Chapter 395: Becoming the Enemy of the World
"The emergence of innovative products in the semiconductor industry"
"ASML takes the lead in developing EUV lithography machine"
"Chip process may be improved tenfold"
"Chip technology has reached physical limits"
While there are still hot topics such as "magic" and "alien creatures", ASML's EUV lithography machine has immediately become a global hot topic with the operation of a group of capital behind it.
Normally, the updates and iterations of a product are traceable, or there will be technical reserves.
For example, EUV lithography machines are obviously a newly opened track and have little to do with the previous DUV lithography machines. However, in the parallel world, they have to wait until the chips reach the 7nm bottleneck of the limit of DUV lithography machines before they are released.
But here, because of the pressure brought by Umbrella DUV lithography machines, the prospects of artificial intelligence and quantum computing + supercomputing models are here.
In order to compete for this cutting-edge profit again, for a better prospect.
When today's top chip process was still 14nm, ASML launched their EUV lithography machine.
And because of Umbrella’s impact on the lens field, there is also a sense of competition brought about by other technologies.
The EUV lithography machine that ASML brought out in advance this time is even better than the originally planned technical parameters!
Wafer fabs such as a certain Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd., Four Star, and Intel have all arrived and started assembly and debugging!
Obviously, ASML's EUV lithography machine was not just built. It was already supplied and they worked overtime to complete the assembly before officially announcing it.
The purpose is to get it right in one step, and to reduce the reaction time for competitors!
EUV lithography machines are much larger than DUVs, weighing 180 tons. Even transportation requires special vehicles, and assembly is quite troublesome.
If the staff of these cooperative wafer fabs had not been trained in advance, it would be quite normal for installation and debugging to take more than half a year from scratch.
But now, under the pressure from Umbrella, both ASML and major wafer fabs have shown their maximum potential, working overtime and all working together.
The hype fueled by all kinds of capital, coupled with the multiple new sanctions against Umbrella this time, also gave many people a sense of relief.
This time, I'm afraid the target is Umbrella!
“What a big deal!”
"I used to think that World Corporation had been very wronged, but the comparison with Umbrella is terrifying!"
"World Corporation was only affected incidentally. The main target is Umbrella. Their interests are really too great."
"Asmai is so insidious. He kept it secret and came out when the final word was almost finalized."
"..."
As the discussion fermented on the Internet, when the popularity reached its peak, ASML also held a live broadcast.
At the same time, there are many semiconductor engineers from Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd., Four Star, Intel, etc., as well as professionals from chip design factories, packaging factories, etc.
Standing outside a factory, everyone had smiles on their faces.
In front of the live broadcast camera, ASML’s engineer took the lead in introducing
"I'm afraid many people didn't expect that we would directly abandon the original mature DUV technology and develop EUV lithography machines from scratch."
As they talked, they walked around the factory.
“Perhaps from the beginning, no one was optimistic about EUV lithography machines, because although in theory it can achieve ten times the resolution of DUV lithography machines, it is too difficult, too difficult, and there are too many bottlenecks that need to be overcome. The demand for technology is extremely high and there are countless difficulties to overcome.”
As he spoke, he opened the bracelet, forming a three-dimensional holographic projection and briefly introduced
"Everyone knows that the essence of a lithography machine is exposure. For DUV lithography machines, we can also find corresponding lenses to allow deep ultraviolet rays to pass through. Especially the new lenses later produced by Umbrella technology have strengthened this point. Umbrella's own lithography machine took advantage of this to overtake us in a corner and surpassed our efficiency without using the infiltration method! ”
Asmai did not belittle Umbrella, he even boasted about it.
Because only by embodying Umbrella's power can we prove that they are stronger!
This is a powerful opponent, but we still lost, lost in front of us!
"However, this is not possible for EUV lithography machines. The 13.5nm wavelength extreme ultraviolet ionization ability we use is extremely strong. There is no lens suitable for allowing this high-energy beam to pass through with this precision, so the only option is to Reflection! ”
While talking, the holographic image was also changed, and the general principle was explained.
It is to continuously use the reflection of some lenses to complete the convergence of extreme ultraviolet rays.
A total of more than a dozen reflections are required to achieve the final exposure requirement!
"The precision requirements for reflective lenses can be said to be extremely high, and I would like to thank Carl Zeiss for its efforts in this regard."
After saying that, he made a please gesture to the Carl Zeiss engineer next to him.
Engineers from Carl Zeiss also stood up and said politely
"We also use Umbrella's technical coating, but of course, in terms of accuracy, we are still a little confident..."
Subsequently, representatives from ASML introduced their EUV light source.
"As mentioned before, extreme ultraviolet rays need more than a dozen reflections to achieve our effects, and due to the ionization consumption of extreme ultraviolet rays, about 30% of the energy will be lost in each reflection. In the end, only about 2% of the light we can effectively use , therefore, we need the light source to have sufficient and stable output power. In order to overcome this problem, Cymer spent a full ten years to overcome this problem, but Cymer was acquired by our company three years ago..."
As he spoke, he continued to display the holographic screen, which even revealed the principle, which was to use high-energy lasers to continuously bombard liquid metal droplets. The difficulty and accuracy made people's heads tingle just by looking at the data he provided.
It's just that it's not difficult to make, but to maintain stability and durability, as well as a light source with sufficient output power, it is necessary to ensure that each impact is extremely precise and the frequency must be high enough.
Continuously bombarding the falling metal droplets, a slight mistake in every aspect is completely different.
Later, with the continuous introduction, the audience also understood how this machine is put together into a monster.
Beautiful light source technology, neon light source conversion equipment, valves from Gaul, lenses from Prussia, and bearings from Sweden all need to be extremely precise and indispensable. Even the installation must be extremely precise and avoid slight vibrations in the surrounding environment. .
Even the vehicles used to transport lithography machines are the patented technology of a certain Semiconductor Manufacturing Company!
By this point in the live broadcast, many viewers could see clearly what the problem was.
EUV lithography machines are by no means a matter of one or two technologies, but rather bring together all the world's top technologies.
And these top giants gathered together to suppress Umbrella.
Or just rely on technical differences to complete the crushing in one go!
This in itself is also a way to show off your muscles!
Today, the mainstream chip technology has only reached 14nm.
However, the theoretical limit of the EUV lithography machine is to reach the limit of silicon-based chips, which can reach 1nm!
Even lower if the tunneling problem can be solved!
Yes, this is not in line with business rules and profits.
There is no slow iteration of updates to harvest.
But there is no way, Umbrella is too powerful, their DUV lithography machine performs too well, and the chip is simply in a black box state and cannot be understood at all.
In this case, you can only use your best in one go and knock them down directly.
Although the chip has been overdrawn to the limit, it can be made up for in quantum computing + supercomputing and artificial intelligence!
No matter how powerful Umbrella's artificial intelligence is, it still needs to rely on hardware!
Now, Asmer is playing his cards right here.
We have the most powerful technologies in the world.
"This is our EUV lithography machine. Although it has only been installed and debugged in major wafer factories now, how to improve the process to the limit depends on the methods of each major wafer factory, but our tools have been completed at least. , we already have the conditions for continuous trial and error and learning experience, and we can keep moving forward...
"Umbrella is very strong, very strong, so strong that it is breathtaking. The holographic technology I am showing now, the enhanced coating on our lenses, and the structure of artificial intelligence, etc., have all laid the foundation for Umbrella's strength. Basics.
"But, we are stronger..."
Then the camera zoomed out, and all the representatives of ASML and many companies involved in EUV component design, including the three major EDA factories, the chip design factory, and the crystal factory, were all in the same frame.
It shows their huge confidence and strength.
The reason for this live broadcast is to announce it to everyone.
They possess the world's most advanced technology.
The accumulation of this kind of technology is not something you can catch up with in a short time!
You may be able to break through a certain bottleneck in the short term, but you cannot break through all bottlenecks!
When you are catching up, we will continue to move forward, always walking in front, and build many barriers to block your way, so that we always maintain the gap!
Let us always occupy the maximum profit!
You are against the world...
————Third update~First update~
(End of chapter)