results.

This will be a dawn for domestic lithography machines to break the foreign technology blockade.

Relying on the "steady-state micro-bunching" technology and the joint efforts of Blue Star Electronics, SMIC and Shanghai Microelectronics, there is still a glimmer of hope to catch up, not to mention allowing domestic lithography machines to overtake in corners.

Lu Yi's suggestion made Zhang Rujin think for a few seconds.

Although Loongson International has been established for 8 years.

In the first four years, Loongson International was developing rapidly and its expansion was invincible.

In 2003, Loongson International's production capacity reached 60,000 pieces per month.

Cumulative sales revenue reached 3 billion yuan.

Most of the orders come from overseas such as IBM, Toshiba, Gaotong and Broadcom.

when it develops the fastest.

Zhang Rujin even said privately: At that time, the gap between Loongson International and ICMC was only one or two years, and it only took him 9 months to catch up with the big brother in Hsinchu, and he expected that the 90nm process would surpass ICMC.

Due to Zhang Rujin's radical strategy, Loongson International expanded vigorously, built factories everywhere, and focused its business on overseas markets. This also caused suppression by the authorities in North America, Taiwan, and Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd.

There are not only political reasons for this, but also commercial reasons.

In August 2003, Loongson 947 International was preparing to go public.

Semiconductor Manufacturing Company has successively filed lawsuits against Loongson International in multiple regional courts in North America.

It believes that Loongson International has infringed upon Semiconductor Manufacturing Company's patent rights, stolen trade secrets, unfairly competed and interfered with operations, requiring Loongson International to pay 1 billion yuan in compensation.

In 2005, Loongson International and Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd. reached a settlement.

Loongson International paid approximately 175 million yuan in compensation.

The result comes just a year and a half after the settlement was reached.

That is 2007.

Semiconductor Manufacturing Company sued Loongson International again.

It said that Loongson International violated a settlement agreement reached in 2005 and secretly transferred technology to two factories, Jiangcheng Xinxin and Tianfu Chengxin.

This series of suppression disputes has caused Loongson International's current development speed to become very slow, with serious brain drain, and the capital that was originally fully supported has also withdrawn its investment.

The gap that was finally narrowed was widened again.

In the 8 years since its establishment, Loongson International has never made a profit, expanded tremendously, and lost money every year.

current.

Many international private equity investment institutions hope to acquire the equity of Loongson International.

But for that.

Zhang Rujin was very skeptical.

International capital is profit-seeking.

They don't care whether Dragon Country has its own semiconductor industry.

Now.

Lu Yi offered to cooperate, which made Zhang Rujin's heart beat. .