Chapter 253 - The Most Challenging Obstacle

Chapter 253: The Most Challenging Obstacle
Translator: 
Nyoi-Bo Studio 
 Editor: 
Nyoi-Bo Studio
 
The challenges in producing the lithograph machine lie in three critical components: The light source, the double workpiece platform and lithograph lens.
It was doubtless that Z country was the best when it came to producing the light sources. This could be concluded from their laser weapons, which were obviously way more advanced than those from Merica.
A tiny little light source was a piece of cake for the scientists of Z country.
The double workpiece platform was slightly harder. It was said that the double workpiece platform developed by ASML was based on the magnetic suspension plane motor. The motion control of the photoresist had been honed to a highly precise 2 nanometers. This greatly improved the precision and efficiency of chip processing.


Foreign specialists had arrogantly proclaimed that
no other organisation will be able to produce such an advanced double workpiece platform
.
However, less than 5 years later, a team of scientists had developed a double workpiece platform with a photoresist motion control of about 2 nanometers which had successfully passed inspection.
With this, their core technological indicators had caught up to the technological standards of the overseas double platform photolithography machine.
Z country had conquered the double workpiece platform too.
Lastly, it was the lens of the photolithography machine. In recent years, Z country had experienced rapid progress in the field of optical lenses. Even the optical satellites produced by a civilian company had a resolution up to 0.5 meters. It could provide a panoramic view of the aircraft carriers, warships and vehicles on the ground. Even the aircraft that was taking off could be videoed. The video of a rocket launching had a clarity that was simply amazing.
If the performance of the optical lenses for civilian use were so ridiculously good, then the lenses developed for the military must be out of this world.
This reflected the progress of Z country in the field of optical lenses.
Naturally, the lenses for the photolithograph machine was no challenge for the scientists of Z country.
Hence three essential components of the light source, the double workpiece platform and lithograph lens had already been mastered by Z country.
This was the reason why ASML had stopped selling photolithography machines to Z country. A strict isolationist policy would only force Z country to achieve breakthroughs in the photolithography sector at a faster rate.


Even a tame rabbit would want to kill you if it was forced into a corner.
The lithograph machines of Z country had not caught up with the most advanced level in the foreign countries. One reason was because the market share was firmly controlled; the second reason was that by taking the same technical route as ASML, they would inevitably infringe on the intellectual property rights of ASML which would lead to patent lawsuits.
In addition, sales of certain essential equipment to Z country were banned.
Hence, the progress of the domestic photolithograph machine had stagnated.
Even so, Z country’s Institute of Optoelectronics has developed a new photolithography machine in order to circumvent foreign patent barriers.
The nanolithography machine with super-resolution.
This type of photolithograph machine adopted a completely different technical route from the traditional photolithograph equipment. With a near-ultraviolet light source with a wavelength of 365 nm, the maximum line width resolution of a single exposure was as high as 22 nanometer. Combined with multiple exposure techniques, it could be used to manufacture 10 or 9 nanometer chips.
This photolithograph equipment made use of ultraviolet light, which had a longer wavelength and was more common, to complete the photolithograph in a normal environment. This meant that domestic made photolithograph machines could achieve higher resolution photolithography using lower-cost light sources.
Their production costs were less than half of ASML’s, maybe even only a tenth of AMSL’s production costs.
This breakthrough in the technical principle was akin to building a tunnel through the mountain when others were building roads on that same mountain.


However, no matter how excellent the nanolithography machine was, it still had a critical flaw.
And that was the overly long exposure time.
This was especially true in the chip manufacturing sector. The EUV photolithography machine could complete its task within 15 seconds of exposure, but the nanolithography machine needed more than 10 days.
A clearer comparison would be that the traditional lithograph machine took a photo directly, while nanolithography with its super resolution used a pen and slowly drew a picture… the difference in efficiency was huge.
…
Shanghai Microelectronics.
Chen Jin came to the company for some investigation and research. He saw the 22 nanometer nanolithography machine with super resolution and listened to the introduction by the company’s CEO Zhang Yuming.

You’re saying that such a good piece of equipment can’t be used to manufacture chips. Why not?

Chen Jin frowned. This was too much of a pity.

It’s not that it’s impossible, it’s too slow! We’ve thought of various methods to increase the efficiency of its exposure. However, it takes five days to expose a shadow inscription. The efficiency is a fraction of traditional lithography, which completely offsets our cost advantage. It is only suitable for some small-scale markets, such as chips for military use, optical devices, high-precision gratings, photonic crystal arrays etc. We’ve sold more than ten units of our super-resolution photolithography machines to businesses in these sectors.



Zhang Yuming said with a shake of his head,
However, when it comes to the massive production of chips, we can only follow the book and make improvements on the traditional photolithography machine.

At present, the 10 nanometer photolithograph machine of Shanghai Microelectronics was based on the immersion lithography that used the 193 nanometer light source. But manufacturing cost was too high, and they had no competitive edge in the market.Moreover, it was also facing the patent barriers presented by ASML. Hence, it was not even introduced to the market.
By cooperating with many domestic organisations, Shangwei Electronics had made a number of breakthroughs in EUV lithography. However, it also faced many problems with regards to patents.
It was not that Z country could not break the supplier monopolies of many high-tech equipment. It was just that they were blocked by patent barriers.
Chen Jin asked,
Do you have any ideas to increase the efficiency of the exposure so that it is on par with the traditional photolithograph machine?

He thought that the super resolution photolithography machine had excellent prospects. They should continue to develop it and use it in the mass production of chips.

Yes, I do have a way, but it’s too difficult to realise it. It’s pretty much impossible to make it a reality with our current level of technology.


Tell me about your idea first.


We want to increase the number of ‘pens’ and reduce the size of the lens! 10,000 micro-lenses will be integrated in the thumb sized lithography lens, allowing these micro-lens to work simultaneously. This would complete the photolithography of the integrated circuit.

Zhang Yuming shook his head. But upon seeing the serious expression on Chen Jin’s face, he continued,
The internal structure of the chip is not complex. Each die has the same structure, and each transistor is also the same. The same work done can be done simultaneously with 10,000 microlenses. This would greatly speed up the efficiency of the super-resolution photolithography.




If such a lithography lens can be made, we can integrate 10 sets or even 100 sets of photolithography lenses in the super-resolution lithography machine, and proceed with the photolithography on a wafer with a diameter of over 100 inches, With 100,000 or even 1 million micro lenses working at the same time, the overall efficiency of the photolithography process can far exceed the traditional lithography machine!


But, it’s too difficult. With our current industrial manufacturing abilities, we need at least 20 years or more to produce that kind of photolithography lens,

The problem was that after 20 years, the cost of traditional lithograph machines would also dropped with the improvement of industrial technology. The super resolution nanolithography would still not have obvious competitive advantages. Its prospects was good, but it was not destined to become a huge success.
Chen Jin asked with a glimmer in his eyes,
So, the main problem is the lens, right?


Yes, the main obstacle is the lens.

Chen Jin said,
This is easy. The problem of the lens is not difficult at all. Xing Hai Technologies has a way to provide you with the lens that you described.

Zhang Yuming started to nod.
He froze suddenly.
He twisted his head and looked at Chen Jin with astonishment!
He asked dumbly,
President Chen, what did you say?