Chapter 272 Success! The photolithography factory is realized!

Chapter 272 Success! The photolithography factory is realized!

3nm extreme ultraviolet light?

The data feedback given by the beam detection equipment surprised everyone. It is a 3-nanometer extreme ultraviolet beam. Doesn’t this mean that they will soon have the conditions to manufacture 3-nanometer chips?

As we all know, without considering "multiple exposure technology", if you want to carve a chip of a few nanometers, you must first create a UV light source of how many nanometers.

It’s okay to say that deep ultraviolet light of 193 nanometers can also be found in nature, but extreme ultraviolet light of 13.5 nanometers and below must be created by humans.

Deep ultraviolet light and extreme ultraviolet light correspond to DUV lithography machines and EUV lithography machines respectively. The latter is still on the list of equipment prohibited from being exported to China.

Once this light source is confirmed to be extreme ultraviolet light that can be used for photolithography, the entire chip industry will be subverted.

“Is it really 3 nanometers?”

Xia Yang looked excited and took a step forward.

Although he did not study semiconductors in college, it does not mean that he does not understand chip manufacturing.

If you want to lithograph 14-nanometer chips, you need to produce extreme ultraviolet light with a wavelength of 13.5 nanometers. This has long been known to everyone under the overwhelming publicity of various semiconductor consulting media.

3 nanometer wavelength?

Isn’t it possible to engrave 3nm chips?

Lei Bing couldn't help but step forward and asked: "Can this beam of light be used? If it can be used, does it mean we can make 3-nanometer chips?"

Now The mainstream chip is 14nm. Whether it is Longxing Technology's SOC God chip, Apple's A9s bionic chip, or the Snapdragon 821 chip just launched by Gaotong, they are all made with a 14nm process and cannot reach 3 Nano edges.

If 3 nanometer chips can really be created, it will not be a small technological shock, but a mushroom bomb thrown at the entire semiconductor chip industry, which will subvert the entire industry.

“You can’t say that.”

Chen Xing recovered from the shock and explained to Lei Bing and Xia Yang: “Having a light source is not enough. If we really want to build a 3-nanometer chip, We also need to go through chip design and photoresist development. ”

In the semiconductor field, not only photolithography machines and ultraviolet light have nanometer levels, but photoresists also have nanometer levels.

For example, the No. 1 photoresist currently developed by Longxing Chemical has an exposure wavelength of 193 nanometers and supports up to 7 nanometer chip manufacturing. This is with the support of multiple exposure technologies.

If you want to create a 3-nanometer chip, 3-nanometer extreme ultraviolet light, 3-nanometer chip circuit design, and 3-nanometer exposure wavelength photoresist are all indispensable. This is why the advancement of chip nanometer levels is slow.

Every step forward requires follow-up from various industries. Once it is said that photoresist is not good, extreme ultraviolet light and circuit design drawings are useless.

It is precisely because of the high technical threshold that the other side of the ocean can make a fuss about chips.

"The president is right." Lin Tian also affirmed. He turned back to the two directors and said: "It's too early to talk about 3 nanometer chips, but we can try this 13.5 nanometer chip first. Nanowavelength extreme ultraviolet light, let’s see if it can meet the needs of chip production.”

“This is reasonable.”

“We are indeed too hasty.” br>Lei Bing and Xia Yang nodded.

They know a little bit, but they don’t know that the field of semiconductor chips is not just about extreme ultraviolet light, but also has many details. Only by conquering them all can a chip be created.

"Let's test the feasibility of the beam as soon as possible while it's still dark." Chen Xing reminded.

They have now turned off the power supply to the entire Shenzhen City. Even if it is 4 o'clock in the morning, it will still have an impact on the city.

"I'll do it right away."

Lin Tian nodded in response.

As soon as he finished speaking, he immediately looked at the equipment control console and began to enter instructions, occasionally running to the side to operate.

The photolithography factory is different from the photolithography machine. It is more like a complete automated assembly line. It only needs to load semiconductor silicon wafers, photoresist and supporting reagents. After inputting instructions, automated production can be carried out.

After inspecting more than a dozen beams of extreme ultraviolet light with a wavelength of 13.5 nanometers, Lin Tian also found the beam with the best monochromaticity and set it as the No. 1 photolithography area.

After another ten minutes of parameter debugging and troubleshooting, Lin Tian entered instructions to confirm the work.

Next second.

The transport device automatically picks up the film.

The semiconductor silicon wafers stored in a specific area are picked up by electrostatic suction cups and transported to the cleaning area to wash away the dust and impurities attached to the surface of the semiconductor silicon wafers.

After the cleaning is completed, the semiconductor silicon wafer will be transported to the next step through a special transportation channel for baking. After the semiconductor silicon wafer is completely dry, it will continue to be transported to the next step to apply photoresist.

Automatically pick up the film.

Automatic cleaning.

Automatic glue application.

Automatic photolithography.

This is a photolithography factory, or a fully automatic photolithography factory.

The two photomasks have overlapped, and they are in a specific position

This is why the first phase of the photolithography factory is only 5,000 square meters, because it is useless to build it too big, like static electricity Suction cups and various types of automated transportation equipment need to be customized and purchased. The key is that some equipment is not available in China, such as electrostatic suction cup equipment.

The first phase is equivalent to testing. Once the test is passed, the photolithography factory in the second, third and even fourth phases can be expanded.

Of course.

The premise is that photolithography can be successful.

"We don't have a separate and complete photomask for the SOC God chip. We can only use two yin and yang masks stacked together to form a complete pattern. This will cause another problem."

Lin Tian murmured to himself .

It seemed to be explaining to Chen Xing and others, but also to myself.

“That is two photomasks stacked. The two transparent substrates will weaken the extreme ultraviolet light energy, causing photolithography to fail.”

“In order to solve this problem, I increased the The power of the particle accelerator increases the speed of electron movement again. "

"Theoretically, the increase in operating power will simultaneously amplify the speed of electron movement. The faster the electrons move in the ring memory, the more radiation they will emit. The stronger the extreme ultraviolet light energy, but I am not sure whether this value is correct. I can only say that it is theoretically feasible. "

No one in the lithography factory has tested it, and no one knows whether it will work.

Now due to photomask restrictions, Lin Tian can only increase the power, which adds a lot of difficulty to the test.

“You’ll know after you try it.”

Chen Xing silently raised his cell phone to take pictures.

Although they were in the control room, the screen in front of them showed a picture of the clean room, so there was no need to go there in person.

Lin Tian nodded slightly and said nothing. He stared at the surveillance screen with an extremely nervous expression.

The dried and cooled semiconductor silicon wafers coated with photoresist have been transported to the photolithography area, leaving only the final photolithography step.

As the lens group moves to the designated position, the extreme ultraviolet light with a wavelength of 13.5 nanometers is refracted and accurately illuminates two photomasks with complementary patterns, and the complete pattern on the photomask After being irradiated, it finally falls on the surface of the semiconductor silicon wafer to be exposed.

“Zi——”

ArF photoresist encounters a light source, and a chemical reaction begins inside.

The ArF photoresist is divided into positive resist and reverse resist. The positive resist was used for this exposure. The photoresist in the exposed area will undergo a chemical reaction, while the unexposed area will not be affected.

After an area is exposed, the lens group immediately moves and turns sideways to illuminate the light source. After the moving platform is adjusted, it continues to move back to the normal position to perform photolithography exposure on the next area.

A 12-inch semiconductor silicon wafer can produce approximately 232 1.6×1.6 finished bare wafers, which means that it requires 232 exposures. Currently, the exposure speed is about 1 second, which requires 232 seconds, or almost 4 minutes, to completely expose a semiconductor silicon wafer.

Although this speed is almost twice as slow as that of a lithography machine, the lithography factory is domestically produced and self-developed after all, and it is a first-generation product. Subsequent lens groups and mobile platforms can continue to be optimized to catch up with the optics of the lithography machine. Speed ​​is not impossible.

After waiting for four minutes, Lin Tian looked at Chen Xing and others and explained: "Considering the energy consumption of the two photomasks, let's not rush to develop them and let the semiconductor silicon wafers Heating again will intensify the chemical reaction of the photoresist."

Chen Xing, Lei Bing, and Xia Yang nodded slightly, all waiting for the results.

Now Chen Xing is considered half a layman here, while Lei Bing and Xia Yang are both laymen and can only listen to Lin Tian's arrangements.

Let alone roasting it, even if it is roasted, they will think it is reasonable.

As Lin Tian entered the command, the semiconductor silicon wafer that was supposed to be sent for development was transferred to the baking area for secondary heating, which intensified the chemical reaction inside the ArF photoresist.

When this step is completed, the semiconductor silicon wafer is transported again and it comes to the development area.

First wet the silicon wafer with deionized water, and then place the silicon wafer on the development platform. The machine equipment above sprays the developer liquid and spreads it evenly on the surface of the semiconductor silicon wafer to further dissolve the exposed parts. area.

With the completion of this step, the circuit pattern is clearly visible on the surface of the semiconductor silicon wafer, and only the final rinse is needed to clean off all the photoresist adhered to the unexposed parts.

“I seem to see a pattern.”

Lei Bing's eyes widened, not daring to miss any detail.

"I saw it too." Xia Yang agreed.

When the semiconductor silicon wafer was cleaned and taken out just now, you can clearly see the dense circuit patterns on the surface of the silicon wafer.

“It is a good thing to have circuit patterns, but circuit testing is still needed to know whether the chip can operate normally.”

Chen Xing explained.

After being exposed to Kaitian Chip, Qingzhou Chip, and SOC God Chip many times, he is already considered half an insider.

He knows a thing or two about exposure, etching, development, and cleaning. Of course, he only knows a little about it, and it is still at the level of theoretical knowledge.

But even so, Lei Bing couldn't help but give a thumbs up and praised: "I didn't expect that Mr. Chen not only made achievements in the business field, but also had his own unique insights in the chip field."
< br>"It's really unexpected."

Xia Yang also echoed.

They thought Chen Xing didn't understand anything, but they didn't expect Chen Xing to speak clearly, which surprised them all.

Listening to the two people's praise, Chen Xing also said modestly: "It's not an opinion, it's just the knowledge points that I have written down because of my exposure."

"Being able to write down is also a skill. "

Lei Bing smiled.

Xia Yang also nodded and echoed: "Yes, even those with poor memory cannot remember it even if they want to. Mr. Chen can remember these processes, which is enough to show the innocence of Longxing Technology's deep cultivation of chips. . ”

While the two were singing and flattering Chen Xing, the fully automated production line had already sent the developed semiconductor silicon wafers to be sliced ​​for final circuit testing.

Lin Tian looked at the "testing" prompt, looked at Chen Xing and said: "If it can pass, the second phase of the photolithography factory can start, but energy is still a problem..."

He looked at Xia Yang.

The latter immediately understood and said quickly: "Mr. Chen and Chief Lin, don't worry. As long as it is proven that the photolithography factory is feasible, I will go back and hold a municipal meeting at dawn. The theme is to build your energy transmission Channel."

"That's right."

Lei Bing echoed and continued: "I can't guarantee it in other places, but in Shencheng, Xia Bureau can still say a few words."

"I'll take care of it."

Xia Yang patted his chest.

They all work in a mixed system, and of course they understand the current main direction of the country.

If they can assist Longxing Technology in completing the construction of the photolithography factory, then all of them may be able to take two steps forward.

Who doesn’t want to make progress within the system?

They will not let go of the opportunity for progress, let alone one involving "chips".

"I would like to thank you both for your kindness in advance, but..." Chen Xing hesitated for a while, and then decided to reveal the "Eastern Power Diversion to the South" plan promised by Song Weiguo:

"Just if It is said that the photolithography factory has confirmed that it can produce chips. I hope the Shenzhen Electric Power Bureau will build more power transmission systems in the Baogoling area to ensure power transmission. As for power, Chief Song of the Fengtian Military Region said that there will be a Southeastern Power Diversion Project in the near future. File issued."

Lei Bing: "?"

Xia Yang: "!!!"

The moment he said these words, Lei Bing's mind was filled with questions.

Fengtian Military Region?

Isn’t this part of the Northern War Zone?

You, Chen Xing, didn’t deal with the southern war zone and went to the northern war zone?

Xia Yang beside him was stunned to the point of surprise. The Tokyo Electric Power Southern Transfer Document, isn’t this a national top-secret document that has just been issued?

Is it possible that...

It is specifically designed to support photolithography factories? ?

I figured it out!

Xia Yang finally figured it out!

He said why it was so strange. The eastern region clearly used the State Grid, while Shenzhen City used the China Southern Power Grid. How could power suddenly be delivered to Shenzhen City? There was no shortage of power in Shenzhen City.

It turns out that it specifically supports Longxing Technology in building a photolithography factory. This means that the higher-ups already know about it.

"Gulu——"

Xia Yang swallowed.

He looked at Chen Xing with a bit of awe. This young man who was less than thirty had more energy than he imagined.

If possible, he really wanted to whisper in Chen Xing's ear: "Mr. Chen, I, Xia Yang, want to make progress so much."

There was a stir in the hearts of Lei Bing and Xia Yang. When the waves were turbulent and their minds were blank from shock, Lin Tian suddenly interrupted them and said: "The test results of the bare chip circuit are out."

Chen Xing: "!!!"

Lei Bing : "!!!"

Xia Yang: "!!!"

The three of them immediately looked sideways and looked in the direction Lin Tian was looking. There were eight characters "Circuit No Abnormality Detected" written on it. On the leftmost screen, there were all the data parameters of the SOC God chip, including the nanometer level. , microarchitecture and operating power.

After comparing one by one, Lin Tian looked at Chen Xing and others with excitement and announced: "Success! The photolithography factory has been realized!"

(End of this chapter)< br>