Chapter 671: Step 2: Covering the Sea! Dawn A220 EUV Lithography Machine, Mr. Chen’s New Chip!
In mid-August, Alibaba IPO, Jinling Youth Olympic Games, Austenite 304, Ice Bucket Challenge, Gu Jian Qi Tan and Feng Fei's reunion were the hottest topics.
What makes netizens confused is that Chen Yansen seems to have disappeared out of thin air, as if he is nowhere to be found.
His last public appearance was at the beginning of the month when he attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony of Orange Kindergarten.
"Is the preschool education industry so powerful? Brother Sen didn't even attend the business leaders' summit a few days ago."
"I heard Chen Yansen was shot and is still lying in the Sixth Hospital in Shanghai!"
"That's not right. The version I heard was that Mr. Chen was caught while buying and selling love. He will be imprisoned for at least two weeks!"
"666! Hey man upstairs, do you think the 1,000+ legal professionals at Senlian Capital are just for show? Get ready for a lawyer's letter!"
"This is hilarious! They deleted the post so quickly! Did Senlian Capital take action, or is he just scared?"
"Brother Sen was assassinated a long time ago! If he makes a public appearance next month, it will definitely be a body double!"
Just as Chen Yansen was busy advancing the research and development of EUV lithography machines, the rumors about him on the Internet became more and more outrageous.
According to incomplete statistics, netizens said that Chen Yansen's death methods included but were not limited to being shot, hit by a car, poisoned, drowning, etc.
In the end, it was the legal department of Senlian Capital that worked with multiple platforms including Weibo, Toutiao, Douyin, Kuaishou and WeChat to suppress the rumor-mongering.
Chen Yansen received three calls from Lao Chen within a week. After confirming that his son was fine, he turned around and became a rumor-busting warrior, going online to directly confront the netizens who spread the rumors.
After Chen Yansen learned about it, he did not stop it.
After all, arguing with others can also prevent Alzheimer's disease.
Time flies, and it is the evening of August 23rd.
The midsummer evening breeze makes the camphor trees at the Xingyuan Technology R&D Center sway and rustle.
The innermost core laboratory was now as bright as day, and the air was filled with an almost solidified heat.
The concept of time is blurred by the constant temperature and humidity, and the only sense of passage is the numbers jumping on the screen in the control room.
Chen Yansen was dressed neatly and wrapped tightly. He stood in front of the control console with Liang Jinsong, Lin Nan, Wang Xiangchao, Zhang Yanjie and others, staring at the huge monster in front of them through the thick anti-radiation glass.
Although this EUV lithography machine is only an Alpha prototype, its metal body glows with a precise silver glow under the cold light, countless pipes are intertwined like veins, and the observation window of the core chamber emits a faint purple light.
They successfully overcame the technical barriers of EUV light source, optical system and dual worktable one by one.
The hall was unusually quiet, with only the low hum of the ventilation system to be heard.
The engineers, wearing full sets of clean dust-free suits, walked slowly around the equipment like doctors in an operating room, conducting a final inspection.
"Boss, all subsystems have completed self-inspection, and the vacuum unit is ready to start."
Lin Nan reported to Chen Yansen with a slightly hoarse voice.
Chen Yansen nodded and said, "Carry out according to the plan and gradually establish a vacuum in the optical path."
After the order was issued, the atmosphere in the control room instantly became tense.
The huge vacuum pump set started working, making a low roar.
On the display screen, the numbers representing the vacuum degree inside the optical path showed a cliff-like downward trend: 0.01 Pa, 0.0001 Pa, 0.000001 Pa, moving towards high vacuum.
Everyone's heart was in their throat!
An extreme vacuum environment is the prerequisite for EUV light source transmission. Any tiny leak will result in all previous efforts being wasted.
I don’t know how long it took!
Wang Xiangchao suddenly shouted, "The vacuum level has stabilized at 0.0000006 Pascal! It has reached the preset value!"
There was a slight, restrained commotion in the control room, and someone gently clenched their fists.
The first step was successful!
Why do the light source system, the illumination optical system in the main cavity, the imaging optical system, the wafer platform module, the mask handling module and the wafer handling module of the EUV lithography machine all have to be in a vacuum environment?
This is because EUV light has an extremely short wavelength and is easily absorbed by all substances, including air.
In a vacuum environment, the absorption and scattering of EUV light by gas molecules can be minimized, thereby ensuring that the energy of the light source can be effectively transmitted to the subsequent optical system.
If in a non-vacuum environment, EUV light will be greatly attenuated during transmission and cannot meet the energy intensity required for lithography.
The core technology of this module was jointly developed by Zhang Yanjie and dozens of engineers from the Shenyang Institute of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering.
Therefore, he was more nervous than anyone else, fearing that mistakes would be made and that he would drag the team down.
"Start the light source preheating and set the power to the lowest setting."
Chen Yansen announced the next instruction in a calm tone.
The exciting moment has arrived!
This is the first beast tamed by Star Source Technology - the Magnetic Confinement Discharge Excited Plasma Light Source (MCDE-EUV light), which is about to be awakened!
If everything goes well, it will use "electromagnetic field" instead of "laser" as a means to excite and confine plasma, thereby obtaining weak extreme deep ultraviolet light with a wavelength of 13.5 nanometers.
Time passes by every second.
On the main monitoring screen, an originally flat baseline jumped slightly.
Then, a weak but clearly discernible signal peak rose stubbornly!
"There's a signal!" A young researcher couldn't help but shout out, his voice distorted with excitement.
Everyone knows it!
The first EUV lithography machine has great strategic significance to China!
Almost at the same time, the EUV power detector at the end of the optical path sent back the first data: 107 watts!
A number that ASML thought had long been left behind, at this moment, caused the entire control room to fall into a brief silence, and then burst into huge cheers!
Many people hugged each other subconsciously, and their eyes instantly turned red.
Lin Nan felt his hands trembling slightly, so he held on to the railing tightly and forced himself to calm down.
Chen Yansen remained calm. He raised his hand to suppress the cheers in the control room, and the cheers soon subsided.
"Increase the power gear!" Chen Yansen continued.
The power of the EUV lithography machine directly determines the number of wafers processed per unit time. Each exposure requires sufficient EUV light energy to trigger the photochemical reaction of the photoresist.
If the light source power is low, the single exposure time needs to be extended or the number of pulses needs to be increased to meet the energy requirements, resulting in longer single wafer processing time.
For example, a 200W model can process about 125 wafers per hour, while a 250W model can increase that to 170 wafers per hour, a production capacity increase of nearly 40%.
A little difference in technology means a huge difference!
Moreover, the higher the power, the lower the lithography cost per wafer and the greater the scale advantage.
Upon hearing this, Lin Nan immediately gathered his thoughts. His right hand slid quickly across the console, his eyes fixed on the power adjustment interface. "Got it! The current target level is 220 watts. The boost rate has been adjusted to the safe threshold to prevent plasma instability."
On the console screen, the numbers representing the light source power began to slowly climb. With every jump in the value, the breathing sounds in the control room became heavier.
137 watts, 168 watts, 214 watts...
When the number stopped steadily at 220 watts, Lin Nan immediately looked at the light source stability monitoring curve on the side.
The green line representing the plasma confinement state maintains a steady fluctuation without any abnormal spikes or dips.
The system runs stably!
"Power is stable at 220 watts! Plasma confinement is in good condition, with no energy leakage!"
Lin Nan's voice was a little louder than before, his tense shoulders relaxed a little, and a bright smile that no one else could see spread across his face.
As the core researcher and developer of the first domestically produced EUV lithography machine, he is definitely someone who will be included in textbooks, elected as an academician, and have his name recorded in history.
He took a deep breath and forced himself to control his emotions.
Chen Yansen nodded slightly and turned to look at Zhang Yanjie: "Optical system synchronization adaptation, check the beam homogenization effect."
Zhang Yanjie immediately called up the real-time data of the lighting optical module, and a set of beam cross-section distribution diagrams popped up on the screen.
The lavender light spot evenly covers the simulated mask area, without any shadow of energy attenuation at the edge.
"Teacher Chen, the beam homogenization is 99.2%, meeting the optical adaptation requirements at 220 watts of power. The imaging optical system has completed autofocus calibration!"
Zhang Yanjie responded loudly.
This time, the commotion in the control room was more obvious than before.
Some people quietly wiped their eyes, while others lightly hit the table with their fists.
From 107 watts to 220 watts, it is not just an improvement in numbers, but also proves that their MCDE-EUV light source can not only "light up" but also remain stable at higher power, which means that the possibility of mass production is one step closer.
Power is an important factor restricting process nodes!
Process miniaturization requires smaller line widths and spacing, which requires EUV light to have higher optical contrast, and power is the core support for contrast.
The stable power of 220 watts is enough to meet the production needs of 7-nanometer chip processes.
Chen Yansen hummed, then instructed, "Prepare the wafer stage and mask stage for synchronous testing. Load the test wafer and set the exposure program according to the 28nm process parameters."
Wang Xiangchao immediately responded: "The test wafer has been sent to the pre-alignment station by the robotic arm. The mask stage has been loaded with a 28nm standard circuit mask and is undergoing synchronous precision calibration."
In an instant, everyone's attention was refocused on the main monitoring screen.
The screen is divided into four screens: the upper left corner is the light source power and plasma state, the upper right corner is the beam distribution of the optical system, the lower left corner is the real-time coordinates of the wafer stage, and the lower right corner is the movement trajectory of the mask stage.
As Wang Xiangchao pressed the button, the two precision platforms moved rapidly. Their movement trajectories were like two precisely meshed gears, and each fine-tuning was controlled within 0.1 nanometers.
"Synchronization accuracy 0.08 nanometers! It has reached the preset standard!"
Wang Xiangchao said.
Chen Yansen glanced at the time. It was 8:37 in the evening, and more than half an hour had passed since the vacuum pump started.
He leaned over, spoke into the microphone, and instructed the laboratory staff: "Exposure begins, set the single exposure time to 0.5 seconds, and record all parameters."
In the observation window of the core chamber, a faint purple light suddenly lit up and then returned to its soft state.
The detector at the end of the optical path is frantically refreshing the data, and lines of values representing "exposure energy density", "line width uniformity", and "graphic overlay accuracy" pop up on the screen.
Every number is moving closer to the passing line!
0.5 seconds seemed like a century.
When the prompt tone indicating that the exposure was completed sounded in the control room, Wang Xiangchao immediately controlled the robotic arm to move the test wafer out and send it to the inspection room.
Everyone in the group followed, and even their steps became hurried.
Under the precise EUV mask inspector, when the lithography pattern of the first wafer was clearly displayed on the screen, the scene was completely boiling.
The lines are as thin as spider silk, yet there is no break or blur, and the outline of each transistor is as precise as a replica.
The operating principle of the lithography machine is like a printing press and a camera, except that the 'brush' and 'drawing board' it uses are more sophisticated.
"It worked! It really worked!"
Wang Xiangchao murmured to himself, his hands shaking, and a "hehe" laugh came out of his mouth, with a mixture of suppression and excitement.
After a while, the laughter turned into sobs.
He is 59 years old and has been working in the field of EUV light sources for most of his life.
He once saw his life coming to an end, and even the hope of a technological breakthrough in EUV light source gradually disappeared, and he felt powerless.
But who would have thought that Xingyuan Technology would emerge at this time, not only breaking the deadlock, but also bringing new hope to China's independent research and development of lithography machines.
Now that EUV lithography machines and Zhulong G1051 five-axis linkage CNC machine tools have been developed, China's chip industry and high-end manufacturing industry will no longer have to rely on others!
Wang Xiangchao wiped his face, trying to hold back the tears of excitement, but the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up. In the end, he simply didn't hide it and let the tears flow down his cheeks.
These tears contain regrets from most of my life, but also the joy of finally getting what I wanted after suffering.
Seeing this, Lin Nan patted his shoulder and said gently, "Mr. Wang, our wait and work were not in vain!"
Liang Jinsong, standing in the crowd, had a look of regret on his face. He secretly looked at Chen Yansen and silently gave his evaluation: a genius of the monster level!
You know, most of the technological breakthroughs in the world require a generation or even several generations of accumulation, but Chen Yansen came up with the industry's top solution based on the second-tier technology stack.
The 220-watt optical design with a resolution of less than 12 nanometers and a numerical aperture of 0.33 can accommodate approximately 80 billion transistors per square centimeter, which can definitely support the EUV mass production needs of the 10-nanometer and 7-nanometer nodes.
Chen Yansen smiled slightly. This EUV lithography machine is his new bargaining chip.
After all, the wider the industries that Senlian Capital is involved in, the more enemies it will make. If it doesn't have any decent skills, how can it get full support from above?
In addition, the price of a lithography machine is as high as 50 to 90 million US dollars, which can create huge economic benefits.
Moreover, Chen Yansen can use this opportunity to train a group of production, installation, maintenance and repair staff, and thus gain more humanitarian support.
However, the Alpha prototype is only suitable for internal testing and does not meet the conditions for actual tape-out testing. Beta prototypes will have to be released later, which are devices that will be tested by external users before the product is released.
Fortunately, Xingyuan Technology has its own production line. It only needs to make repeated debugging, modification, and iteration to gradually advance and eventually produce a finished lithography machine that meets the requirements.
"Teacher Chen, give it a name!"
Zhang Yanjie suggested.
"The darkness has passed, and the dawn has broken! Let's call it Dawn A220."
Chen Yansen thought for a moment and said.
A represents the first sequence of Star Source Technology's lithography machine, and 220 is its peak power.
at the same time.
After receiving the news, Li Qingsong immediately picked up the documents and hurried to a courtyard next to the South China Sea.
(End of this chapter)
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