eurekapd Chapter 417 Lithography Machine Project Launch
Chapter 417 Lithography Machine Project Launch
July 28, 2002, Jinan, Qilu Microelectronics Center.
There were about twenty people sitting in the conference room.
There was an elderly expert dressed in military uniform, his hair completely white, with a badge that read "Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics" pinned to his chest.
There was a middle-aged man in a suit, who was the general manager and chief engineer of Shanghai Microelectronics Equipment.
There was a professor wearing thick glasses; he was from the Department of Precision Instruments at Tsinghua University.
There were also a few young people sitting in the back row, with laptops in front of them.
Ni Guangnan stood in front of the whiteboard, a marker in his hand. He cleared his throat, and the conference room fell silent.
"Today's meeting is the launch meeting for the lithography machine project. Among those present are people from the fields of optics, mechanics, control, and software. We are all gathered here to do one thing—to build a lithography machine of our own."
He turned around and wrote a few words on the whiteboard: 90 nanometers, five years.
"Goal: To produce a 90-nanometer lithography prototype within five years. Being able to make samples, run the process successfully, and verify the technology roadmap—that's the first phase. The second phase is to turn the prototype into a product, into a production line, and into production capacity. That might require another five years. But today, we'll focus on the first five years."
He paused and looked around.
"The division of tasks is as follows. The optical system, led by the Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics, includes the light source, illumination system, and projection lens. This is the heart of the lithography machine and also the most difficult part. The mechanical and control system, led by Shanghai Microelectronics Equipment, includes the workpiece stage, mask stage, alignment system, and leveling and focusing system. This is the skeleton and muscles of the lithography machine. The computational lithography software, led by Tsinghua University, includes optical proximity effect correction, light source and mask co-optimization, and computational lithography modeling. This is the brain of the lithography machine."
He turned to a page; it was a budget sheet.
"Spark Group's initial investment is 500 million yuan. 200 million yuan is allocated to optical systems, 200 million yuan to mechanical and control systems, and 100 million yuan to computational lithography software. The funding will be disbursed in three phases, each corresponding to a stage of achievement. If the achievement meets the target, the next phase of funding will be disbursed. If it does not meet the target, the next phase of funding will be suspended for rectification. If the rectification still does not meet the target, the team will be replaced."
A few seconds of silence filled the conference room. Then, the senior expert from the Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics spoke up, his voice low but clear. "President Ni, five hundred million, two hundred million for optics. I've worked in optics for forty years and I've never seen so much money. On behalf of the institute, I declare that we accept this task. Five years, 90 nanometers. If we can't achieve that, I'll never touch optics again in my life."
The general manager of Shanghai Microelectronics Equipment continued, "We also took on the project. We have a foundation in mechanics and control. Although there is a significant gap compared to ASML, we are not starting from scratch. In five years, we have improved the positioning accuracy of the workpiece stage to within 10 nanometers."
The Tsinghua professor adjusted his glasses. "Regarding the software, our team has over a dozen people, and we've been working on computational lithography. If we have enough funding, we can expand to thirty people. Five years is enough to develop a usable OPC software suite."
Ni Guangnan nodded. He picked up a pen and wrote another line on the whiteboard: Intellectual property rights ownership—jointly owned by the alliance, with priority given to Spark.
"Let's clarify the patent issue upfront. All patents generated in this project will be jointly owned by the alliance. All members of the alliance can use them. However, Spark Group, as the investor, has priority rights. It's not exclusive, it's priority. Anyone else who wants to use them needs Spark's consent. The conditions for consent will be determined by Spark."
No one objected. Ni Guangnan put down his pen and looked at everyone.
"There's one more thing. Project management must be rigorous. Progress will be checked every quarter, and those who fail to meet deadlines will be held accountable. This isn't just a formality; it's real accountability. Whoever drags the team down will be responsible. I'm warning you now, so don't blame me for being ruthless later."
The veteran expert from the Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics smiled. "Director Ni, don't worry. We've spent our entire lives dealing with precision. Even a difference of one micrometer is unacceptable, let alone a difference of a quarter of a year."
Ni Guangnan nodded. "That's settled then. Next month, each team will submit their detailed proposals. Once the proposals are approved, contracts will be signed and funding will be allocated. That's all for today."
After the meeting, Ni Guangnan and Ling Yun stood at the conference room door. The veteran experts left one after another. Watching their retreating figures, Ni Guangnan said, "These people are the top talents in the fields of optics, mechanics, control, and software in China. Some have retired but have been rehired. Some are still in their positions, leading teams. It wasn't easy to bring them all together."
Ling Yun said, "Five years from now, they will be proud of what they have done."
Ni Guangnan didn't speak. He stood there, staring at the end of the corridor for a long time. Then he turned around and looked at Ling Yun.
"Mr. Ling, there's something I need to tell you beforehand. The lithography machine project, producing a prototype in five years, is only the first step. The second step is mass production, which requires ten times the money of the first step. Moreover, even if we succeed, ASML won't stand idly by. They will lower prices, open up the supply to the Chinese market, and use every means to suppress us. At that point, we might not be able to sell a single lithography machine."
Ling Yun looked at him. "Are you scared?"
Ni Guangnan was silent for a few seconds. "I'm afraid. But what I'm even more afraid of is that ten or twenty years from now, our grandchildren will have to pay exorbitant prices to buy outdated lithography machines from other countries that are two generations behind, and they'll have to be at the mercy of others. So, even if we're afraid, we have to do it."
Ling Yun said, "Then let's do it. If ASML lowers its prices, we'll buy theirs and use it for now. But our own R&D can't stop. Every time they lower their prices, we buy more time. When we have enough time, the technology matures, the costs come down, and the market will naturally follow. This isn't a quick battle; it's a protracted war."
Ni Guangnan nodded. He turned around and looked in the direction where the old experts had disappeared at the end of the corridor.
"It's a protracted war. I've been fighting this for most of my life, so five more years won't make a difference."
Ling Yun didn't speak. He stood next to Ni Guangnan and also looked in that direction.