From all-round academic master to chief scientist

Wan City, Warwick Company's Songshan Lake headquarters.

Ren Zhengfei, who was sitting in his office, was stunned for a moment when he heard the person asking him if he was not interested in remaking the Kirin 9000, and then he couldn't help but laugh.

This phone call was most likely coming to them to invest, and his number was a private number. He probably got his phone number from one of his friends and then called.

If it had been in the past, he would have definitely asked this person to call their rotating director in Warwick directly. He had no intention of taking care of this kind of thing.

But this time it was different. The other party actually said that he wanted to recreate the Kirin 9000, which made him somewhat interested.

Are all investors so aggressive now?

So he smiled and said: "Of course I'm interested, but I just don't know how you plan to help us recreate the Kirin 9000 chip?"

A voice came from the other end of the phone: "Haha, in order to prevent Mr. Ren from thinking I'm joking, I'd better introduce myself first. I'm Lin Xiao, the chief designer of the X-ray project."

Ren Zhengfei was stunned for a moment, Lin Xiao?

X-ray plan?

He immediately stood up from his seat and said, "Commander Lin? Is it really you?"

Lin Xiao smiled and said: "Of course it's me. If you need me to prove my identity, then I can ask our Chief Yang Kaiping to call you. Chief Yang is next to me now. Your phone number is also his. Told me."

Ren Zhengfei thought for a moment and then said: "No need, I believe it."

Not many people knew that he knew Yang Kaiping. Since the other party could tell this, there was basically no need to question the other party's identity.

So, if you say so...

Lin Xiao said that he would help them rebuild the Kirin 9000...

An excited expression suddenly appeared on his face, and he asked with a trembling voice: "So, the X-ray plan... was successful?!"

Lin Xiao smiled and said: "I can't tell you about this yet, but if you believe me, then in the next few days, you or you may ask the senior management of Warwick Company to come to Dingguang Research Institute, and then we will Have a meeting, and then we sign an agreement. By the way, remember to bring your Kirin 9000 EDA file."

After hearing Lin Xiao's answer, Ren Zhengfei also regained his composure.

I can't tell him the specific situation yet, so after meeting, he can just ask more.

Of course, since Lin Xiaodu called him specifically, the high probability also shows that even if the X-ray plan fails, it is not far away from success.

So after thinking for a moment, he said: "Okay, I understand."

Afterwards, they discussed the time to meet, and decided to meet at the Dingguang Research Institute three days later.

Before hanging up the phone, Lin Xiao asked with a smile: "Dr. Ren, you should also know that even if the X-ray project is successful, it will be difficult to create qualified chips without the corresponding technology. Just believe me." ?"

Ren Zhengfei smiled and said: "Of course I know, but if the X-ray plan can really succeed, what if I give you all the chip design drawings designed by our Hays and let you use it to study the production process? As long as you succeed in the end, we at Warwick will also benefit!"

"Dong Ren is indeed Dong Ren, so I look forward to our meeting in the future."

"Haha, I can't wait too. See you in three days."

"Um."

After hanging up the phone, Lin Xiao admired Ren Zhengfei's brilliance as an entrepreneur in his heart.

Obviously, if they can build a lithography machine, Warwick will probably benefit the most.

Therefore, for Ren Zhengfei, no matter how much money he invests, as long as he can succeed, he will be willing to do so.

However, after hanging up the phone, everyone around him gave him confused expressions.

"Chief Engineer Lin, you also said that we don't have the corresponding production technology at all. How can we produce Warwick's chips?"

They originally thought that when Lin Xiao said that he was making chips during the National Day, he just randomly found a relatively simple chip and then produced it. However, Lin Xiao actually planned to directly produce Warwick's Kirin 9000?

How is this possible? !

Kirin 9000 is a 5nm process chip. How could they do it?

However, Lin Xiao just smiled lightly and said, "Who said we don't have the corresponding production technology?"

The eyes of the people present stared again.

"Chief Engineer Lin... you don't want to say that you have even solved the production process problems, right?"

Yang Kaiping looked at Lin Xiao with an unbelievable expression.

Lin Xiao smiled mysteriously: "This matter will be kept secret for the time being."

Then he said: "Okay, now let's continue to try the complete workflow of our lithography machine."

Not only did everyone present feel itchy when they saw Lin Xiao, could it be that their Chief Engineer Lin had really solved the most critical production process?

But there is no way, you can't force Lin Xiao to say it, right?

So they could only complain in their hearts that General Master Lin didn't have martial ethics and just liked to titillate people. Then they honestly followed Lin Xiao's request and started the second inspection process of the X-ray lithography machine.

If self-inspection is the key to the qualification of a lithography machine, then simulating the complete workflow of the lithography machine is the key to ensuring that it can achieve the design purpose.

Especially in terms of production efficiency.

According to their calculations, the production efficiency of their X-ray lithography machine is 40% higher than that of ASML’s current most advanced EUV lithography machine!

So, starting simulation testing now, can we achieve this kind of production efficiency?

Everyone present was looking forward to it.

First, silicon wafers were put into the lithography machine. Soon the staff pushed a cart with ten silicon wafers to the silicon wafer entrance of the lithography machine, and then put the silicon wafers in one after another.

These silicon wafers are provided free of charge by the silicon industry and are specially used for testing.

One year later, the silicon wafer output of the Shanghai Silicon Industry has reached the top three in the world. It is expanding its production lines and plans to compete with the top two Japanese manufacturers. It is now considered to be wealthy. I have said before, They will provide as many silicon wafers as you need for the X-ray plan testing, free of charge.

For the silicon industry, these silicon wafers are of course nothing, and they are reciprocating the favor.

Back to the X-ray lithography machine. After the silicon wafer is placed into the silicon wafer entrance of the lithography machine, there is a robot inside to lift up the first silicon wafer. Of course, it is lifted up from below. The smooth surface is not harmed.

Then, the manipulator held the silicon wafer, turned it in a circle, and placed it on the first workbench. Then the workbench entered the predetermined position and began preprocessing the silicon wafer. scanning.

After scanning for about eight seconds, this workbench ended the scanning work and quickly exchanged positions with another workbench, replacing it and coming under the RDX pure silicon crystal lens.

Next, the most critical time comes, that is, whether their X-rays can be carved on this silicon wafer according to the predetermined pattern, and cover 650 wafers!

That’s equivalent to 650 chips!

A single chip is 80 square millimeters, and the area of ​​the 12-inch silicon wafer they used is approximately 70,659 square millimeters. Excluding the loss of leftover materials, the best solution can produce 650 chips!

Of course, the chip they plan to carve is very simple, or it can't even be called a chip, because they just carve a nanometer-level X pattern on it, and the light source they use has a wavelength of 3.56 nanometers, which is equivalent to saying , they were able to carve out an Coming soon, up to 133.3 billion Xs will be tightly packed on an 80 square millimeter chip!

This is mankind's most sophisticated machine!

X-rays invisible to the naked eye are excited, pass through the RDX pure silicon crystal lens, and shine on the silicon wafer.

The X-ray photoresist that China had already created has been smeared on it, and then it started to react with X-rays.

The workbench also slid with the silicon wafer, and gradually, invisible patterns were formed on it.

Just ten seconds later.

Lithography is complete.

The double workbench brought the silicon wafer to the exit, and was then picked up by the manipulator at the exit and sent out of the exit.

When everyone saw the silicon wafer being pushed out from the exit, they immediately surrounded it.

Lin Xiao also walked up and picked up the silicon wafer.

Originally, the silicon wafer was gray-black, but now it glowed with color when placed under the light!

This is precisely because after more than 130 billion regular nanoscale X patterns are etched on its surface, light shines on it and grating diffraction occurs!

Looking at this gorgeous color, everyone present could not help but show intoxicating and obsessed eyes.

How beautiful!

This is the chip they made!

If they follow Samsung's water-filled process standardization method, they can say that the manufacturing process of this chip is 3.56nm!

Looking at the silicon wafer, Lin Xiao even wanted to reach out and touch it, but he quickly held back and said, "Go and check the yield rate."

Someone immediately stepped forward to take over this charming silicon wafer and went to the testing equipment. Soon, he said: "Yield, 100%!"

Everyone present had happy smiles on their faces.

Of course, they are just happy. After all, their chip with only X engraved on it is not difficult at all and has a 100% yield rate. It is really normal.

However, this also proves that their photolithography machines can work to meet the established requirements.

In addition, after a while, all ten silicon wafers have been photolithographed, and the work efficiency has reached the set goal!

That's what really makes them all happy.

Now they can definitely say: Asmail's lithography machine is just like Tuyile. If you really want to see the world's top lithography machine, it has to be their X-ray plan!

Everyone present was excited and turned their attention to Lin Xiao again.

"Chief Master Lin, what should we do next?"

Lin Xiao smiled slightly, walked to a photolithography machine, then stretched out his hand and gently touched the X mark on it.

Then, he turned to look at them and said with a smile: "In three days, we will sign an agreement with Warwick. Then, I will explain to you what a surprise is!"

…

Three days later, in the conference room of the Dingguang Research Institute, Lin Xiao had a "secret conversation" with Ren Zhengfei and his team, who had come all the way from Warwick, and then got the design drawings of the Huawei Kirin 9000.

Then, he began to purchase "furniture" for their dust-free workshop: oxidation furnaces, deposition equipment, etching machines, packaging machines, ion implanters, etc.

These things are indispensable equipment in the wafer manufacturing process.

The photolithography machine is only the most sophisticated equipment among them, and it is also the only equipment that is stuck in China. As for other equipment, it can be purchased in China.

Of course, Lin Xiao had placed an order for these things long ago, so these things can basically be shipped within a week.

While waiting for these things to be shipped, Lin Xiao finally revealed the answer to the mystery and took out the 5nm process chip technology of the X-ray lithography machine that he had exchanged, which shocked everyone in the X-ray plan. It wasn't until a week later that all their equipment arrived that they recovered.

Then, everyone was filled with excitement and began to learn the process that Lin Xiao proposed. A process includes many links, mainly photolithography and etching.

A silicon wafer requires repeated photolithography and etching many times to create the final product. After repeated photolithography and etching, the final complex integrated circuits can be formed.

And this process is the time to test technology.

What makes TSMC better than Samsung is that the repetitive photolithography and etching process they designed is better than Samsung!

As for how powerful the craftsmanship proposed by Lin Xiao is, no one in the X-ray Project knows, but it is better than nothing.

So, time passed quietly again.

And perhaps by accident, or perhaps on purpose, news of the "secret conversation" between Lin Xiao and Warwick quietly leaked out.

Suddenly, the industry was in a state of excitement.

All kinds of strange news spread throughout the industry, and the core of each news is——

What did Lin Xiao, the chief designer of the X-ray project, talk about with Warwick, a company that is in urgent need of domestic lithography machines?