g-line photoresist is currently the mainstream photoresist, and it is not difficult to develop.
There are many companies on the market that can produce g-line photoresist.
Zhao Ye certainly believed that Academician Li Yiming could lead the team to develop photoresist, but it's always good to have a backup plan.
"Immediately investigate which company has the capability to produce photoresist and is willing to sell. We'll buy the company outright!!!" After the meeting, Zhao Ye approached Ni Annan.
The photoresist market is very small, totaling less than $1 billion. Most of the market share is occupied by Japanese and American companies, and other companies don't make much money at all.
For example, there are companies in Europe that produce photoresist, but they are relatively small in scale.
Instead of buying photoresist from other companies at high prices, it would be better to directly acquire a company in Europe that can produce photoresist. This way, you can not only buy the photoresist formula patent, but also own a g-line photoresist production line, and then expand production capacity.
It is worth mentioning that China and the United States are currently in a honeymoon period.
Upon hearing this, Ni Annan couldn't help but praise, "Boss, that's a great idea! I'll send someone to investigate immediately!"
Zhao Ye cautioned, "This must be done in secret. We can't let the Japanese find out, or they'll definitely try to sabotage it!"
Japan is adept at corporate espionage.
Zhao Ye recalled reading a report about Sitong Company that mentioned Japanese corporate espionage. It said that when Sitong Company was developing a Chinese typewriter, they encountered Japanese corporate espionage who repeatedly spied on the development progress and technology of Sitong's Chinese typewriter.
Sitong then secretly transferred its development team to Hong Kong to avoid being spied on by Japanese industrial spies. Later, Sitong's Chinese typewriter emerged and directly crushed Japanese typewriter brands, capturing more than 80% of the domestic market share.
Zhao Ye couldn't help but suspect that Canon and Nikon had been keeping a close eye on Wujiang Microelectronics, and that some of their employees lacked a strong sense of secrecy, which might have given them an opportunity to be exploited by corporate spies and uncover certain information.
When it comes to underhanded tactics, Zhao Ye is no match for those old foxes in Japan.
Others have rich historical experience; many Japanese conglomerates have existed for over a century, and sending commercial spies is routine for them. They have infiltrated China and "stole" countless technologies.
Ni Annan was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, but felt that Zhao Ye made sense; the acquisition of the photoresist company must be carried out in secret!
“Okay, I understand. Don’t worry, I will send people to handle this secretly. We can even register an offshore company to acquire the photoresist company. That way, no one will know that the person behind the acquisition of the photoresist company is our Wujiang Group!” Ni Annan said.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Ye's eyes lit up, and he immediately nodded and said, "Yes, we'll do as you say. Instead of acting directly, we'll register an offshore company to acquire the photoresist company in Europe!"
...
With the help of a Hong Kong intermediary company, an offshore company called Alphabet was quickly registered in Bermuda.
After the company was registered, it sent several employees to Inpex in the UK to discuss the acquisition.
Inpex develops high-performance photoresist materials in the UK, and its products hold a certain market share in Europe.
Alphabet's negotiators were all white, and the presence of Asians easily evokes comparisons to companies like Unlimited Microelectronics.
The person in charge of the negotiations was Rex Eden, 37 years old, who used to work for Goldman Sachs but was poached by Wujiang Company with a high salary.
RB's decision to cut off the supply of photoresist to Wujiang Microelectronics is a serious matter. Rex Eden is well aware of his mission: to earn a high salary and bonuses, he must acquire the British company Inpex this time.
Before coming to the UK, Rex Eden had made thorough preparations, having studied the British company Inpex in detail.
On his second day in the UK, Rex Eden began the first round of negotiations with the British company Inpex to gauge their interest in selling the company.
Rex Eden offered $15 million to acquire Inpex UK, based on the latter's size.
Inpex is a small but highly specialized company, not large in scale, but that's exactly what Boundless Photoresist needs.
At this moment, Philip Bulwell, the president of Inpex, was quite surprised by the purpose of Rex Eden and his group's visit.
"Mr. Aiden, I didn't expect your company to be planning to acquire Inpex. This matter will probably need to be discussed with the board of directors!"
"Of course, please convey to the board members that our Alphabet company is very interested in acquiring Inpex!"
“Yes, Mr. Aiden, I will pass on the message.”
...
...
A secret plan to acquire a European photoresist company has begun.
At this stage, only a very small number of people know about this.
Zhao Ye pretended not to know anything and would go to Wujiang Photoresist Company every day to cheer everyone up. The morale of the company was high, and it was common for people to work overtime until midnight.
Zhao Ye's plan to acquire Inpex in the UK was simply to have an extra layer of insurance, not because he didn't value the technical development of Li Yiming and others. Buying Inpex would only be more helpful to the development team. The G-line (436nm) photoresist is just a low-end photoresist. Zhao Ye needs Li Yiming's team to develop the i-line (365nm), KRF (248nm), ARF (193nm), and EUV photoresist.
As the saying goes, "When the city gate catches fire, the fish in the moat suffer as well." At this time, the international price of photoresist skyrocketed, and many chip companies also suffered an undeserved disaster.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
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