Chapter 175: The snipe and the clam quarrel, and the fisherman wins
The man who likes to play the organ, when he saw the media’s publicity, he also picked up the phone with a smile, opened the register skillfully and said: thank me Be wise and mighty.
In the comments, everyone was shaking their heads and dipping their heads in all sorts of brainless ways, cheering.
Because of the changes in the current situation, all non-foreign-owned high-end chip foundries in Daxia have begun to limit production capacity, adjust production orders, and negotiate product shipment dates with partner companies in an attempt to survive the cold winter.
For the future development of the companies, mobile phone manufacturers and automobile manufacturers that need to use these chips, some companies are beginning to prepare to transfer future orders to foundries not opened by Daxia Company.
For example, Korean Star, TSMC...
Of course, these two companies also have something special.
In the category of storage chips, Korean Star's storage chips have the best performance and quality in the industry, even after encountering a fire.
TSMC is unique in mobile phone chip foundry, crushing its peers.
Mobile phone manufacturers generally place large orders, but from the beginning of the project to chip tape-out and then installation, it often takes the second year to get the finished chip.
It can be said that this time some forces have insisted on going their own way, not only did they not get a favor, but they also made Han Xing and other large companies with chip foundry business enjoy a "snipe (yu) and clam fight, the fisherman benefits."
Of course, TSMC is the world's number one chip foundry, and TSMC's stock has soared as a result.
The same is true for Korean Star Group Semiconductor Company.
The newly appointed CEO is showing off, which is a sign of good luck and joy.
The former CEO, Mr. Li Jingan, disappeared without a trace after he was demoted.
He hadn't done much before Xiuyi took office. He had just sorted out the internal affairs when something great happened. Daxia Semiconductor Company was sanctioned and their lithography machines would become lithography-free machines in a few months.
Originally, there were some factional conflicts and interest disputes that needed to be dealt with in the internal management of our semiconductor company, but they were covered up under such excitement.
Seeing this, Du Zaixiu felt that people's hearts had been won and destiny was in control, so he sent a report to the head office.
Taking advantage of the fact that Daxia Semiconductor was about to fall into dire straits, it quickly reduced its production capacity and purchased high-end lithography machines in large quantities.
You must know that AS-ML1 only sells dozens of mid-to-high-end lithography machines every year, and Xiuli has issued a military order to take most of them! Let others only have a mouthful of soup!
Leader Li Jianxi smiled and nodded and approved the proposal. Regardless of whether it succeeds or not, this idea and energy need to be encouraged.
After Du Zaixiu, who was overjoyed, contacted AS-ML, he was told that it could not provide so many photolithography machines.
The reason is also very simple. The board of directors does not allow it...
Although containing Daxia is a strategic policy, it is impossible to feed just one dog.
I have a pack of dogs, how can I tolerate one dog being the only one?
So Neon Xiaoxiang said very vividly: Vada Siva, Neon is vigorously developing the semiconductor industry and is in urgent need of high-end lithography machines.
The next day, AS-ML executives said: The revival and advancement of the neon semiconductor industry is a major boost to the global semiconductor industry. Our company will cooperate with...
Beyond Daxia Companies in the semiconductor industry are singing and dancing, coming and going.
The semiconductor industry companies in Daxia sighed, as if it was the end of the world.
Gu Qing glanced at the news and sighed in boredom.
He was still waiting for both parties to calm down and not cause any more trouble.
And he also believes that the people on the other side are not of the same mind. After all, some people gain while others lose.
The financial industry is too developed, resulting in the irreversible hollowing out of entities.
Bosses feel more uncomfortable watching others make money than losing money themselves, but labor costs in the United States remain high...
So in the end, in the contradiction and conflict, the two companies are bound to reach a certain degree of reconciliation.
It also takes time to replace the light sources of lithography machines from other domestic manufacturers.
Although the problem of the light source has been solved, whether it is DUV or EUV, the power, energy controller, interface and system adaptation of the lithography machine will take time.
And this cannot be done openly, it can only be done secretly.
If someone accidentally leaks the news, I am afraid that another item will be added to the semiconductor ban list.
Enter the village quietly, and don’t let anyone shoot you.
Li You and Zhang Yantai were divided into two groups. One group stayed in the semiconductor department and was responsible for bringing in new people and manufacturing wafers in the factory. The other group started traveling around.
Starting from wafer manufacturing, it has entered the middle reaches of the semiconductor industry chain. Therefore, Daxia’s domestic companies with chip manufacturing business are not disgusted with people from Jiuzhou Technology Company, the current leading wafer manufacturing company.
The chip manufacturing business is basically OEM.
It means that the wafer factory will etch large-scale integrated circuits onto large silicon wafers through a photolithography machine based on the circuit drawings designed by Party A's chip to make specific chips.
For example, Xia designed the Kirin chip for HiSilicon Semiconductor, and then placed an order with TSMC for chip manufacturing.
These two links are the midstream links in the semiconductor industry chain, and they are also the two links with the highest added value in the semiconductor industry chain.
In the entire semiconductor industry chain, the most difficult and valuable aspects are chip design and chip manufacturing.
(So please don’t think that designing chips is easy)
In fact, Daxia has been catching up in the semiconductor field in recent years. Although 55% of the entire semiconductor industry chain requires American companies to provide relevant equipment, technology, and raw materials.
But finally a group of companies emerged.
For example, Charcote Sugon is the leading domestic high-performance computing company in Daxia; Zihui Xiaxin is a listed company in the semiconductor industry under Zihui Group and is currently the leading domestic chip design and system integration solution provider;
There are also companies that focus on memory chips, that is, hard disks and memory cards, such as Dajiang Storage, Hefei Xiaxin, Furui Jinxia and other very influential companies.
In August 2018, Dajiang Storage released the king3DNAND memory chip architecture. The interface speed is twice as fast as V-NAND (Korean Star), and the storage density is only 10~20% lower than competing 96-layer NAND chips.
There is internal news that Zihui Hongmao, a subsidiary of Zihui Group, has been able to carry out laboratory packaging and is expected to be able to carry out large-scale mass production of large-capacity enterprise-level 3D NAND chip packaging and testing in early 2019, which means that it is truly domestically produced. The Zihui brand (UNIC) solid state drive will meet ordinary consumers in 2019.
On this road destined to be full of thorns, some people are forging ahead, localizing related product technologies at extremely low profits, or even at a loss.
There are companies that have stepped up in terms of storage chips, and there are also warriors who are struggling with the core lithography machines.
After visiting several chip foundries, Li You and his party finally arrived at Pudong Microelectronics, the current leading company in the manufacturing of finished lithography machines in Daxia.
Pudong Microelectronics was founded in 2002 at the beginning of the century and has been engaged in research and development in the field of photolithography machine manufacturing for 16 years.
Since Daxia’s experience and technical reserves in this area are due to the chronology of the last century, and the existing available technology is almost zero, Pudong Microelectronics does not aim too high, but positions its products in the mid-to-low-end market.
There is also a reason for daring to do this. Since the United States has made more and more efforts to curb the development of Daxia in recent years, Pudong Microelectronics is not backed by ordinary capital investment.
The largest shareholder is now Xia Qi Pudong Electric.
And the chip process is from 90 nanometer technology to the next generation 45 nanometer, then the next generation is 28 nanometer, the next generation is 14 nanometer, and then 7 nanometer.
In fact, it is not "worthy of the name". xx nanometers reflect the comprehensive performance indicators of the process, not the specific accuracy
In the past, 600 million R&D was spent in poverty, but now with Xia Zi, sufficient fuel, and R&D progress is getting faster and faster quick.
In 2016, three step-scanning projection lithography machines of Pudong Microelectronics' S1X600 series achieved mass production, among which the S1A600/20 lithography machine has a resolution of 90nm.
People are forced out, and the semiconductor industry is the cornerstone of the modern Internet economy. Daxia imports more than 300 billion US dollars in chips every year.
So under this heavy pressure, Pudong Microelectronics has mastered more than 2,000 patents so far. Although it does not have a perfect supply chain system that can match AS1ML, there are also other Xia Zi backgrounds. Enterprises fully support.
Today, Pudong Microelectronics welcomed another good friend who came to help.
In order to achieve cooperation, Gu Qing also personally led the team here.
Unfortunately, Xia Wei and Yu Chengdong still have some friendship with a certain manager of Pudong Microelectronics.
So the manager led Gu Qing and his party through the security check and inspection before entering Pudong Microelectronics.
Perhaps the temperature of the central air conditioner is set a bit low. Entering the company, you can obviously feel a solemn and slightly cold atmosphere.
The employees passing by from time to time either frowned or were in a hurry. It was rare to see anyone smiling.
Even when they saw the senior executives leading Gu Qing and others, they just nodded.
"Although we now have Guozi as a shareholder, it cannot solve the technical problems, so the R&D team is still communicating with other technology suppliers to try to solve the light source problem."
The tone of this executive was a little bit low.
"Is there a solution?" Gu Qing asked.
“Alas, this kind of thing cannot be miraculous with great efforts. The excimer laser light source system made by Xia Ke Academy of Optoelectronics can only be said to be usable, but it does not help the latest research and development projects.”
“The latest research and development project?”
"It's not a secret. The next step for 90nm is 45nm.
The photolithography machines for manufacturing chips of this level are enough for chip manufacturing OEM for ordinary electrical appliances."
Gu Qingtan Angrily: "Those companies have patent ownership that can be called a moat. We should When we were first manufacturing wafers and doing research and development, we were working alone.”
“I heard that Mr. Gu wanted to come and talk about a cooperation project in light source equipment.”
“Of course, after years of research and development, our company has established a strong presence in light sources. There are also achievements in the equipment. Today I just want to see if I can help a group of friends. ”
"That's what you want. I'll take you to the laboratory to have a look."
This executive is not a nerd. Jiuzhou Technology Company has risen like a comet, but its technology is diverse and mature. With a little thought, he knows the background of the other party. deep.
Although the laboratory of Pudong Microelectronics is called a "room", its area is not that small.
Looking around, in a space of several hundred square meters, equipment of various sizes is arranged in an orderly manner, among which many R&D personnel are working hard with reports and folders in hand.
Zhao Xingxia, the head of the Pudong Microelectronics Headquarters Laboratory, is surrounded by more than a dozen young and old R&D personnel.
But none of them spoke at the moment, they were all focused on looking at the instrument in front of them.
Gu Qing led the team to a stop on the side.
Obviously the other party is at a critical moment in the experiment, and no noise should be made at this time.
About three minutes later.
As the values on the display fluctuated and returned to zero, Zhao Xingxia sighed.
"The light source is still not enough, other aspects have matured, alas!
Basic science, basic science, if no one can conquer our materials science, when will the light source be qualified?"
In An old man beside him patted Zhao Xingxia on the shoulder.
"Xiao Zhao, don't be discouraged. Comrades at Xia Ke Academy are also working hard. I heard that several old friends have issued a military order to strive to have qualified light sources within three years."
< br>“DUV or EUV?”
Although this question was not loud, it was clearly audible in the quiet laboratory.
Zhao Xingxia looked over with a sad expression.
I saw a strange young man standing in front of a group of people, with a young face but a calm demeanor.
“Where did the young man come from?” he asked the assistant beside him.
As the head of the laboratory, it is naturally impossible for him to take care of everything.
"Old Zhao, this is Mr. Gu of Jiuzhou Technology Company, and the R&D staff of their company's semiconductor R&D department."
At this time, the executive who introduced Gu Qing into the laboratory stood up and introduced.
"This is Zhao Xingxia, Professor Zhao, who is also the head of the laboratory and the chief engineer of the project."
The reputation of Jiuzhou Technology is not small now.
Zhao Xingxia came back to his senses, thought for a moment and said: "Isn't your company engaged in wafer manufacturing? Are you interested in chip OEM?"
Then he said: "Yes, it will cost less this way, and sales will definitely not be a problem."
Gu Qing smiled and shook his head. After shaking hands with Professor Zhao, he glanced at the display of the equipment they had just observed attentively.
“The DUV light source is an excimer laser, and there is a reason why the AS-ML1 EUV lithography machine uses laser to excite plasma to emit EUV photons.
The wavelength of the DUV lithography machine can reach 193 nm, while EUV light source The wavelength is 13.5 nanometers.
I believe Professor Zhao also knows that the difference between the two is very obvious. The shorter the wavelength, the higher the resolution that can be achieved by EUV lithography machines. High-precision chip production tasks
Therefore, although DUV can do 48NM, it is too difficult and must be replaced by EUV. "
Professor Zhao did not speak, but a young developer next to him said: "EUV light sources are all covered by foreign companies. How can we easily use EUV light sources. ”
“German Leica lenses, TRUMPF light sources, and patented technologies from Germany, the United States, Japan and South Korea are indeed covered.
But it’s not like we can’t replace it directly from the source. "Gu Qing said.
The young R&D staff snorted coldly: "It's so simple to say, but developing a light source from scratch would not be so easy without more than ten years of theoretical derivation and basic research and development. ”
PS: Thank you for your recommendation and monthly votes. The last day of August is coming to an end.
Good night.
(End of this chapter)