Scholar's Cultivation System Panel

"Lithography machines are very sophisticated and complex semiconductor equipment. We at ASML have gone through a long period of research to get to where we are today. It's pretty good that you started so late and made progress."

Tonino still showed off the strength of his company on the way, and even gave a false compliment after he finished speaking.

The smile that appeared on the corner of his mouth never disappeared.

He had already determined in his heart that the lithography machine developed by Xu Yun was at most a 28-nanometer process and would not pose any threat to ASML.

Naturally there is no burden.

Thinking that he would be able to complete his mission and return to the company soon, he couldn't help but speed up his pace.

Xu Yun, Luo Changhui and others next to them looked at each other when they heard the sound, and remained silent tacitly.

Although there was no expression on his face, he was almost laughing in his heart.

It can only be said that this dignified technical executive of ASML is becoming more and more sympathetic.

After about ten minutes, a group of more than ten people finally arrived at the floor where the first domestic extreme ultraviolet lithography machine was located.

Because this photolithography machine continues to manufacture chips, there is someone on duty in the central control system room.

I saw Xu Yun, Luo Changhui and others coming in.

He quickly stood up and said hello.

"Director."

"Professor Xu."

Luo Changhui waved his hand at him and said with a smile: "Sit down quickly. How is the operating status of the lithography machine today?"

"Everything is running normally." The person on duty responded.

Xu Yun didn't pay attention to Luo Changhui's conversation. At this time, he turned his eyes to Tonino beside him and actively introduced: "Professor Tonino, please see, this is the first extreme ultraviolet lithography machine we have independently produced." He spoke with the corner of his mouth. The smile that emerged became more playful.

The words just fell.

He didn't wait for the other party to answer.

He added again: "I also hope Professor Tonino can give some advice."

Needless to say, Xu Yun said that Tonino's attention had long been focused on the large equipment in front of him.

The expression on his face first flashed with a strange color.

It quickly returned to normal.

Obviously, they did not expect that the Institute of Optoelectronics Technology would successfully assemble a usable photolithography machine in just over a year.

But that wasn't enough to attract his attention.

He firmly believed in his own judgment.

Xu Yun's team has conquered the most 28nm process lithography machine.

Although it is difficult to judge the craftsmanship of the lithography machine in front of you just from the appearance.

"No problem at all."

He agreed easily and then said directly: "For photolithography machines, it must be ensured that they will not malfunction frequently, otherwise it will seriously affect the progress of the order. At this point, I can guide you on how to try your best. Avoid the occurrence of malfunctions." At this point, the look on Tonino's face quickly became more and more confident.

Unfortunately, just when he was about to continue speaking, he was interrupted by Xu Yun beside him.

"Please wait a moment, Professor Tonino."

"Professor Xu."

"This is a waste of your time." Tonino looked a little impatient when he saw that his speech was interrupted.

In his opinion.

As the world's top semiconductor equipment company, he has a lot of power as the chief technology executive to provide Xu Yun's lithography machine team with technical knowledge about lithography machines. This is something that is difficult to find even with a lantern.

I don’t know how many semiconductor-related companies want to invite him to come over for exchanges and cooperation.

As a result, he was interrupted abruptly.

It is inevitable that you will feel very shameless.

According to his opinion, Xu Yun and others should listen carefully at this time.

Rather than giving an opinion.

"Professor Tonino doesn't need to be angry. Maybe Professor Xu has other plans."

When Luo Changhui heard this, he took the lead to smooth things over and avoid unnecessary conflicts.

Of course Xu Yun didn't interrupt Tonino on purpose. The main reason was that Tonino didn't even understand the equipment in front of him, so how could he give guidance without knowing the specific values.

If it is just perfunctory, then there is no need to listen to the so-called guidance.

Thinking of this, he asked directly.

"Professor Tonino should first understand the situation of our independently developed lithography machine?"

"There is no need at all." Tonino heard that Xu Yun was worried about this and casually explained: "Our company's research on 28nm process lithography machines is very mature. Even if it is a trivial technology, it can still provide you with a lot. Big help.”

After he finished speaking, he did not continue to argue with Xu Yun, but planned to continue what he had just said.

However, Xu Yun had no intention of exposing this matter.

The next second, there was a smile on his lips, and he explained in clear words.

"Professor Tonino, you seem to have made a mistake."

"Feel sorry."

"Our extreme ultraviolet lithography machine is the most advanced for 7-nanometer chip manufacturing."

As these words reached Tonino's ears, his whole body was filled with surprise and his eyes were filled with surprise.

After a pause for a few seconds, he said without giving up: "This joke is not funny at all."

"Xu."

"Is this your unique humor?"

At this time, Xu Yun was too lazy to pretend to the opponent and chose to show off directly.

Ignoring the other party's harsh words, Xu Yun looked at the person on duty and said, "Show Professor Tonino the configuration of our photolithography machine."

"It's best if you can give me technical advice."

"After all, ASML is already very mature in this field."

"It's Professor Xu." The person on duty replied with a smile.

After saying that, he immediately adjusted the configuration and performance of the lithography machine to let Tonino realize this realistic blow.

Next to him, Luo Changhui said earnestly: "Professor Tonino, we did not lie to you on this matter."

At this moment, the expressions of the two waves of people were in sharp contrast.

Although some of the company personnel who came with Tonino were not exposed to technical aspects, they also understood what the 7-nanometer process extreme ultraviolet lithography machine represented.

It's really hard to believe.

On the other hand, the people in Yang Jing Research Institute were feeling proud and proud at this time.

In the past, we had no right to speak in the semiconductor field, and I don’t know how many targeted regulations we were forced to accept.

Now that all the hardships are over, I finally have my own high-end lithography machine. Seeing the surprised expression of ASML's technical executive, I can say that I feel as happy as I want.

If not for everyone's relatively high level of cultivation, they would probably have laughed out loud by now.

Tonino, who was the focus of everyone's attention, naturally took a look at the configuration immediately in order to prove that his judgment was correct.

Desperate to find evidence that it is not a 7nm process.

pity.

He failed.

After carefully examining it for a few minutes, he looked like a deflated balloon and his eyes had lost all energy.

He looked completely different from the confident look he had just now.

He even murmured to himself.

"impossible."

"How could you develop a 7-nanometer process lithography machine so quickly?"

"There's no way this can be done."

After confirming that the lithography machine in front of him used an extreme ultraviolet light source and that all technologies reached the 7-nanometer process level, he just felt that he was a little doubtful about life now.

The knowledge he had learned and decades of experience at ASML told him that it was impossible for Xu Yun to develop a high-end lithography machine.

But Xu Yun really did it.

This undoubtedly caused his worldview to collapse, and he was still unable to accept this fact in a short period of time.

As the room became quiet, Tonino's increasingly heavy breathing seemed to be heard.

"Are you okay, professor?" The blonde female assistant accompanying him quickly supported Tonino and asked with concern.

I'm afraid something will happen during this trip to Jincheng.

Fortunately, Tonino didn't seem to have any heart disease. Otherwise, he would not have been able to handle the incident smoothly if he was suddenly subjected to such a huge mental stimulation.

"I'm fine."

Tonino took a deep breath and let go of the female assistant's support.

The next second he raised his gaze and looked at Xu Yun again, and asked very expectantly: "You must have been studying this extreme ultraviolet lithography machine for many years, right?"

Yes.

After being stimulated, Tonino found an excuse that he could barely accept.

That is, this photolithography machine is the result of many years of research.

It just hasn't been made public before.

Although this is still scary, at least the two sides are still on the same level.

After saying this, he stared at Xu Yun closely.

Feeling uneasy inside.

I want to hear the answer right away, but I'm also afraid of being disappointed.

Until he saw a meaningful smile on Xu Yun's face.

Faced with this question, Xu Yun did not choose to answer, but instead looked sideways at Liu Xing who was standing behind.

"Liu Xing."

"It's up to you to answer Professor Tonino."

"It's Professor Xu." Liu Xing nodded and felt secretly happy. He took two steps forward and spoke to Tonino in a deep voice: "That's Professor Tonino. This extreme ultraviolet lithography machine was developed by Professor Xu after he took over the project. "

"It's been over a year to this day."

He deliberately emphasized the last sentence to enrich the emotion.

"Just over a year?"

Tonino was completely shocked by this answer. At this moment, there seemed to be nothing else in his mind except question marks.

Repeating these words in his mouth, he gradually lost consciousness.

Recalling the hard work I put into researching lithography machines at ASML, and the time and money the company consumed, it suddenly seemed so unbearable and stupid when compared with Xu Yun.

Projects that others can solve in more than a year take them several times the time.

The pride I had in the past was instantly shattered.

The key is that within such a short period of time after Xu Yun took over this project, the process of photolithography machines has made a big step forward and can directly manufacture 7-nanometer chips.

Achieving 5 nanometers or even 3 nanometers at such a speed is not worth mentioning.

You can imagine what kind of impact it will have on the semiconductor field when the news spreads after this lithography machine is officially delivered.

"Is it a big change like the battery industry?"

When his thoughts reached this point, Tonino secretly thought that he regretted taking this trip with mixed feelings.

But just when he completely lost interest and wanted to return to the company as soon as possible to report to CEO Peter Wen, Luo Changhui's voice rang in his ears again.

"Has the test data of the chip come out today? What is the defect rate?"

Although the person on duty sitting in front of the main control system didn't know why Luo Changhui suddenly asked this in front of everyone, he immediately reported the results out of his own responsibilities.

"The report shows that the defect rate is basically the same as the previous few days, still below 2%."

As soon as these words came out.

Others looked calm.

Tonino's jaw nearly dropped.

"What?"

"Two percent?"

Not caring about his own image, he immediately exclaimed twice.

No one knows the significance of this number better than him. Even ASML, the world's top semiconductor equipment company, cannot guarantee that the chip defect rate is less than 2%.

As we all know, every batch of chips produced will definitely have defective chips that do not meet the standards.

These need to be excluded and counted as costs for the fab.

If you want to reduce the chip defect rate, you must naturally start with the performance of the photolithography machine and the important photoresist.

Basically, the more mature the process, the lower the defect rate.

For example, when manufacturing 14-nanometer chips, the defect rate will definitely be much lower than that of 7-nanometer chips.

ASML has been deeply involved in the field of lithography machines for many years and is currently conducting research on 3-nanometer chip technology.

But it can only maintain the chip defect rate at 5%.

Relying on his own talent and strength, Xu Yun led the project team to develop a 7-nanometer process lithography machine in less than two years. This is really amazing and hard to believe.

But after all, this is a newly assembled photolithography machine.

If you want to reduce the chip defect rate as much as possible, you will inevitably need to debug the photolithography machine for a long time.

In this link, the effect that photoresist can play is also limited.

Under normal circumstances, it is extremely difficult for this lithography machine to maintain a defect rate of 5%.

Not to mention less than two percent.

Maybe he just made a mistake about the process of this photolithography machine, but he never believed that there would be such a low defect rate.

His thoughts stayed here, and there was a light in his eyes, and he pointed the finger directly at Xu Yun.

Express your opinion on the spot.

"Professor Xu."

"I admit that you have indeed created a miracle and conquered high-end lithography machines in a short period of time when the technology was blocked."

"But there's no need to deliberately create a false defect rate, right?"

"Don't you think two percent is outrageous?"

Xu Yun listened to all Tonino's words, and he could only say that he couldn't laugh or cry.

Of course he knew that Luo Changhui's raising the defect rate at this time must be intentional.

The purpose is nothing more than to show off.

After all, this is related to the subsequent opening of the market for domestic extreme ultraviolet lithography machines, so there is no need to hide it.

But Tonino's performance was a bit unruly.

He had been slapped in the face just now, but suddenly he became so confident again.

I really don't know where he got this confidence.

"Professor Tonino, since you want to pursue excitement, then I can only help to carry it out to the end."

He whispered this to himself, and then said to the person on duty: "Take out the file of the chip test results and let Professor Tonino see it."

He knew very well that in this case, any explanation would be futile.

Even more unable to convince Tonino, who was trapped in his own world.

So let’s just talk about the facts.

This is why he did not answer Tonino's question and directly asked the person on duty to get the documents.

The person on duty didn't know the situation at this moment, let alone Luo Changhui's secret use.

Wensheng didn't hesitate at all and quickly took out the test file.

"Professor Xu, this is today's latest test data." He handed it to Xu Yun with both hands while not forgetting to say something.

"Um."

Xu Yun took the document and nodded at the other party, then faced Tonino.

"Professor Tonino."

"As for the chip defect rate of our lithography machine, I think you will have the answer in your mind after reading this."

Looking at Xu Yun's unusually calm face, Tonino suddenly couldn't make up his mind.

He thought that after he said those words, the other party would show a look of panic or embarrassment.

But the fact is that he didn't see any of this.

Especially now that Xu Yun directly took out the test data report, it didn't look like it was false.

"Can their chip defect rate really be reduced to less than 2%?"

A lot of thoughts flashed through his mind, and he was shocked when the thought came to his mind.

I just think this is too crazy.

But when things get to this point, the final answer must be obtained no matter what.

Though Tonino's fingers were trembling slightly when he thought of this, he still took the document and looked through it carefully.

His entire face became increasingly ugly.

"it is true."

"You actually reduced the defect rate to less than 2%!"

After about half a minute of touching, Tonino suddenly raised his eyes and subconsciously exclaimed.

Even if the facts are right in front of you, it's still hard to believe.

As a professional in this field, he can naturally easily understand the meaning of each data in the report.

Know more that this is completely true.

After being slapped in the face twice in a row, he felt like his whole body had been completely drained of energy after saying this.

If the body loses its center of gravity, it will fall backwards.

Fortunately, the entourage standing beside him had already noticed the situation and immediately reached out to help him when the situation was critical.

This prevented him from falling to the ground.

"Professor Tonino."

"Professor, are you okay, Professor Tonino!"

The people who came with Tonino were all from ASML, and they knew Tonino’s position in the company very well.

I definitely don't want anything to happen.

So at this time, everyone started shouting, showing great concern.

Tonino was just mentally exhausted from being hit one after another and didn't want to think about anything in his mind.

But there is no major problem with his body and he is still conscious.

At this time, Xu Yun, as the host, was also busy and concerned: "If Professor Tonino feels unwell, please go back to the hotel to rest first. It won't be too late for us to talk about mutual exchanges tomorrow."

What he said did sound sincere, but it was a pity that Tonino could not communicate with him at the moment.

After taking a deep breath and forcing himself to stand up straight, he replied: "Thank you very much, Professor Xu, for your concern, but I'm afraid this exchange event will end early due to my health." After saying that, he made a show of leading several of his entourage. Turn around and leave the room.

Although Tonino suffered a lot of stimulation today, he was not a fool.

The Institute of Optoelectronics Technology can keep the chip defect rate at a historically low range of less than 2%, so there is no need for his guidance and communication.

After figuring out the current situation, he just wanted to return to the company as soon as possible and inform Peter Wen of the situation.

It is now certain that the Institute of Optoelectronics Technology has conquered the high-end extreme ultraviolet lithography machine.

And it will be officially delivered soon.

At that time, they will be ASML's most powerful competitor.

Perhaps they could still rely on their 5-nanometer chip lithography machines to gain some advantages in the past to ensure their own market, but now the defect rate alone can turn the opponent's defeat into victory.

In addition, the cost of high-end photoresist is much lower than that of Neon Company. I believe that as long as the wafer factory is not struck by lightning, it will choose to purchase this kind of photolithography machine developed by Xu Yun of the Academy of Sciences.

What's more, with Xu Yun's level and research speed, I'm afraid it won't be too far away from realizing a 5nm process chip.

By that time, ASML may no longer exist.

It was a crisis related to the company's survival, and he had to return to the company immediately to inform him of the situation and discuss a response plan.

Xu Yun could guess what Tonino was thinking now, and this was exactly what he wanted to see.

So it was not blocked.

"That's such a shame, Professor Tonino. I hope you can come over next time if you have time."

In the end, he responded with a little emotion and said no more.

On the other hand, Luo Changhui next to him hurriedly ordered Yang Jing: "Old Yang, please send Professor Tonino to the institute."

"no problem."

Yang Jing happily agreed upon hearing this.

Soon only Xu Yun, Luo Changhui, Liu Xing and some other staff on duty were left in the room.

There was no outsider, and Luo Changhui no longer concealed anything, letting his inner emotions show through the joy on his face.

"Is Professor Tonino really doubting life this time?"

"But this is a good thing for us. I believe ASML will take action soon." Xu Yun and Luo Changhui smiled at each other and told what would happen next.

Liu Xing, who was watching the whole process, looked at the door and said thoughtfully: "Isn't this a bit too hurtful for his self-esteem?"

"Do not worry."

Xu Yun smiled when he heard this and said, "My mental endurance is much stronger than yours."

Liu Xing felt a little embarrassed when he heard this sentence.

As of now, Xu Yun can be said to have completed all his tasks in Jincheng.

Next, we only need to wait for the test cycle to end and officially announce the delivery ceremony of the lithography machine.

This also means that the weakness in the semiconductor field has completely disappeared.

Thinking that he had planned to return to Jingzhou City, he simply took this opportunity to inform Luo Changhui.

"Academician Luo."

"Now that the lithography machine project has been successfully completed, I plan to go back to Jingzhou City tomorrow to have a good rest."

As soon as these words came out, before Luo Changhui could speak, Liu Xing next to him showed strong reluctance.

Subconsciously asked: "Professor Xu, are you leaving now?"

"My mission has been completed and I must return to Jingzhou City." Xu Yun looked at Liu Xing and explained: "I will come back to see you when I have time."

Luo Changhui knew that Xu Yun was about to become a father, so naturally he would not dissuade him at this time.

What's more, Xu Yun has already made great contributions to the Institute of Optoelectronics Technology.

"You can go back to Jingzhou with peace of mind and spend time with your family. There won't be any problems if I'm here. When the time comes, I'll have to drink your child's full moon wine."

Luo Changhui reached out and patted Xu Yun's shoulder and said this with a smile.

"no problem."

Xu Yun agreed with a smile on his face.

After handling the matters here, Xu Yun did not stay in the main control room for long.

Then he left first and went back to the dormitory to pack his things.

…

…

Let’s talk about Tonino.

He was so shocked that he didn't even stay overnight in Jincheng, so he took the nearest flight and took people back to the company headquarters.

After more than ten hours of flying, we finally landed at Eindhoven Municipal Airport.

Tonino already looked very tired from the physical torment and mental stimulation.

But he knew very well how important the information he had was to the company.

It must be reported immediately.

Therefore, after landing, he first made an appointment to meet Peter Wen, and then rushed to the company as quickly as possible.

As the CEO of ASML, Peter Wen sent Tonino to the Institute of Optoelectronics Technology for exchange and study, mainly to determine the progress of the lithography machine project that Xu Yun is responsible for.

Ensure that the company's position in the semiconductor field is not threatened.

In fact, with Asmai's strength, there is no need to worry about this at all.

Don't even send technical executives for so-called communication.

But Xu Yun's reputation is too great, and coupled with his achievements in the scientific community, he is indeed an opponent that cannot be underestimated.

Even if it is believed that Xu Yun cannot solve the problem of high-end extreme ultraviolet lithography machines in a short time.

Field verification is also required.

But what surprised him was that just now he suddenly received a call from Tonino.

I learned that the other party had returned.

According to time calculation, Tonino should be staying at the Optoelectronic Technology Research Institute for exchanges at the moment. Why did he go home so quickly.

There are indeed many doubts here.

Even if it was determined that the photolithography machine project that Xu Yun was responsible for was not successful, there was no need to be in such a tight schedule.

Unfortunately, Tonino didn't explain clearly on the phone, so he had to cancel the subsequent meeting.

Wait until Tonino arrives at the company to ask more details.

that's all.

After waiting for nearly half an hour, there was finally a knock on his office door.

"Please come in."

Tonino opened the door and came in, walked to the desk and stopped.

Before Peter Wen could ask about the situation, he took the lead and said, "Boss, I have something important to report to you."

"Take your time and speak slowly."

Peter Wen raised his hand to signal the other party to sit down first, and then asked: "Is it true that the other party's research progress on the lithography machine is false?"

"I'm afraid all of us have underestimated Xu Yun." Tonino shook his head upon hearing this, his face looking very dull.

Then he told what he knew about the situation.

"Under Xu Yun's leadership, the Institute of Optoelectronics Technology has not only successfully assembled a photolithography machine, but its chip manufacturing process has also reached 7 nanometers."

"They have completely broken through the lithography machine technology blockade."

"I'm afraid our ASML company will soon have a strong competitor."

After hearing these words, Peter Wen stood up immediately, his eyes full of disbelief.

With almost no time to think, he questioned: "How could they conquer the 7-nanometer process lithography machine in such a short period of time? Have you been deceived by them?"

"boss."

"I know this news is hard to believe, but it is what I see with my eyes."

"They are already making 7-nanometer chips right now."

"It is estimated that it will not be long before the delivery of the first lithography machine is officially announced."

Tonino was not surprised at all by Peter Wen's performance. After all, his reaction at first was not much better.

He was still sitting in the chair, but said this with a calm expression.

After all, after being on the plane for such a long time, he calmed down even if he was emotionally excited before.

Although Peter Wen could not convince himself to believe it, he also knew that Tonino would never talk nonsense on such a matter.

Since you have said it to this extent, it must be true.

After a while, he completely digested the news and sat down again in a daze.

"He is truly the most talented scientist in the history of mankind. His achievements are truly miraculous."

The most important thing as a company owner is to stay calm at all times, otherwise getting into trouble will only make the situation worse.

So in the end he just sighed.

Speaking of which, his feelings for Xu Yun are quite complicated. From the perspective of human civilization as a whole, it is undoubtedly lucky to have a young scientist like Xu Yun.

In the next few decades, it is possible to bring human civilization to a new level.

But the situation is slightly lower. From the company's perspective, Xu Yun's victory over the 7-nanometer process lithography machine is equivalent to establishing a strong opponent for them.

In the future, they will not be the only ones in the field of semiconductor equipment.

However, since the matter is a foregone conclusion and cannot be changed, we can only determine the response plan as soon as possible.

Prepare for the next competition.

The thought stayed here, and Peter Wen quickly cleared away the distracting thoughts in his mind.

Make a decision now.

"Get ready to attend the company's high-level meeting with me. Now we can only speed up the research and development of 5-nanometer and 3-nanometer lithography machines and always maintain a technological lead over them."

Peter Wen is very clear that his company has always had a technological advantage. Now that Xu Yun has conquered the 7-nanometer process lithography machine, he can only develop a more precise extreme ultraviolet lithography machine with a stronger process. In this way, as long as he always maintains a technological lead, he can Gain a competitive advantage.

Unfortunately, this decision was shattered by Tonino's next piece of news not long before it was formed.

"boss."

"With the opponent's abnormal research speed, I'm afraid it will be difficult for us to gain a technological advantage."

"In addition, their chip defect rate is less than 2 percent."

If Peter Wen still had fighting spirit just now, he thought that with ASML's background and technology, he was not afraid of competition.

So after listening to this sentence, the whole person no longer knew what to say.

Even if the technology and craftsmanship are equal, the competition may still be fair, but the defect rate is an irreparable advantage.

What's more, the other party also controls low-cost high-end photoresist.

Judging from these two points alone, the future of the company can be said to be gloomy and unable to find a direction.

"well!"

Finally, Peter Wen took a deep breath and sighed, and turned his attention to Tonino again.

"What do you think we should do next?"

"I'm afraid the only way to stop them from continuing their research is to open up the sale of high-end lithography machines to them."

Compared to researching a product, buying it directly requires less investment.

Previously, they banned the sale of high-end lithography machines, which forced Xu Yun to take charge of the lithography machine project, so that completing the research in a short time posed a huge threat to them.

Now changing the strategy and opening up sales may dissuade the Optoelectronic Technology Research Institute from continuing research.

Although no one knows how the situation will develop, it is undoubtedly the best solution for now.

After thinking for a moment, Peter Wen no longer hesitated and immediately expressed his support for Tonino's plan.

"This is all we can do now. I will immediately hold a meeting to announce it. I hope the situation will not be too bad."

…