Chapter 514 Resources Need to Be Used (Bug Fix): We Can't Beg for Food While Holding a Golden Bowl

Before Wang Xiao traveled through time, he always thought that the 996 work schedule was first introduced by major internet companies.

But after she traveled through time, she discovered that it was very likely that semiconductor companies were the ones who started doing this first.

Dr. Zhang and Dr. Lin both work six days a week, spending more than 12 hours a day in the factory, which shows their level of fanaticism.

The reason this term is used is because Wang Xiao can swear to God that she really never asked them to work overtime like this.

In fact, she wanted to hide from them as much as possible, so how could she dare to make any demands on them?

As for why they hid, please watch the video.

Oh no, if there's no video, then let's just play the original audio.

After spending a week at the lithography machine factory, Dr. Lin finally asked the crucial question: "How exactly did you manage to build the experimental machine?"

There are problems everywhere.

The young engineer, however, could still grin foolishly and say, "Our boss said we made it by hand."

How can I describe it? Anyone who's spent time in a lab knows that the success of your experiment depends on the right timing, location, and people. It's best to pray at a temple before you start.

Hahaha, when the boss heard about their process, he exclaimed that it was so applicable, relying entirely on feel.

Dr. Lin was truly well-mannered; he didn't get angry and say they were being ridiculous, nor did he complain. He simply defined his new team in his mind as Duan Yu's Six Meridian Divine Sword.

Yes, it's the Six Meridian Divine Sword of Duan Yu from "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils," which is broadcast on TV every day. Because of his weak internal energy, he can't use his powerful skills normally, and they only work sometimes.

Dr. Kelin had just finished defining the subject when, during a meal, he chatted with a former Soviet engineer on his team (he said this because when he asked where the engineer was from, the engineer insisted that he was from the Soviet Union). He was surprised by the engineer's profound knowledge in optics, lasers, and materials science.

Especially after learning that the lithography machine lenses in the factory were entirely made in-house and that they possessed magnetorheological polishing technology, Lin Bo immediately overturned his previous definition.

No, it's not that their internal energy is weak, but rather that their internal energy is too abundant. However, they haven't systematically learned martial arts techniques, so they have no idea how to utilize their internal energy.

They don't even have a concept of systems engineering!

So Wang Xiao happily ran to the lithography machine factory to deliver cooling relief to the employees—after all, they weren't in a constant-temperature workshop 24 hours a day. Shanghai summers are so hot, June is indeed the time to deliver cooling relief.

She sensed that Dr. Lin's expression was somewhat indescribable, similar to the look of a highly skilled senior teacher looking at a parent with disappointment – ​​how did you manage to raise such a poor child?

The following week, Dr. Lin took the opportunity of visiting the optical factory to visit a German company in Nanshan City. After returning to Shanghai, Wang Xiao felt even more uneasy.

In fact, Dr. Lin, who is known for his refined and good-natured nature, couldn't resist the crickets.

When Dr. Zhang called him to ask how he was adapting, he had to take a deep breath before letting out a profound sigh: "You're right, they are completely new minds."

Strictly speaking, it is not a company, but a large laboratory.

Here, the commercialization of photolithography, the integration of domestic and international resources, the strengthening of intellectual property rights, and vertical integration all need to be done from scratch.

He couldn't understand it at all. They could have easily thought of using magnetorheological polishing technology to process materials for German companies and make money, which could then be distributed to research institutes in Belarus to support their continued research. Instead, they couldn't think of integrating German companies into their lithography machine material supply chain.

German companies clearly have unique expertise in processing materials with high rigidity and low coefficient of thermal expansion, such as special ceramics or cast iron.

But they didn't realize that the mechanical design team should have collaborated with German engineers to optimize the structural design and material processing of the workbench base and guide rails to ensure the workbench's ultimate stability and temperature stability under high-speed motion.

For example, dual worktables require nanometer-level positioning accuracy and millisecond-level synchronization control.

Mingming German Enterprise is a global leader in advanced servo motors, linear motors and high-precision grating rulers.

They never considered introducing or jointly developing the most advanced motion control system with the other party.

Instead, they close the door and bury themselves in hard work.

The main focus is on self-reliance.

This won't work; it's too inefficient.

So when Mr. Wang went to deliver refreshments again, the look he received was—"Are you just leaving all these resources idle?"

What could Wang Xiao say? She really didn't understand; she didn't know which technologies she could use.

So she could only tuck her tail between her legs and smile obsequiously: "Lin Bo, whatever you say goes."

Lin Bo sighed: "I need to build a completely new team, composed of Japanese engineers, Taiwanese engineers, German engineers, and engineers from mainland China, Russia, and Belarus."

He separated Taiwanese and mainland engineers because they have different strengths.

For example, Japanese engineers are responsible for optics and system integration.

The Taiwanese engineers, mainly recruited from Degi, have extensive experience in process integration and yield improvement.

German engineers excel at precision mechanics and automation.

In recent years, engineers from mainland China have been exchanging ideas more with engineers from Russia and Belarus. In terms of basic optics and special technologies, the former world power, the Soviet Union, did indeed have its unique strengths.

Dr. Lin had already learned about the boss's shrewdness from Zhang Rujing, and patiently emphasized to her: "The development of lithography machines, like semiconductors, is a fusion of global technologies. We must integrate top resources to maximize their benefits."

Wang Xiao touched his nose and nodded like a chicken pecking at rice: "We'll do whatever you say, leader. We'll cooperate fully."

She knew that the main partner of the lithography machine factory was the Shanghai Radio Equipment Factory, which had two workstations.

The reason for this choice was that at the beginning, no one knew how to do it. They only knew that it was a dual-workbench, but how it actually worked was completely unknown to them.

Apart from the radio equipment factory, other factories probably wouldn't cooperate with them like this.

Besides that, there's also the issue of being overly protective of one's own work. Everyone has this mentality of wanting to do something behind closed doors and secretly amaze the world.

Wang Xiao's hands-off management principle is truly reflected in every aspect. When the lithography machine factory sought cooperation with the Shanghai Radio Equipment Factory, she didn't even need to give her approval; the factory director made the decision himself.

Now that Lin Bo plans to collaborate with German companies to launch the commercialized dual workstations as soon as possible, she has no objections.

The factory manager, representing the lithography machine factory, also stated: "We'll do whatever you say, Lin Bo. You're the one who decides."

Before the foreign experts arrived, the boss had held a meeting with them and done some ideological work with them.

Do they want to grow bigger and stronger? If so, guerrilla tactics won't work. They must now transform into a regular army.

Back then, everyone followed Soviet experts to learn industrialization. Now, we must also learn American technology carefully. We should adopt a "take what you can" approach; as long as it's useful, we should wholeheartedly, confidently, and boldly take it.

Yes, listen to Lin Bo, cooperate with the Germans.

You really can't blame them for their lithography machine factory's first move after entering the market—they cut off their target first.

We've given the radio equipment factory five years already, but they still haven't been able to produce the stable dual worktable we want. We can't wait indefinitely.

As Dr. Lin has said, it's hard to say whether or not immersion lithography machines with a wavelength of 193 nanometers can achieve mass production, and when that will happen.

So now their first product to be fully launched to the market is the 0.35-micron dry lithography machine equipped with dual worktables.

"This allows for faster payment collection, and the dual workstations provide feedback from the market, enabling further optimization."

Wang Xiao nodded vigorously: "I'll do whatever you say."

Even so, Lin Bo couldn't help but sigh, "If only we had done this a few months earlier."

Wang Xiao could only laugh awkwardly before fleeing in disarray.

After returning home, she called Ivan, still shaken: "Now I finally understand why parents of underachieving students are afraid of teachers."

Because she was a de facto orphan before she transmigrated, she subconsciously believed that parents and children had little to do with each other.

Why should parents feel ashamed or afraid of parent-teacher conferences if their child's grades are bad? Learning is clearly the child's own responsibility; parents can't study for their children.

But this time, under Dr. Lin's indescribable gaze, she really wished she could dig a hole and crawl into it.

She even thought of that saying—"If you can't raise a child properly, why have one? You're simply depriving the child of the chance to be born into a good family."

Good heavens, she's never had a child or raised a baby. And now she can actually empathize with all these poor old mothers.

As a seasoned underachiever, Ivanov knew that feeling all too well. After every parent-teacher conference, he would behave himself for a long time.

You can't be disobedient, or your bottom will really hurt. Parents from the Russian people really do use whips and kicks to discipline their children.

Even now, he still feels a pang of regret: "What a strict teacher!"

Wang Xiao was as timid as a quail, nodding in agreement frantically. The standard for judging whether something is strict or not is not how fierce the attitude is, but how high the requirements are.

Dr. Lin has particularly high standards.

He plans to perfectly integrate the meticulousness of Japan, the rigor of Germany, the manufacturing experience of Taiwan, the solid theoretical foundation of Russia and Belarus, and the cutting-edge research and development of Europe into the mainland.

Honestly, Wang Xiao felt that if the lithography company were to go public later, this would be a perfect prospectus.

Ivanov gasped; it was indeed very strict.

Then both of them felt guilty, because they were indeed novices in the lithography machine industry. How could laymen guide experts?

Parents of underachieving students should just listen to the teacher.

However, Wang Xiao still thought that being the parents of academically challenged students was the most miserable thing in the world.

Ten days later, she realized that Dr. Lin was not a strict teacher, but a wonderful postpartum nanny that all new mothers couldn't do without.

She truly understood why the new mother was crying her eyes out when the nanny downstairs left before she crossed over.

They were practically begging someone not to leave.

At this moment, she felt the same way. Oh God, why is the world so cruel?

She'd only been enjoying a few days of blissful happiness? Now that Dr. Lin's gone, what's the lithography machine factory going to do? How should they proceed with their work?

She even couldn't help but complain to Dr. Zhang: "Wasn't it possible to apply for 60 days? Why did you only apply for 30 days?"

Zhang Rujing said awkwardly, "Born still has work to finish in the United States."

He's the boss of a company that develops lithography software, and he's also a key figure in the R&D team. If he were to leave for two months, the company might go bankrupt.

Wang Xiao certainly couldn't say things like "it would be better if it collapsed"—although from a profit perspective, that was the absolute truth.

Therefore, she could only emphasize to Lin Bo again and again: "You must say that the Chinese tradition is to return to one's roots. This time when you returned to China to pay respects to your ancestors, you felt that heavy responsibility. Now that your children are grown up and have their own lives, they don't need their parents to constantly remind and take care of them. That's why you and your spouse chose to retire early and return to your hometown to live."

That's really too presumptuous of you to say that.

But Chinese-American scientist Wen Ho Lee is still in custody, and the US government's attitude is aggressive—as if this can make up for their regret that they cannot personally intervene in Kosovo.

Starting in March, European planes circled over Yugoslavia time and again, prompting repeated protests from Russia and threats of military intervention.

In this regional conflict, each of them has a stronger presence than the United States.

The Republican Party seized upon the Wen Ho Lee case, hyping it up extensively to attack the White House's China policy.

Given the president's severely declining approval ratings due to the sex scandal and the Democratic Party's defeat in the midterm elections, coupled with the fact that the United States has lost a clear strategic adversary since the end of the Cold War, political forces need a hypothetical enemy to consolidate their power, secure budgets, and attack political opponents.

At this moment, hyping up the threat of Chinese espionage is profitable for many people.

In conclusion, under these circumstances, the Li Wenhe case is unlikely to be resolved easily.

The longer it delays, the more vigilant the US government becomes about the outflow of high-tech talent.

From the perspective of difficulty, it might be easier for her to recruit talent when the dot-com bubble bursts in the millennium, a large number of internet companies go bankrupt, and this triggers another recession in the semiconductor market.

But how could Wang Xiao wait? She wished Lin Bo would stay in the US instead of going back.

But in reality, that's impossible.

He's not a lone commander; he has his own family and team in the United States.

So no matter how pitiful Wang Xiao looked, Lin Bo just smiled good-naturedly and handed her the plan directly: "I've been thinking about it these past few days, and we have to speed things up. Here are some of my thoughts on the work for the next few years."

Wang Xiao quickly scanned the contents of the plan.

The plan is divided into two main steps.

The first step is to transform the 193nm immersion lithography experimental machine into a stable engineering prototype between now and 2001.

The second step, from 2001 to 2003, was to achieve mass production of the engineering prototype.

Under normal circumstances, if the 157 nm wavelength dry impregnation machine progresses smoothly, it will be mass-produced by 2003.

Therefore, by 2003, immersion lithography machines with a wavelength of 193 nanometers must be mass-produced. Otherwise, without a generational advantage, it simply cannot compete with large companies like Nikon, Canon, and ASML.

Lin Bo emphasized, "I've talked to Richard. If we want to catch up and quickly establish ourselves, then the development of lithography machines, the processing of optical components, the debugging of dual workstations, and the development of 65nm process must be carried out simultaneously. We need to further cooperate with German companies, take charge of the integration of dual workstations and immersion environment, and Nanshan's optical plant needs to test lenses day and night. The chip factory's production line must be fully prepared to accept the new equipment."

Wang Xiao nodded repeatedly, her attitude extremely respectful: "I'll do whatever you say."

Lin Bo was both amused and exasperated: "So, what are your thoughts?"

A mediocre student is utterly humbled in the presence of a genius.

After struggling for a while, Wang Xiao finally made a request: "I hope that in this process, we can cultivate as many domestic supply chains and domestic engineers as possible."

She quickly emphasized, "Please don't misunderstand, I'm not advocating for isolationism or populism. I'm only considering the issue from a cost perspective. The fundamental reason why people are willing to invest in semiconductors in mainland China is that land and labor costs are low here, allowing us to control the overall production costs."

"But this is not actually its biggest advantage. If you replace it with other countries in Southeast Asia, they may have the same advantage."

"The mainland's real advantage lies in its basic industries. Because it was blockaded for a long time, it was forced to develop a complete industrial chain. For example, our machine frames, vacuum chambers, certain chemical reagents, high-purity gases, as well as ordinary cables and connectors, are all made by ourselves. They are much cheaper than imports."

"However, we still need to import many high-end core components. I hope that this part can be domestically produced as soon as possible."

"It's not that I'm the only one who wants to make all the money. Rather, I'm very afraid that when we successfully achieve mass production and are ready to make a big splash in the international lithography machine market, we will suddenly be restricted from making these key components. You can't cook without rice. Without Zeiss providing optical lenses, ASML can't make lithography machines either."

The reason she cited ASML as an example is that Japan is a major player in optics, and Nikon and Canon have completely developed and produced their own optical lenses, so there is no fear of not being able to get lenses.

Only ASML has to live at the mercy of Zeiss. When Zeiss is busy, your lens orders have to wait patiently in line.

Lin Benjian was silent for a moment.

He was aware of the Wassenaar Arrangement and knew that high-tech fields such as electronics, computers, sensors, and lasers were all within the scope of the regulation.

Therefore, it's impossible for him to lie through his teeth and mock Boss Wang for having paranoia; he's just worrying unnecessarily.

Moreover, with the Lee Wen Ho case escalating, restrictions on the export of technology products may become increasingly stringent in the future.

So he nodded: "I will try my best to coordinate it."

After thinking for a moment, he reassured the worried investors, "I talked with experts from Russia and Belarus, and we all agreed that we can make lasers ourselves. As for optical lenses, we are already making them ourselves."

"As for precision bearings, we can cooperate with German companies, which is the best option. We can directly purchase them in the early stages and conduct joint research and development in the middle stages. I am still thinking about how to persuade them."

German industry excels in top-level precision machinery, materials science, and systems integration.

Getting them to sell it now shouldn't be difficult. But if it involves technological cooperation, that would be a bit more challenging. Nobody wants their trump card to end up in another market.

Wang Xiao smiled, touched his nose, and said, "I have a rough idea. When you come back to talk to the German company, take me with you. I'll see if I can persuade them."

How humble that is! She's a boss, yet she needs a senior executive to accompany her to negotiations.

What's quite surprising is that if Lin Bo were to negotiate, the outcome would likely be even better. This is because he is an expert, an internationally renowned expert.

Unlike her, in the eyes of the German companies in Nanshan, she was just a nouveau riche who only knew how to throw money around.

People who make a living through their skills have their own sense of pride.

Lin Bo would find it hard to think of this, after all, the American way of thinking is different from that of Europeans.

Therefore, he felt strange when he heard this, but he didn't bother to investigate it further.

He was even more curious: "How do you plan to persuade them?"

Wang Xiao laughed: "When people come to the mainland to invest, besides being attracted by the cheap land and labor, what they value most is actually the huge, protected potential domestic market."

She sighed, "China has 1.2 billion people!"

So now middle school teachers are worried during their political classes: what if China's population grows to 1.4 billion? How will we feed so many people?

Who would have thought that before she transmigrated, everyone's worries would turn to what to do when China's population dropped from 1.4 billion to 1.2 billion?

The world is really interesting; even when you get what you want, you're still not satisfied.

However, Mr. Wang is now very satisfied with his good opportunity.

"We are standing on the wave of the times. The mainland is currently on the eve of the take-off of informatization and industrialization. Landline phones, mobile phones, home appliances, as well as computers and the Internet, all require massive amounts of chips. Such a huge market, no matter who comes in to get a share, is a delicious cake."

“No country could possibly have such a massive backyard market. We can leverage our status as a domestically produced company to secure priority orders from major national projects, telecommunications equipment manufacturers, and government and military procurement.”

There should actually be an army as well.

However, to avoid Dr. Lin being sensitive about this, Wang Xiao skipped over the military aspect and only emphasized, "Those who want to share the pie with us can only cooperate with us. If they are unwilling, we can find another company. There will always be someone who likes to eat the pie."

Dr. Lin laughed and nodded, saying, "Someone has to eat the cake eventually."

With the precision bearing issue resolved, he plans to tackle both high-end sensors with equal rigor.

When those words popped into his head, he was stunned for a moment.

Humans are truly creatures that are very easily influenced by their environment.

However, his reflections were fleeting; he immediately threw himself back into his work.

"The position sensors required inside the lithography machine, such as high-precision grating rulers, laser interferometers, vibration sensors, pressure and flow sensors, are key to ensuring the accuracy, stability and automated operation of the equipment. We continue to cooperate with German companies for these, because they can form a perfect closed loop with German precision bearings and motion control systems."

"As for light source monitoring, high-power laser control, and special sensors for vacuum and extreme temperature environments, we still cooperate with Soviet technology. The Soviet Union has a deep foundation in aerospace, nuclear technology, and high-energy physics. Its sensor technology was originally designed to meet the needs of extreme environments such as high radiation, ultra-high temperature, and strong vibration. It has extremely high robustness, operability, and unique physical principles. These are exactly what the light source and other subsystems in lithography machines need."

Wang Xiao listened to Dr. Lin's long-winded explanation, but she didn't understand it at all. In fact, she really wanted to ask, what is robustness?

However, she dared not; the worse her grades were, the more insecure she felt.

So she could only nod frantically: "You're right, we're just waiting for you to come back so we can get started. You really have to come back soon, so many of us are looking forward to it."

That eerie feeling returned, leaving Lin Bo both amused and exasperated.

But the boss standing in front of him was indeed young, about the same age as his child, so he unconsciously adopted the tolerance of an elder: "I'll be back once I've made arrangements."

In less than a month, he has thought about many issues, and there is simply no time to discuss them with his boss today.

He has many things he wants to do now, and he is even more eager to return to the mainland than his boss.

The announcement reminded him that security was about to begin. Lin Bo stood up, and almost without thinking, he suddenly asked a question: "Boss, aren't you worried that everyone will have the same technology by then? Even without technological blockade, everyone's core technology level will be about the same."

Every country and company possessing core high technology is trying every means to block and prevent newcomers from joining.

No matter how much hardship and difficulty they endured during those years of obstruction, it wouldn't stop them from treating their new daughter-in-law the same way after years of being daughters-in-law and finally mothers-in-law.

Wang Xiao exclaimed "Ah!" and then beamed with joy: "If that's really the case, our country will definitely be the most cost-effective. Because we have a well-developed industrial base, are good at building industrial chains, and are particularly good at reducing costs."

Lin Benjian was slightly taken aback, then smiled as well.

What is the significance of science? It is to enable everyone to enjoy the social progress brought about by technology at a lower cost.

Zhang Rujing listened to their conversation with a smile. When he saw them get up to go through security, he also stood up and said with a smile, "Born, I'll wait for you to come back, and we can talk in detail then."

He was talking as he walked toward the security checkpoint when his phone rang before he even got there.

Zhang Rujing answered the phone quickly and exclaimed in surprise, "They really merged?"

Everyone watched him eagerly, wondering what kind of merger it was, and who was acquiring whom? Was it a case of the big fish eating the small shrimp, or the snake swallowing the elephant?

Zhang Bo hung up the phone and had no choice but to satisfy the group's curiosity: "It's not a merger, it's that General Manager Cao of UMC merged all five companies together."

Lin Benjian laughed: "Then the stock price is going to soar. President Cao really has guts."

Although he left Taiwan long ago to study and work in the United States, his parents have always lived in Taiwan. He now occasionally returns to Taiwan to visit relatives. He has naturally heard about the Zhang-Cao dispute in Taiwan's semiconductor industry.

Wang Xiao's gaze was fixed on Zhang Rujing.

Yes, once UMC merges, it instantly becomes a behemoth, so TSMC will inevitably take corresponding measures.

The fastest way to strengthen one's power is to annex the Third Prince.

Dr. Zhang, you shouldn't just be a consultant, you should come and be my general manager.

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[Starry-eyed] Keep going! Keep writing! [Sighing]