Chapter 513 Better to Stay (Bug Fix): There Must Be a Dark Horse
Lin Benjian did not make a decision immediately.
It wasn't that he disliked the factory for being small and unknown; rather, he felt that his job was in the United States, serving as a consultant for a lithography machine factory in Shanghai, which required him to travel between the two countries, and that his role was extremely limited.
Moreover, since they were able to independently develop the experimental machine, if they continue in this direction and continuously evolve the process, the next step should be the prototype machine, and then mass production can also be expected.
Since the bigwigs didn't say anything, no one could force them.
Otherwise, even if you succeed in using moral blackmail now, people will feel resentful in the future, which will only cause trouble.
So Wang Xiao readily agreed and smoothly transitioned to the next topic: "Want to go eat? I'm starving."
In Shanghai, in addition to three meals a day, you can have morning tea, afternoon tea, and late-night snacks.
So, 24 hours a day, whenever you want to eat, you can always find a meal that suits you.
Is it a good time to have afternoon tea now?
We don't need any famous hotels like the Peace Hotel; we can just find one nearby and fill our stomachs first.
Oh, what a coincidence, this afternoon tea place only has small seats for two or four people, no large tables.
So Wang Xiao pulled Professor Zheng to sit with Dr. Zhang and Dr. Lin first, and then one of them went to the restroom and the other went out for a smoke.
Dr. Zhang swallowed the butterfly pastry in his mouth and pressed Lin Benjian directly: "What exactly are you thinking? Why don't you become a consultant?"
He laughed. "Mr. Wang is very generous, not a demanding boss. Come over here, there's a villa reserved for you."
Lin Benjian waved his hand: "It's not because of that, I just think it's too far. It's easier for you to come to Shanghai from Taiwan, but I came from the United States, and all my time was wasted on the road. And the procedures are so troublesome. If I can't come, wouldn't I just be hanging on the list without doing anything, taking advantage of others for nothing?"
Zhang Rujing straightened his expression: "Have you considered coming over and doing it directly?"
Lin Benjian was taken aback for a moment: "Come over?"
Although his ancestral home is in Guangdong, he was born in Saigon, Vietnam. He went to Taiwan as an overseas Chinese when he went to university, and then went to the United States to pursue his doctorate.
Coming to the mainland to do serious work has never been part of his career plan.
Zhang Rujing nodded, his expression turning serious: "Burn, it was only when I went to America this time that I realized how tense the atmosphere is right now. As for when it will ease up? We don't know. I'm very worried that you won't be able to get out later."
The air was filled with the sweet aroma of tea and snacks. On a table not far away, fresh meat mooncakes were served. When diners took a bite, the rich aroma that filled the air was so enticing that it could bewitch them from a distance.
Unfortunately, Dr. Zhang wasn't one to indulge in gluttony. He earnestly emphasized, "Immersion lithography machines can directly advance two generations. Currently, the mainstream may still favor dry lithography with a wavelength of 157 nanometers, but as time goes on, it's estimated that it won't be long before everyone feels the necessity of switching to immersion lithography. At that time, your value in the eyes of the government will be even higher. And if the atmosphere hasn't eased by then, you might be stopped by the government and not allowed to come to the mainland again. They might even treat you like the Wen Ho Lee of the semiconductor industry, falsely accusing you of stealing American technology."
He also read the reports about the Wen Ho Lee case. Although he did not do nuclear physics research, his common sense told him that this case was a typical case of labeling, a political label.
As the reports show, the FBI has absolutely no evidence; all the accusations are speculative. Just because Wen Ho Lee hosted a Chinese delegation and attended Chinese academic conferences, and just because he is of Chinese descent, he inexplicably became a criminal.
But even a fool knows that if employees could easily take nuclear secrets from Los Alamos, the United States would have been finished long ago, and the world would have been finished long ago.
Politicians are always so short-sighted and dirty; they will maliciously disrupt normal communication among researchers for their own despicable interests.
However, the rapid development of science is precisely due to this large-scale and frequent exchange.
“Burn, I really don’t want this to happen, but we have to be prepared. We don’t want any accidents to hinder the necessary iterations and updates of semiconductors.”
The waiter walked past them with a tray of food.
After everyone left, Zhang Rujing continued, "Of course, Burn, you don't have to cooperate with them. Instead, you can go directly to other lithography machine manufacturers, the big ones. Maybe that would be faster and more convenient. And you can use existing examples to convince them. Look, someone has already made an experimental immersion lithography machine, which is a leap of two generations."
Lin Benjian, who had been staring at his plate, looked up in surprise upon hearing this: "Richard, why would you think that?"
Zhang Rujing said seriously, "Because I know you won't do that. It would not only be unfair to them, but it would also destroy the semiconductor industry's ecosystem."
He sighed, “Twenty years ago, even ten years ago, anyone could get into this industry; it attracted a lot of resources and talent. But now the barriers to entry are getting higher and higher, and newcomers need to offer more and more resources. To make lithography machines, not counting other hidden resources, they have already poured in six hundred million US dollars, and so far, they haven’t made any profit.”
"If they've poured their hearts and souls, spent so much time, energy, and money to achieve such a small result, and it's so easily taken away by someone else, then who would dare to enter this industry in the future?"
"If this goes on for too long, only giants will be left in this industry, and others won't dare to enter. Then the industry will become stagnant, with no hope of breakthroughs. Only dark horses, only dark horses that enter the industry and achieve results, will stimulate more talent and resources to flow in. This will prevent the lithography machine industry from becoming a one-man show. Blockades will not bring progress, but will only drag the entire industry into the abyss."
Zhang Rujing got so excited that his face turned serious. "Burn, if you really do that, I will sever all ties with you."
Lin Benjian chuckled, his face full of helplessness: "Richard, which manufacturer am I supposed to persuade?"
Photolithography machines are a typical high-investment, long-cycle industry, with a new product taking several years from research and development to market launch. This high-risk, slow-return characteristic means that it has never been an industry that hot money is willing to invest in.
Moreover, after several rounds of semiconductor market downturns, many manufacturers have encountered serious financial problems. In particular, small and medium-sized manufacturers simply do not have the capacity for research and development, let alone switch to developing immersion lithography machines.
As for those large manufacturers that have the capability and have always been at the forefront of lithography machine iteration, such as Nikon and Canon, Japanese companies are themselves an extremely closed small society with strict hierarchies.
Especially top-tier companies don't bother listening to outside opinions. They have a whole bunch of technical experts of their own.
Moreover, the leading lithography machine manufacturers have accumulated a wealth of experience in dry lithography machines, which is their advantage in the industry.
At this point, asking them to switch to making immersion lithography machines is, in a sense, abandoning everything from the past and starting from scratch, bringing everyone to the same level.
Which lithography machine giant would be willing to go to war and compete with a newcomer?
Even when he was at IBM, he couldn't convince his boss to give him a chance to work on ultraviolet light.
Moreover, he has now left the large corporation and is now a self-employed individual.
Lin Benjian sighed again: "Where am I supposed to go to persuade the manufacturers?"
He worked for IBM for 22 years, earning numerous honors, but when he finally left, IBM didn't even give him a farewell party.
“So you don’t need to persuade them.” Zhang Rujing readily agreed, gesturing to the engineers from the lithography machine factory sitting at the next table. “They’ve already started working on it; they just need your guidance.”
Seeing that Dr. Lin did not refuse, Dr. Zhang pressed on, "Burn, the current trend in the entire semiconductor industry is that design is still concentrated in the West, but product manufacturing has shifted to the East. With labor and land costs at stake, this trend will become more and more obvious."
He pointed to the cheese slice sandwiched in the middle of the pineapple bun cut in half in front of him. "I've always believed that lithography machines are actually closely linked to chip production, not design. Coming to the mainland to make lithography machines now means you can reach the top. In such a vast market, whoever comes first will have the advantage. Burn, you can't let your genius go to waste. You should shine here."
He chuckled and used Morris Chang as an example: "When Morris was at Texas Instruments, he was the boss of my boss's boss and the highest-ranking Chinese person in the American semiconductor industry. Everyone thought that was the top, and that he wouldn't reach any higher after leaving Texas Instruments. But in fact, after he went to Taiwan, he reached new heights in his career. Now when people talk about him, they no longer say that he was the former senior vice president of Texas Instruments, but the head of TSMC."
Speaking of his former employer, he couldn't help but sigh, because Texas Instruments had already sold its entire semiconductor business to Micron last year.
This is the ever-changing landscape of the semiconductor industry.
Zhang Rujing looked at Lin Benjian seriously: "Burn, please believe me, you have only used less than 1/10 of your talent. You will definitely create more miracles, and the history of the world's semiconductor industry will open a new chapter because of you."
Lin Benjian was not a man of many words, and he was almost overwhelmed by Lin's passionate words.
He even subconsciously adopted a defensive stance, shrinking back slightly: "Richard, you're really exaggerating."
In response, Zhang Rujing smiled and said, "Burn, what I'm saying now is less than one-tenth of what you can do in the future."
Dr. Lin hesitated: "What about Linnovation? I can't just abandon it."
If he were to ask himself honestly, he would prefer doing research and development to running a company.
But that was also his hard work, the result of his dedication to the field of lithography even after his dismal departure from IBM.
Without hesitation, Zhang Rujing said, "Linnovation makes lithography software, which is exactly what lithography factories need. Burn, lithography factories are extremely reliant on leading technology. Look, if you launch the 193-nanometer wavelength immersion lithography machine first, coupled with a dual-stage system, even if Nikon, Canon, and ASML catch on, we will still be highly competitive. At that time, we can even become the world's number one lithography factory."
Lin Benjian was also a devout Christian, but his personality determined that he could not be a fanatical science evangelist like Zhang Rujing.
Therefore, he could not be as optimistic as Zhang Rujing. His first concern was: "Even if the lithography machine is manufactured, it will be useless if only manufacturers buy it."
This industry has extremely high barriers to entry. The lithography machine market is almost entirely dominated by a few major manufacturers, leaving virtually no room for newcomers to establish themselves.
After all, lithography machines are crucial for chip production, and manufacturers of any significant size are unlikely to risk using products from a new factory.
Zhang Rujing smiled: "First, Wuzhou has its own chip factory, so it can use it itself. Second, the mainland is vigorously developing the semiconductor industry, and they will do their best to promote the use of your lithography machines by local chip factories. Third, I can assure you that once your lithography machines are produced, as long as the quality is not a problem, World University will definitely use your lithography machines."
He joked, "We're currently third in Taiwan's wafer foundry market, but when we use your lithography machines, we might be able to overtake you."
Lin Benjian laughed and said, "Then Richard, you'd better give us more orders."
Zhang Rujing beamed: "Of course! You must give us priority when it comes to supplying us; we can't be left behind."
The sunshine at the end of May was wonderful, so bright it almost blinded me. Luckily, there was a grove of bamboo outside the shop window that filtered the sunlight, and a gentle breeze brought a refreshing coolness.
After leaving the dining table, Boss Wang was really busy. She went to the restroom first, and then stood at the front desk, staring wide-eyed at the new products recommended on the front desk advertisement. Then she hesitated whether to try this sweet and salty snack.
The pretty receptionist had already given up on her and let her stand there looking around.
After all, some people may only appear glamorous on the surface, but actually have very little money in their pockets. There are plenty of people like that in Shanghai.
In the end, Boss Wang finally decided to buy a plate, cut a small piece for himself and Liu Ba to taste each flavor, and then shared the rest with Xiao Gao and Xiao Zhao. Anyway, whether it tasted good or not, they all thought it was pretty good.
Mr. Wang finally satisfied his appetite and returned to the dining table contentedly.
Professor Zheng had finished his cigarette and was having a lively discussion with Dr. Lin.
The latter said matter-of-factly, "You must apply for all the patents immediately."
While in the United States, he also interacted with engineers from mainland China and even the former Soviet Union. He discovered that people raised under the socialist education system had a very weak, even nonexistent, awareness of patents.
However, the semiconductor industry, from the inside out and from top to bottom, relies heavily on patents in every branch.
If you don't apply for a patent early on, even if you create it entirely on your own without referencing anything from the other party, they can still use the patent to shut you down.
Professor Zheng nodded repeatedly: "We've been working on this, but the application process is so troublesome. They require this and that all the time, it's a headache."
Lin Benjian smiled good-naturedly: "I'll go with you later to see if we can speed things up."
Professor Zheng was overjoyed; if they said that, it meant they were willing to stay.
That's great! They're like donkeys pulling a millstone, their eyes are always covered by a cloth, they can't see the road ahead, and they keep going in circles.
Now that someone is offering guidance, that would be wonderful.
Wang Xiao's heart was pounding. She reached out and covered her chest, trying desperately to press it down, but she couldn't.
In the end, she simply gave up and extended her hand directly to Dr. Lin: "Dr. Lin, welcome to the team, welcome to lead us in creating miracles."
Lin Benjian hesitated for a moment before taking her hand.
He spent 22 years at IBM, though the final parting wasn't exactly amicable—he didn't even get a farewell party of his own.
But IBM's style of always being a few steps ahead of the world in research was deeply ingrained in him. He also had a personality that always wanted to be ahead of the curve.
Therefore, he was willing to take the risk and bet the second half of his career on the research and development and production of immersion lithography machines.
Wang Xiao beamed and asked excitedly, "Lin Bo, what do you need? If we have it, we'll give you everything; if we don't, I'll try to find it for you. What style of house do you and your partner like? An American country villa, a European style, or a large, single-level apartment in a commercial building?"
“That’s not important.” Lin Benjian waved his hand and said seriously, “What I need now is people, a whole team. For a mature lithography machine factory, this team should have at least 50 people. But since we’ve only been doing this for a few years, I hope that number will be 100 people, or even more.”
This is a bit troublesome.
Although there was no shortage of people on Earth in 1999, and countless workers across China were laid off, with everyone holding up job-seeking signs, Boss Wang's business was so large that he was always short of staff.
At the crucial moment, Dr. Zhang generously offered: "Then I'll just give you 100 people. However, their majors in university are all in microelectronics, and I originally planned to send them to IMEC in Belgium for internships."
Ever since he was trapped at Wuzhou Chip by Boss Wang under the guise of an advisor, he has been truly working hard, both mentally and physically.
Recruiting experienced engineers from outside is not only costly, but also difficult.
Moreover, every company needs to cultivate its own talent pool.
So he personally participated in campus recruitment, recruiting 1,000 people from well-known universities in the Yangtze River Delta region—thankfully there are many universities in the Yangtze River Delta region, otherwise the microelectronics major would not be able to supply so many graduates.
He plans to train these young graduates for five years, after which they should be able to take on important responsibilities.
Lin Benjian waved his hand dismissively: "When I finished my doctoral studies, I never thought about doing photolithography."
Many people enter the semiconductor industry by chance.
For example, Morris Chang, who had a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from MIT and wanted to work for Ford Motor Company, ended up working for a semiconductor company after graduation.
Take himself as an example. He had a PhD in Electrical Engineering and applied to Kodak, but they didn't hire him. He ended up at IBM by chance.
It is difficult, if not impossible, for any company to recruit a new employee who is perfectly suited to their needs. Companies must provide new employees with a platform to grow and nurture their development.
With a mindset of starting from scratch, Dr. Lin felt that the lack of talent reserves was not entirely unacceptable.
Moreover, it's obvious that this newly established lithography machine factory has some real skills. Otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to build a prototype immersion lithography machine.
Now that he no longer has to worry about people, he has to talk to his boss about money: "Linnovation is the culmination of my and my colleagues' hard work, and I can't just shut it down casually."
Wang Xiao nodded, not seeing it as a problem at all: "Just close it and reopen it. The staff will remain the same. We'll re-register in the British Virgin Islands, and I'll be responsible for the investment. Colleagues who don't want to stay will receive the appropriate compensation. Those who do want to stay can go to work in Hong Kong or choose to work remotely from the United States. Of course, for the sake of efficiency, we would prefer to suggest working in Hong Kong. If they want to come to Shanghai, it's even more convenient. Housing and children's schooling can all be arranged here."
Lin Benjian knew that he could not simultaneously manage an independent company and the research and development and production of lithography machines. So, although it was painful, once a choice was made, one should act decisively.
He nodded, and the matter was temporarily settled.
But there was another thing he had to remind his boss: "Making lithography machines is extremely expensive. Although you've already invested six hundred million US dollars and built an experimental machine, it doesn't mean you'll make money later. It will require even more investment, and there's no guarantee of success. Building an experimental machine doesn't mean you can successfully mass-produce it; all the money might be wasted. It's also possible that by the time it finally reaches mass production, dry lithography machines will have already surpassed it."
He earnestly emphasized, "Theory is theory, and practice is practice. Science does not allow for the complete denial of any possibility."
Wang Xiao nodded in understanding: "So how much budget do you think we should prepare for the future?"
Lin Benjian hesitated for a moment, then quickly calculated in his mind before finally uttering an astronomical figure: "It might require one billion US dollars."
If it were a more established manufacturer, it probably wouldn't cost that much, maybe even half that amount.
But this lithography machine factory is different. It's more like a large laboratory, with a big head and a small body, so weak that it can hardly support its huge head.
To prevent it from breaking its neck and to ensure its healthy growth, a large amount of money must be spent to purchase resources to address its shortcomings.
Wang Xiao breathed a sigh of relief, as if a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders: "I had originally prepared 5 billion US dollars."
Everyone at the table secretly gasped. What did $5 billion mean? It meant the annual profit of a giant like Intel, a universally acknowledged super-profitable giant.
Wang Xiao then turned to Zhang Rujing to reassure him: "Zhang Bo, don't worry, I've also prepared the money for the 12-inch chip factory. My budget is 3 billion US dollars."
Neither of the two semiconductor tycoons at the dinner table seemed inclined to speak.
No wonder everyone wants to work in the internet industry; it's incredibly lucrative.
According to the newspapers, the Nasdaq index has hit a new high. Based on the latest stock price, AOL's market capitalization is almost equal to Intel's.
My God, what kind of company is Intel, and what kind of history does it have?
What is AOL? It's just a company that sells internet time.
You can hardly see any technical content inside.
But both Zhang Rujing and Lin Benjian were clear about one thing: it was the booming internet market that drove the revival of the semiconductor industry.
Without the proliferation of internet companies of all sizes overnight, the market wouldn't have generated so much demand for semiconductor equipment, and naturally, there wouldn't have been a steady stream of orders.
Even the boss in front of them, if she hadn't made a fortune in the internet market, she wouldn't be so wealthy and extravagant, throwing money around like that.
Mr. Wang bluntly stated, "Thanks to the rise in stock price, otherwise raising funds would not have been so easy."
To put it bluntly, she was using money earned from other industries to subsidize the chip factory and lithography machine factory.
Zhang Rujing comforted her, saying, "Once the new lithography machine is developed, it will be much easier for you to raise funds later. Investors will be chasing after you wanting to invest."
Wang Xiao smiled and said, half-jokingly, "Then I'll have to choose carefully, lest they turn the tables and try to be the masters of our place."
The afternoon tea ended in such a relaxed and pleasant way.
Only now did Zhang Rujing have time to take Lin Benjian to the hotel to drop off his luggage, wash his face, and tidy up before returning to the lithography machine factory.
He went on and on to tell Lin Benjian, “There’s a church here for worship. I’ve been there. The environment is very nice, and the parishioners are very kind. They’re organizing a choir. If you’re interested, you can join.”
Lin Benjian hesitated for a moment before asking, "Isn't this side taken care of?"
His decision to go to mainland China to develop immersion lithography machines was entirely driven by a reckless and courageous spirit, willing to do anything for technology.
Social ideology and the environment were fears that he forcibly suppressed.
Zhang Rujing shook his head: "Nobody cares. As long as you don't cause trouble, my feeling is that the mainland government is very tolerant. They don't care what you believe in."
Lin Benjian said "Oh, I see" twice.
I don't know if they really listened or if they were still skeptical.
However, Zhang Rujing believes that none of this matters. It's clear that Dr. Lin will likely dedicate all his time and energy to his work from now on, leaving no time for idle thoughts.
Seeing the other person's silence and thoughtful expression, he said a few more words: "Burn, Boss Wang is indeed not a professional, but she has two great advantages. One is that she is very willing to delegate. After selecting people, she will not directly interfere with how to do the work afterwards, but will let you do it yourself. She will only do logistical and administrative support. The other is that she has a very good relationship with the local government, which makes it easy to obtain policy support and assistance."
"Another point is that although this factory is very new and has many shortcomings in technology, the people working there are very hardworking, eager to learn, and very serious about their work. Most importantly, their minds are not rigid at all; they are very flexible and creative."
Dr. Lin took a deep breath and stood up: "Alright, it's about time. I'd like to go back to the factory for another look."
I don't know if they've applied for a patent for their dual workbench.
Well, he had every reason to suspect that they didn't know that it wasn't necessary to complete the entire process before applying for a patent, but rather that each step of the technology could be patented.
Zhang Rujing almost burst out laughing when he heard him muttering to himself.
See, Burn probably didn't even realize that before he even had a chance to discuss salary and even job position with his boss, he was already involuntarily worrying about them.
That's probably just their nature; they're born to love young children and to support and help the vibrant new generation.
Who wouldn't want to grow alongside an emerging company and achieve their own personal success here?
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Note: Didn't we mention earlier that when Lin Benjian was at IBM, he and his boss had a debate about X-ray versus ultraviolet light? At that time, the X-ray team completed a technical breakthrough, and everyone gathered to celebrate. The proud boss gave everyone a T-shirt with the words "X ray works" printed on it.
Lin Benjian took the T-shirt, quickly changed it to "X ray works - for the dentists", and hung it on the filing cabinet so that his boss and colleagues could see it when they passed by.
Haha, [winking emoji] I saw this detail while researching, and I found it really cute. Scientists have their own kind of pride.
In real history, Lin Benjian's team at Linnovation developed PROLITH, the industry's first commercially available lithography simulation software. This software later became a standard R&D tool for semiconductor giants such as ASML. In 2000, the company's biggest competitor was acquired by a giant, leading to the company's closure.
Then came the story of TSMC recruiting Lin Benjian. He helped TSMC achieve the 90-nanometer process first, and later, combined with multi-exposure technology, he supported TSMC in advancing the process to 7 nanometers, pushing Moore's Law forward seven generations. He retired at the age of 73.
When I was conceiving this chapter, I considered whether to have Wang Xiao go and persuade Dr. Lin. That would have been more dynamic, otherwise it would always be Zhang Bo nagging.
But after careful consideration, I realized this logic didn't hold water. In 1999, mainland China was completely foreign to Lin Bo. His only acquaintance there, the only person he dared to trust, was Zhang Rujing. This trust was based on Zhang Bo's good relationships and reputation in the semiconductor industry. Only Zhang's words would Lin Bo likely heed. [Starry-eyed emoji]
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