Chapter 406: Running Wild with Eyes Blindfolded

Listening to Wu Wu Xinyi list these lithography machine parts, Li Li Dongling could also imagine how difficult the situation is for the lithography machine team led by Zhou Shi now.

Domestically, not only have lithography machine manufacturers been wiped out, but the entire parts industrial chain is now basically in a state of being dispensable.

"Now Chief Engineer Zhou's team is not only developing lithography machine technology but also developing corresponding supporting software and parts, etc. For this, they even invested in more than a dozen parts companies as Dongxin Semiconductor's lithography machine parts suppliers!"

Where did so much money from Dongxin Semiconductor go? Besides developing lithography machines, the most important thing is to invest in some companies to produce parts for Dongxin Semiconductor's lithography machines. Without investing money, these companies would simply not work hard to design, develop, and produce parts for Dongxin Semiconductor.

Li Li Dongling also felt a bit of a headache. He looked toward Wu Wu Xinyi and asked, "If Dongxin Semiconductor can launch a 450-nanometer lithography machine next year, what is the gap between it and the lithography machines of manufacturers like Nikon, Canon, ASML, and GCA?"

Wu Wu Xinyi was slightly silent. He is an old gun in the lithography machine industry. Coupled with Li Li Dongling's great importance to information, whether it is tech or academic journals in America, Old Europe, Japan, and other places, including some paid consulting companies' industry reports, they are all subscribed to long-term and then sent domestically for Li Dongling High-Tech's executives and technical personnel to read.

So for the current global lithography machine industry landscape, Wu Wu Xinyi and Dongxin Semiconductor are quite clear.

Sighing, Wu Wu Xinyi said, "According to the industry standards previously formulated by the semiconductor industry and the development of Moore's Law, the lithography machine currently being developed by Dongxin Semiconductor belongs to the first-generation 450-nanometer lithography machine!"

"And this year, Nikon trial-produced the world's most advanced third-generation 248-nanometer scanning projection lithography machine, which theoretically can produce chips with a minimum process of 180 nanometers to 130 nanometers!"

Wu Wu Xinyi originally thought that after hearing this result, Li Li Dongling would be furious. After all, Dongxin Semiconductor threw in so much money, but the lithography machine developed was still a generational gap away from Nikon and Canon's lithography machines. What is the difference between this and throwing money into the water?

But after hearing Wu Wu Xinyi's words, Li Li Dongling didn't have any angry expression. Instead, he felt a sense of relief, which made Wu Wu Xinyi feel a bit surprised.

"That is to say, companies with lithography machine businesses like Nikon, Canon, IBM, Siemens, GCA, and ASML, their most advanced technology now is the third-generation lithography machine."

"The fourth-generation 193-nanometer wavelength lithography machine, no company has been able to conquer it yet, right?" Li Li Dongling looked at Wu Wu Xinyi and said.

"Yes!"

Wu Wu Xinyi looked at Li Li Dongling with some strangeness and gave a definite answer.

"The route for the third-generation lithography machine was proposed in the 80s and was officially broken through this year. But for the fourth-generation lithography machine, the semiconductor industry has been arguing for many years, but there is no clue."

"In order to break through 193 nanometers to 157 nanometers, the top semiconductor academic industry has currently proposed multiple schemes such as excimer laser, electron beam projection, ion projection, and X-ray."

"Among these schemes, the Japanese semiconductor side currently tends to favor the excimer laser scheme, but no matter which scheme, they all face difficulties such as lenses and photoresists, and the difficulty is quite great. If these schemes don't work, it means that Moore's Law, which has guided the semiconductor industry for decades... has officially failed!"

Speaking of these, Wu Wu Xinyi shook his head. Every family has its own difficult scripture to recite. For Dongxin Semiconductor, it is how to catch up with the most advanced lithography machines, while for the lithography machine departments of companies like Nikon, Canon, GCA, and IBM, the anxiety is where the fourth-generation lithography machine should go.

Li Li Dongling calculated for a moment and asked Wu Wu Xinyi, "How long do you think the fourth-generation lithography machine can trouble those companies like Nikon, Canon, and ASML?"

"Three years or five years?"

"Perhaps it can be broken through in a few years, but perhaps, it needs a longer time, even ten years is not certain!"

Wu Wu Xinyi shook his head and said. R&D is sometimes really in need of a bit of luck. Just like the big project construction in the future, even construction giants like China Railway, China State Construction, and China Energy need to worship the Earth God, burn three sticks of incense, burn a stack of paper, and worship the five-way God of Wealth, sometimes many things are really a bit evil.

"As long as the fourth-generation lithography machine can drag Nikon, Canon, ASML, and other companies for five years, that's enough!"

"Old Wu, you should have heard the story of the Tortoise and the Hare. For Dongxin Semiconductor, what it needs to do is catch up with the first-tier lithography machine manufacturers within these five years, and then... decide the battle in the fourth-generation lithography machine!"

Li Li Dongling looked at Wu Wu Xinyi and said. Now for Dongxin Semiconductor, it is a full generation of technical gap away from the lithography machines of Nikon and ASML.

If it follows the normal speed, then a generation of technical gap, wanting to catch up, is certainly not easy, and it might be thrown further and further away.

But the fourth-generation 193-nanometer lithography machine is like a natural chasm, lying in front of the entire lithography machine and semiconductor industry, making the entire industry face the trouble of being unable to advance an inch.

Even, after a few years, when facing the copper wall and iron wall of the fourth-generation lithography machine, in order to conquer the difficulty of the fourth-generation lithography machine, Intel, as the current semiconductor boss, is so anxious that it can't hold it.

In 1997, Intel came forward to lobby Capitol Hill, then let the American Department of Energy come forward, gathered a group of thugs, pulled in AMD and Motorola, and invited the three major American laboratories—Lawrence Livermore, Berkeley, and Sandia—to form the EUVLLC alliance, specifically to conquer the difficulty of the fourth-generation lithography machine.

The longer the fourth-generation lithography machine drags on Nikon, ASML, and other companies, the more favorable it is for Dongxin Semiconductor. It can take advantage of these few years to shorten the gap with Nikon and ASML, and then decide the battle in the fourth-generation lithography machine.

This is one of the few opportunities for Dongxin Semiconductor to achieve overtaking on a curve. Besides time, there is another reason. Now Japan's semiconductor industry, represented by Nikon and Canon, is America's biggest heart-trouble.

America is staring at Nikon and Canon, desperately suppressing these two companies, and for this, it doesn't hesitate to support ASML, all just to clean up the Japanese semiconductor industry.

While Nikon and Canon are still alive, Dongxin Semiconductor should still be able to survive for a few, or even ten years.

Of course, Dongxin Semiconductor also needs to find a few allies in America, letting America "see" that Dongxin Semiconductor is Nikon's opponent, everyone is in the same camp, and Dongxin Semiconductor is helping America's semiconductor industry...

"Decide the battle in the fourth-generation lithography machine?!"

Wu Wu Xinyi was startled by Li Li Dongling's words. Li Li Dongling dared to say this, but he didn't even dare to listen.

Compared to Wu Wu Xinyi, Li Li Dongling has more confidence. Li Li Dongling is not an expert in lithography machine technology, but he knows the development direction of the fourth-generation and fifth-generation lithography machines in the future!

Wu Wu Xinyi was given a huge fright by Li Li Dongling's words; Li Li Dongling dared to say such things, but he didn't even dare to listen.

Why is the industry so keen on geniuses? Because they are like a lamp in the dark night, which can lead the industry forward, exchanging the smallest price for the greatest benefit!

As long as you can determine the future direction of developing lithography machines and determine the route of the fourth-generation immersion lithography machine and the fifth-generation EUV lithography machine, then as long as you are willing to throw money, you will eventually get benefits!

"Dongxin Semiconductor's goal for these few years is the fourth-generation lithography machine. First, launch a 450-nanometer lithography machine to enter the mid-to-low-end lithography machine market, and then slowly plan for high-end lithography machines. In the short term, as long as it can occupy the domestic lithography machine market, that is enough for Dongxin Semiconductor!"

Looking at Li Li Dongling, who seemed to believe that Dongxin Semiconductor could break through the fourth-generation lithography machine that is currently troubling the entire semiconductor industry, Wu Wu Xinyi was full of suspicion. He didn't know where Li Li Dongling's confidence came from. Anyway, he really had no bottom in his heart.

But as the big gold master, Li Li Dongling formulated a plan for Dongxin Semiconductor's lithography machine project, and Wu Wu Xinyi could only follow this quite unrestrained plan and run wild with his eyes blindfolded.

"How is the computer chip project of Academician Ni and Professor Huang developing?" Li Li Dongling finally asked about the progress of the computer chip project.

"Quite smooth!"

"Now the chip department is developing a chip with technology equivalent to Intel's first-generation Pentium processor. There is difficulty, but it is not difficult to conquer. It is expected that by the end of next year, the first tape-out can be carried out!"

Wu Wu Xinyi said with a smile. Compared to lithography machines, the R&D progress of the computer chip R&D team led by Ni Guangnan and Huang Huang Lingyi is much faster.

"Starting next year, Dongxin Semiconductor needs to form a specialized mobile phone chip design team to cooperate with Li Dongling High-Tech headquarters' communication technology R&D department to develop baseband chips together!"

Li Li Dongling hesitated for a moment, but still instructed Wu Wu Xinyi, "From now on, until the first half of next year, any equipment or parts that Dongxin Semiconductor needs to purchase from overseas must be purchased in advance, with at least five years of reserve preparation."

"Also, be prepared that in the future, you won't be able to buy them from overseas. The required funds can be applied for from Li Dongling High-Tech headquarters!"

"What?"

Hearing this, Wu Wu Xinyi's face changed drastically.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 407 =====

"What?"

Upon hearing this, Wu Wu Xinyi's expression changed instantly.

(End of chapter)