Fang Zhuo landed in Luzhou at 11:52 in the evening and then went to the ice core factory. When he arrived, it was already close to 1 in the morning.
In such a hurry, just because we were notified of the latest news from Xinyang R&D Laboratory, a team led by Chai Qingliang constructed a suitable resin system after using new polyester cyclic acrylates, and then based on the original
An ArF photoresist was launched, and the result after preliminary testing was that it is available.
It's just a preliminary test, but these two simple words are particularly touching.
"Available".
Everyone knows the current situation of Yike and Bingxin. Therefore, when Fang Zhuo received the call, he knew that the information he dared to inform him in this situation must be extremely critical, and he must have been quite sure.
Yu cautiously did not give a 100% guarantee.
At 1:15 in the morning, Fang Zhuo met with Chai Qingliang, the leader of the R&D team that made the photoresist available, and listened to his report on the relevant situation.
Chai Qingliang spoke slowly, focusing on the impact of the new ring structure on the heat resistance and optical properties of the polymer, as well as the interaction of the three formula resins.
Fang Zhuo was quite accustomed to the reporting characteristics of R&D personnel. After listening patiently to the story, he asked: "When such a photoresist is used in production, what is the initial yield expected to be achieved?"
"About 30%." Chai Qingliang replied calmly.
Such a yield rate is undoubtedly unqualified for a wafer manufacturing company and it is difficult to provide competitiveness. However, this has solved the problem of starting something from scratch.
Everyone here knows the significance of this breakthrough.
However, as the head of Xinyang, Wang Fuxiang still said a few more words after hearing this: "This time the photoresist continues to adjust the formula ingredients to improve its sensitivity to wavelength light, reduce line width roughness and improve imaging.
Quality, I believe we can continue to improve in yield.”
He turned to look at Chai Qingliang and asked, "Right, am I right to say that?"
Chai Qingliang pondered for a moment and replied slowly: "Theoretically, this is true, but the progress in actual work is not certain. Anyway, it is just a matter of practice."
Wang Fuxiang was a little helpless, this firewood worker was like this...
In fact, Luzhou in Xinyang is developing 12 types of photoresist resins at the same time. Originally, another team was more promising, but I didn’t expect that Chai Qingliang’s team would make a breakthrough first.
Chai Qingliang is a languid person. He gives people the impression that "a breakthrough is good", "if there is no breakthrough, there is no breakthrough", "maybe the yield rate can be improved", "maybe the yield rate cannot be improved", it doesn't matter what it is.
Passion.
However, now that the results of the preliminary test have come out, it is clear that he is not weak at all. It is clearly the stability that can achieve great things, the composure that is unruffled in the face of danger, the determination to stick to one's heart in the midst of turmoil, and the wisdom to calmly deal with challenges!
Wang Fuxiang couldn't refute the hero's words, so he unconsciously looked at Bingxin's senior vice president Yan Zongrui, wanting him to talk about the situation.
Before Yan Zongrui could speak, the door of the office was suddenly pushed open, and Bingxin President Qiu Ciyun also arrived in a hurry.
Fang Zhuo stood up to welcome him, and after a few brief greetings, he asked him to sit next to him and listen together.
"There is still a lot of room for optimization in this 2-8 photoresist. The 30% yield can definitely be improved, Mr. Fang, because this is not just a photoresist problem. For example, we can do optical proximity correction OPC.
Optimization such as phase shift mask PSM can improve the propagation and interaction of light, and can optimize the resolution and contrast of the pattern." Yan Zongrui has been responsible for this area for more than a year, and he talks without thinking too much,
"It's just that it's hard to guarantee how high the final yield rate can be improved, 50%? 60%?"
Regardless of 60% or 50%, this is completely different from the previous competitiveness of the ice core itself.
Qiu Ciyun said at this time: "Mr. Yan, just state your conclusion directly."
Yan Zongrui hesitated for a moment and briefly gave the opinion on behalf of his team: "It's enough."
Enough!
The conclusion from the photoresist R&D team is - available!
The conclusion from the ice core production line team is – enough!
Even if the yield rate eventually stops at 50% or 60%, this is enough!
When Fang Zhuo heard Yan Zongrui's decisive words, he slowly breathed a sigh of relief, looked at Qiu Ciyun again, and then looked at Chai Qingliang, who was making his first contribution: "Mr. Chai, what do you want?"
What are your requirements?
These are the words given by the head of Yike, one of the world's richest people, and the founder of the Yike system in the early hours of this morning. The meaning is self-evident. No matter what the requirements are, we will do our best to satisfy them. This is within the scope of our capabilities and beyond.
I'm afraid I can try my best to achieve my abilities.
When Wang Fuxiang, the head of Xinyang, heard this, his heart skipped a beat and he wished he could answer on behalf of Chai Qingliang.
"Well..." Chai Qingliang made a sound of thinking through his nose, and after a while he replied, "Is it okay to mention it later? I have to think about it carefully."
Fang Zhuo laughed: "Okay, call me anytime."
When Liu Zonghong heard this, he immediately gave the boss's personal number and Yi Xin to the woodworker.
Fang Zhuo put away his smile, looked at Wang Fuxiang, the head of Xinyang, and asked: "Mr. Wang, what do you want?"
Wang Fuxiang immediately replied: "Mr. Fang, we are all working for the domestic industry. What can I ask for? I just hope that we can develop more upstream and downstream. I hope everyone will not look at other people's faces. Fortunately, Xinyang has achieved some results this time.
I am sincerely happy for Yike and Bingxin. Both Yike and Bingxin are industry leaders. As long as you are good, our industry will follow suit, and Xinyang will naturally do well."
Fang Zhuo nodded slightly and pondered for a moment: "Okay, Mr. Wang, I want to ask for credit for you this time."
Qiu Ciyun calmed down and said to Vice President Yan Zongrui: "Mr. Yan, we need to do a good job in cooperating with the optimization of photoresist. Every improvement in yield rate is good. In addition, the next step is to
Prepare for 10nm optimization.”
Everyone, including Chai Qingliang, felt shocked. Indeed, the work was not over yet.
Fang Zhuo thanked Wang Fuxiang and Chai Qingliang again, shook hands with them tightly and then personally sent them out. When he returned to the office, he saw Mr. Qiu drinking tea.
"It's available, it's enough." Fang Zhuo sat down again, covering his face with his hands, and his voice came out from between his fingers, "It's available, it's enough, hey!"
"It's enough for Yike, but the ice core still needs a lot of optimization." Qiu Ciyun supported his body on the back of his chair and said with a smile, "But it's enough now, right?"
Fang Zhuo leaned back on the chair and rubbed his face vigorously with his hands. It seemed that he only had enough strength in his body to answer in two words: "That's enough."
This is the water that comes naturally, the edge that can be solved easily!
As long as there is production capacity, there is nothing wrong with it!
The four people in the office suddenly fell silent, and the early morning silence spread in.
After a long time, Fang Zhuo stood up and said, "Can 16nm photoresist solve the problem? Can 10nm make it consistent?"
"That's right." Qiu Ciyun confirmed this, "We use multiple exposure technology, which can avoid significantly adjusting the photoresist formula to adapt to smaller process nodes to a certain extent."
Yan Zongrui next to him added: "The photoresist still needs some work at 10nm, because it needs to withstand additional exposure and etching, so it requires higher tolerance and stability, and in order to adapt to the more complex multiple exposure
The process also requires a higher exposure dose window and development conditions for the photoresist to ensure repeatability and yield."
Photoresist is not only a matter of chemical formula, but also requires optimization of supporting materials such as bottom anti-reflective coating, top coating, etc., as well as comprehensive optimization of the process.
He knows that Dr. Liang is doing 10nm research and development at SMIC. Once there is a breakthrough in the process there, he will face similar problems to Ice Core. At that time, more complex adjustments will be needed in terms of photoresist, because both sides
The process flow is also different.
However, although these problems are difficult, they are completely different from the production shutdown caused by the shortage of photoresist.
Fang Zhuo nodded silently.
After a moment, he said with emotion: "After all, I still have to stumble out."
Regardless of 16nm or 10nm, these two advanced processes can ensure competitiveness for a considerable period of time in the future, and during this period they will continue to feed back to the upstream and downstream of the industrial chain, allowing them to continue to progress, so that the entire system can find and correct deficiencies.
Get running.
As long as the system can operate, big problems will become small problems, and small problems will become no problems.
"I'm almost knocked to death..." Qiu Ciyun took a deep breath, "This mother-in-law has stopped production and work, and I can't sleep all night long!"
Fang Zhuo couldn't help but smile and said, "I can fall asleep."
Qiu Ciyun said a little casually: "Can you fall asleep? Yike's stock price has dropped by 40 to 50%, how can you sleep? I've never seen Yike's stock drop by nearly 200 billion US dollars.
! I don’t even dare to think about the evaporation of more than one trillion Chinese dollars... and the US market has completely disappeared, and employees have also been lost. How can you sleep?"
Ice Core has stopped production and operations, but Yike has directly evaporated the market value of more than ten Ice Cores!
The global market is in turmoil, layoffs have been initiated, shipments have been controlled, stocks have been burned, public opinion has criticized them, and they have been besieged by short sellers. Internally, they have to face up and down pressure...
Qiu Ciyun did not dare to think about Yike's loss of market value, nor did he allow himself to think about the pressure Mr. Fang faced.
But today, you can think about these and talk about them.
"Hahahahaha."
Fang Zhuo laughed loudly.
Qiu Ciyun looked at Liu Zonghong: "See if your boss is crazy!"
"I can just sleep." Fang Zhuo said "Hey", put his hands on the table, stood up and walked two steps in the office, "What can you do to me? Hey, what can you do to me?"
Qiu Ciyun knew that these two sentences were probably not meant for him.
He poured another cup of tea, as if this could calm the heat surging in his heart, and said: "It is difficult to go from 0 to 1, but it is much easier to go up from 1. The chess game of Bingxin has a solution.
"
Liu Zonghong said at this time: "It's like 'one piece solves two problems' in Go!"
Qiu Ciyun was surprised and said: "Xiao Liu still knows Go?"
"Hey, I don't understand. It's just that AI Go was very popular a while ago. I followed it and heard about it at that time." Liu Zonghong said with a smile.
One piece can solve two problems by landing one piece on the chessboard, which can eliminate the worry of two pieces being conquered at the same time.
Qiu Ciyun sighed: "Yes, one child solves two problems, one hair moves the whole body, one child falls and the whole body is revitalized!"
Fang Zhuo listened to the conversation between the two people, opened the office window, let in the cool breeze outside, and still felt his temples twitching when he saw the dark night.
Seeing that he remained silent for a long time, Qiu Ciyun walked to the side and asked, "What are you thinking about? The next work will be clear."
Many images flashed through Fang Zhuo's mind at this moment, including the same beautiful night when he led the inspection team to Luzhou, the waves of leaving with Qiu Ciyun at the American dock after watching the machinery being shipped, and the passing of the torch when he visited Hu Zhengming.
, including the wine poured for Liang Mengsong when he invited him, the sadness when bidding farewell to Zhang Rujing, and the unashamed feeling of being the best in the world when he met Jiang Shangzhou for the last time...
"What am I thinking?" Fang Zhuo murmured and repeated in an empty mind. Suddenly his mind condensed and he grinned, "Hey, I was thinking that after killing millions of soldiers in Jiangnan, the sword on his waist will still be bloody!"
…
Fang Zhuo only slept through the night, but Qiu Ciyun couldn't sleep all night.
In the morning, Qiu Ciyun fell asleep instead.
The work cannot be completed in one go. The photoresist formula and preparation process need to be adjusted and optimized based on preliminary test results. Subsequent iterative testing is required to improve its performance and ensure that it meets the requirements of the 16nm process.
Ice core has never been able to obtain the theoretical optimal solution, but can only obtain the optimal solution at the current stage.
But enough is enough.
Fang Zhuo waited patiently for the follow-up situation and did not immediately report the news to his superiors. Instead, he carefully considered the work changes brought about by this breakthrough.
The resumption of work on 16nm will bring about the recovery of Yike mobile phones in the market, and this product is expected to ensure competitiveness until the middle of next year.
SMIC's 10nm has not made any news yet, but according to previous expectations, it will soon carry out risk trial production. If we can try our best to prevent it from suffering the treatment of Ice Core in terms of photoresist, this is the best. Even if it does, it will not happen.
It won't be as bad as an ice core.
However, the photoresist problem has been initially resolved and the Aramco campaign is in full swing. The entire industry will inevitably be under greater pressure next year.
Therefore, the merger of Bingxin and SMIC can be put on the official agenda.
Two days later, after news of the re-engraving of the ice core appeared, Fang Zhuo finally called the Gasoline Man and told him that this could provide him with a counterattack bargaining chip.
The other end of the phone heard such news, and a moment later there was a burst of obscure laughter.
Kong Yu: "Hey hey hey hey hey hey."
Fang Zhuo: "..."
"Mr. Fang, hold on, hold on, hold on!" Kong Yu quickly calmed down, but became more and more excited as he spoke, "Mr. Fang, if we wait for the news from SMIC, 10nm will also be a heavy blow!"
"We want to dash all the empty hopes in one fell swoop!"
“The news of Bingxin’s acquisition of SMIC can be released at the last moment!”
"Dupont also contacted us last!"
"The previously hidden batch of chips was released the day before I contacted DuPont!"
Kong Yu wants to use multiple good news to boost the stock price, including 16nm photoresist, 10nm process, two-core-in-one, DuPont license and re-supply of Yiko products... This, combined with his own trading, will stimulate investors...
