Chapter 565: Breaking the Blockade of the Wassenaar Agreement

Zhang Zhong said that the program was just the beginning. Next, Qin Tao also prepared a lot of follow-up measures. A large number of articles would be published in the world's famous military media to expose Pingkov's various misdeeds. Anyway, just spend money. , some writers help write soft articles for money, and various media will help publish them after receiving benefits. Pingkov is not a big shot. In fact, Pingkov has not integrated into the mainstream Western society at all. They There won't be any psychological pressure.

In this way, Pingkov's reputation was immediately ruined.

 Huanglou was filled with laughter and laughter.

"This time, that Pingkov has turned into a street rat, and everyone is shouting to beat him up." A leader said with a smile: "That Pingkov is really going to find trouble with the Mingzhou Group, and now he hits a rock. ”

"Those who betray their motherland will not end well." Qin Tao said, thinking of something: "Have you dealt with those traitors last time?"

A lot of things happened this year. Before the military exercise, there were traitors. They were discovered by Qin Tao in time. He then used those traitors to pass on some false information, but he stopped paying attention to them after that.

“We have not closed the net yet, we are waiting for more people to surface before closing the net.”

  Qin Tao nodded, since it’s enough that he knows, he doesn’t need to care about anything.

"Mr. Qin, we are calling you here this time, mainly about submarines." Another leader said: "Now that our military expenditures are gradually increasing, the navy can also raise more military expenditures to purchase equipment. In the next stage, In addition to updating surface ships, we cannot delay the underwater ones."

Qin Tao smiled: "The navy should bid for the project and choose the best design."

“The bidding must be competitive, but the results of the bidding are also obvious.” The leader said: “Your Mingzhou Group’s 039C plan is the most advanced, and we will definitely choose your plan.”

"Yes, your Mingzhou Group has the most advanced designs and has begun exporting them. Our navy has long been covetous. Our own use cannot lag behind those exported. The shortcomings of submarines are still up to you." Mingzhou Group will make up for it!"

"Thank you, leaders. Now that you have made up your mind, our Mingzhou Group will make a bid and wait for the process to go through here." Qin Tao said with a smile: "Actually, we have no idea about conventional submarines at all. There is too much interest, and when the nuclear submarine bidding happens in the future, our Mingzhou Group must get involved."

We had already submitted bids at the beginning, but because Mingzhou Group's plan was too advanced, it was shelved and we decided to study basic technologies first. But now, each technology continues to achieve breakthroughs, and the preparations are getting more and more in place. In the future, It’s time to start building nuclear submarines too.

“However, the Navy must not be like that sailing ship, suddenly asking to start construction, and the construction period is still very short. Our Mingzhou Group cannot bear this kind of order.” Qin Tao said.

“That ship has a special purpose, so we are a little anxious, but it doesn’t bother you Mingzhou Group.”

“What is the special purpose? It’s so mysterious.” Qin Tao said, “Now it doesn’t seem so urgent anymore?”

"Yes, I was very anxious at first, but now the situation has eased and I am not so anxious. However, after the ship is built, it can be handed over to the Naval Ship Academy for use, so that they can familiarize themselves with the operation first, and when needed in the future , it’s easier to use.”

 Qin Tao shook his head helplessly.

“Everyone, I just received the news that the Wassenaar Agreement has officially come into effect.” At this moment, an adjutant came in hurriedly and said to everyone.

 Everyone’s expressions changed.

 This year, 33 countries signed the Wassenaar Agreement in Vienna, Austria, to implement new control lists and information exchange rules. Like "Batumi", "WAX" also contains two control lists: one is a list of dual-use goods and technologies, covering advanced materials, material processing, electronic devices, computers, telecommunications and information security, sensing and There are 9 categories including lasers, navigation and avionics instruments, ships and maritime equipment, and propulsion systems; the other is a military product list, covering a total of 22 categories including various weapons and ammunition, equipment, and combat platforms.

Different from Batumi, these countries also include Da Mao, but the list of restricted countries still includes Dongfang.

"Humph, we are not afraid of blockade. When foreigners blocked us, didn't they still come up with two bombs and one satellite?" Wu Shengli clenched his fists: "Now, they are going to use this method to block us and try to hinder us." Our technological progress will inevitably fail!”

"Actually, even if they don't sign these agreements, aren't they still blocking us?" Another leader said: "Although our weapons and equipment have made great progress in recent years, these improvements are all based on our own strength. We did not get it with the help of foreigners, and they will not help us."

"Everyone, in other fields, we can indeed catch up and surpass. However, in some fields, once we are restricted, we will fall behind step by step for a long time." Qin Tao said: "For example, The chip industry is like this. Their agreement is a sword hanging over our heads, making our chip industry subject to others for a long time."

“Yes, there is something like Moore’s Law in the chip industry. It will improve by one level every few years. It is easy for us to catch up, but we are afraid of falling behind again.” A knowledgeable leader at the scene began to worry.

"Taozi, you must have a solution, right?" Wu Shengli asked. Wu Shengli knew that his son-in-law had always been very powerful.

"Of course there is a way." Qin Tao said: "If they don't provide us with equipment, then we have to rely on our own ability to do research. In the future, when our research and development reaches the world's advanced level, they will have to ask us! Hum, in the future It depends on our faces!”

Qin Tao's words were so resounding that everyone present widened their eyes: "Mr. Qin, do you already have an idea?"

"Yes, we can't rely on others. We can only rely on ourselves. However, we still need people." Qin Tao said: "Currently, our team of technical experts in the domestic photolithography machine project hopes to become the core team of our Mingzhou Group. Subordinate units, of course, if they don’t agree, we can also jointly form a company.”

“Let’s help coordinate this matter!” Wu Shengli immediately made a promise.

 If you want to make chips, you need equipment called a photolithography machine. This thing is definitely like a money printing machine. As long as you have this equipment, the company can make a lot of money.

The principle of the photolithography machine is very simple. It is equivalent to a high-precision camera that projects the designed circuit onto the silicon wafer. However, it is very difficult to actually build it.

The domestic start was not too late. In 1966, Factory 109 collaborated with Huating Optical Instrument Factory to successfully develop my country’s first Type 65 contact lithography machine. It was produced by Huating Special Radio Equipment Factory and promoted nationwide. In 1978, the Institute of Semiconductors of the Chinese Academy of Sciences began to develop the JK-1 semi-automatic proximity lithography machine.

During the Sixth Five-Year Plan period, Institute 45 conducted research on the BG-101 DSW lithography machine, and successfully developed the BG-101 stepper lithography machine in 1985. At the end of that year, it passed the ministerial-level technical appraisal. The main performance indicators are close to or reach the level of the American GCA company's 4800DSW system.

However, because a large amount of money needs to be invested in this area and the country is engaged in economic construction, it has given up on the research and development of photolithography machines. Originally, there was only a gap of five to ten years between China and foreign countries. As a result, in later generations, the gap widened to More than twenty years.

Speaking of lithography machine giants, we have to mention ASML. This lithography machine company code-named ASML is the most advanced in the world. The supply of lithography machines produced every year exceeds demand. Companies such as TSMC and Samsung are in need of these lithography machines. The machine broke its head, and SMIC waited for several years but still did not receive the goods.

But in fact, at this time, ASML is still a small company, working in a board room next to Philip's headquarters. It is very miserable, so it is not too late to start now!

 If we want to talk about the giant of this era, it is the famous Nikon.

The reason is very simple, because the essence of a photolithography machine is a projector and a camera. It uses light as a knife to project the designed circuit onto the silicon wafer. Nikon originally manufactured cameras and was a professional counterpart. Nikon in this era, Just like ASML in later generations, with a large number of orders on hand, purchasing staff from other factories blocked Nikon's gate every day waiting for delivery.

However, Nikon, the largest photolithography machine giant in the 1990s, declined quickly. There were political disputes and wrong choices in technical routes.

In the field of chips, there is a famous Moore's Law. The performance of chips must double every 18 to 24 months. In this way, chip manufacturing technology must also continue to advance.

In today's era, the technology of lithography machines is actually not difficult. After all, when ASML started, it only had a team of more than 30 people. Even Intel couldn't wait for Nikon's lithography machines, so they could do it themselves. A few emergency cameras are just a matter of buying a large number of parts and piecing them together to build a special camera.

 The great thing about Nikon is that it has an industrial chain and can produce all the parts by itself.

However, in the 1990s, the manufacturers of lithography machines encountered a technical barrier: the light source used by lithography machines was 193 nanometers, which restricted the continued upgrade of lithography machines!

The finer you want to engrave something, the sharper the knife must be. The 193-nanometer laser is no longer fine enough. What should we do next?

As a technology giant, Nikon has a very simple solution. Simply switch to a 157-nanometer F2 laser, which will solve the problem.

The EUVLLC alliance established to counter Nikon is betting on more radical extreme ultraviolet technology, switching the light source to extreme ultraviolet light of more than ten nanometers. This will not only solve the existing problems, but can also be used until the future, engraving ten nanometers. The following chip manufacturing processes are fine.

 However, both technologies are not easy and both face technical difficulties. This is the most famous 193 nanometer level in the 1990s!

Whenever you encounter difficulties, a genius always appears, and now is no exception. A genius engineer named Lin Benjian appears.

When light passes through water, the frequency remains unchanged, but the wavelength changes. This is the refractive index of water. Therefore, as long as a layer of water is added between the light source of the lithography machine and the silicon wafer, the original 193-nanometer laser can If refraction occurs once, wouldn't it be greatly reduced?

 Simple calculation can tell that the wavelength will be reduced to 132 nanometers!

In this way, not only can the wavelength of the photolithography machine be reduced and more precise circuits can be etched, but also the changes to the machine can be minimal!

 In the past, it was called dry engraving, but now it can be called wet engraving!

Lin Benjian proposed this technology and ran out to promote it enthusiastically, but everyone was rejected!

 The United States, Germany, and Japan, all photolithography machine giants, all sneered at this statement: If water is added to precision machines to create a wet environment, aren't they afraid of water leaks? In the short term, this approach may be successful, but in the long term, it is simply a detour!

Especially the giant Nikon, which decided to research on the 157-nanometer light source, simply ignored Lin Benjian’s crooked ways.

Just like digital cameras, Kodak was the first to develop digital cameras, but they were afraid that it would threaten the film business, so the method they adopted was to hide the digital cameras from others!

 Nikon was on the road to 157 nanometers, but at this time the unknown ASML noticed the opportunity to overtake in this corner. For them, this is an opportunity to quickly catch up with the world's advanced level!

Therefore, they accepted Lin Benjian's technology and developed an immersion lithography machine. However, this was already in 2003. In just one year, that is, in 2004, they produced a prototype and quickly obtained it. Placed orders from major customers such as IBM and TSMC.

 Nikon was less than a year late and succeeded in developing its own 157-nanometer laser dry lithography machine technology, but customers didn’t want it! The giant Nikon declined in this way, and ASML has since become the leader in the lithography machine industry.

Qin Tao, a naval architect, has heard of this history, so now, if he wants to overtake in a corner, he must choose the right technical route!

ASML, which has only more than 30 people, can do it. Mingzhou Group, which has strong financial resources, can't do this?

 What kind of technical blockade, bullshit! In the future, Mingzhou Group's lithography opportunities will become as great as ASML, and giants from all over the world will rush to buy them!

the next day.

 Tsinghua University, Conference Room, Department of Precision Instruments.

"Mr. Qin, we know that since your Mingzhou Group has entered the chip field, one day we will need our own processing equipment." Xu Duanyi, the person in charge who is over fifty years old, said excitedly: "I got it We were so excited that we couldn’t sleep all night after your news.”

There is also a foundation for the domestic production of photolithography machines. Tsinghua University is one of them. Their precision instrument department is the professional counterpart. Back then, they held a big battle to develop domestic photolithography machines. In 1971, they developed the Chinese The first photolithography machine and step-and-repeat camera were put into large-scale production and supplied to the national semiconductor industry. In the past few years, the third generation "automatic alignment step-by-step projection lithography machine" was further developed. This lithography machine has actually reached the world's advanced level. International colleagues have come to observe and learn from it. Unfortunately, at that time Without any concept of intellectual property, they know everything and talk about it.

As a result, the technology was learned by foreign counterparts, but the lithography machines they produced were not used by customers. In the following years, they also gave up the research and development of lithography machines.

 Xu Duanyi is the leader in the development of lithography machines in China. He feels very painful in his heart. Now, finally we have good news. Mr. Qin is going to invest in lithography machines!

“I want to know if we develop photolithography machines that can reach the world-class level, so that we can produce them ourselves in the future, even if we are blocked by foreign countries?” Qin Tao also went straight to the point. After all, he was not particularly familiar with this industry.

"Mr. Qin, the lithography machine sounds very fancy, but in fact, it mainly consists of three parts." Xu Duanyi introduced: "It requires the world's top light source, that is, a specialized laser system; it also requires a high-precision lens , and precision instrument manufacturing technology. Among these three areas, we can solve the last one, which is the expertise of our department, but the first two systems are difficult."

ASML is very powerful in later generations and is the world's most powerful lithography machine giant. However, it is just an assembly plant. All kinds of parts follow the path of global cooperation. For example, the lens comes from Zeiss in Germany, and the light source From the American company Cymer.

"Yes, especially for laser light sources. Currently, in front of lithography machine manufacturers around the world, there is a technological gap of 193 nanometer laser light sources. If we want to develop world-leading lithography machines, we have to solve this problem. Difficult question." The dean of the department said.

Although they have given up on the research and development of photolithography machines, everyone is still paying attention to this industry. After Mr. Qin proposed this idea, they collected various information overnight.

 At this time, they must put all kinds of difficulties in front of their eyes and tell Mr. Qin how difficult this industry is.

“Have you ever heard of the wet engraving method? Or it’s called the infiltration method?” Qin Tao proposed this technical route.

“Mr. Qin, this method is not mainstream. It is a heretic. Even if it solves the problem of the current 193-nanometer light source, it cannot continue to solve future problems. After all, the chip manufacturing process needs to be constantly updated.” Xu Duanyi said.

This is also the view of Lin Benjian from almost all engineers in the field of lithography machines. What you are doing is purely crooked!

"However, this method is more likely to make a big difference with a small amount." Qin Tao said: "Everyone, I don't know if you have thought about it. Even if there are more advanced light sources in the future, you will still encounter process problems, and this method You can still use it!”

Compared with the 157-nanometer light source that Nikon has been researching tirelessly, if we use this wet etching method, the light source will suddenly drop below 100 nanometers!

“Mr. Qin, do you think this road is feasible?” Xu Duanyi asked seriously.

"That's right, we don't need to consider the later issues. The first thing we have to consider is how to reach the world's mainstream level in the short term. It is no longer possible for us to obtain advanced photolithography machines from abroad, but our chip industry cannot collapse. We Once Loongson cannot continue to develop, it is likely to be eliminated by the market. We cannot leave it to others to manufacture, so we must have advanced lithography machines, no matter what the technical route is, whether it is a sideways approach or not. A big leader has a saying It’s a good saying, whether it’s a white cat or a black cat, as long as it catches mice, it’s a good cat.”

Xu Duanyi nodded: "Mr. Qin, I understand your urgency. If we use this technology, we can use our existing 193 nanometer light source. We can ask Huating Optical Instrument Factory to help polish the lenses we need. I can really take a big step forward, but..."

 “But what?” Qin Tao asked.

“First of all, the research and development of advanced lithography machines requires a large amount of funds as backing.” Xu Duanyi said: “Currently, the country does not have relevant R&D funds. If we want to raise our own funds for research and development, we are expected to invest hundreds of millions.”

"Funding is not a problem." Qin Tao said: "According to my idea, our Mingzhou Group will set up a special microelectronics equipment Co., Ltd. to develop various equipment for chips. If your university is willing, I hope to All the previous lithography machine R&D teams have been transferred over and joined our company. Our cooperation model can be discussed in detail. If the R&D personnel are still part of your university's establishment, then you can rely on these personnel to account for 20% of the shares. .”

Xu Duanyi opened his eyes wide: "Mr. Qin, you are so generous. If you can occupy 20% of the shares just by using your hands, then we will benefit a lot from your Mingzhou Group."

These scientific research teams were originally disbanded, and they were depressed. Now, they have reorganized the company to specialize in the career they most want to pursue. Even if they are not paid, even if they are asked to resign from the university, they will accept it.

 They can give the university 20% of the shares, which is a huge advantage for them.

 Mingzhou Group is so wealthy!

  Qin Tao has the ability to do these things, so there is nothing to say, so just go ahead and do it boldly! Mingzhou Group once invested a large amount of money in chip development. Now, the chip industry has begun to make profits. Whether it is memory or processor, Mingzhou Group's products have become popular products in the country.

 In the installed machine market, many people have specified that they want Loongson processors! Many games can only be played with Loongson processors! Intel has been marginalized, let alone AMD.

 However, people who have no foresight must have short-term worries. If the chip industry cannot upgrade and cannot continue to progress under the pressure of that **** agreement, they will be eliminated by the market in the future. Since it’s hard to get it from the outside world, you might as well get it yourself!

 (End of this chapter)