Chapter 817 65nm Ice Core (5k)
March 4th, Lantern Festival.
According to tradition, the Spring Festival officially ends after this day.
However, according to the Gregorian calendar, 2007 has already passed for two months, and one-sixth of the entire year has passed without knowing it.
Bingxin is particularly busy this year, and this state is almost not affected by the Spring Festival. Many people also spend the New Year in the factory for the first time.
However, all the senior executives headed by Qiu Ciyun and Hu Zhengming did not take a vacation. Because they knew the significance of the factory's process technology this time, almost no one complained about the overtime arrangement, and they all wanted to cross this threshold and eat meat and drink soup together.
On the morning of March 3, Bingxin had basically confirmed the success of the risk trial production, and only waited for the final yield calculation.
Bingxin produces wafers, which will enter the yield test phase after all the manufacturing process steps.
The wafer is the carrier of the chip. This test phase is to put a complete wafer into the chip tester, and use the micro-needle structure of the chip test card to contact the fixed site on the chip to complete the input and reading of the electrical signal and achieve the test effect.
Only when the chip on the wafer meets all the electrical signal requirements, it is considered to have passed the circuit test and is called a live chip. Otherwise, it is a dead chip.
After the test, a wafer will get a colorful test result chart. In addition to green, other different colors represent different ways of chip death, such as red represents a certain circuit leakage current is too large, and blue represents a certain circuit breakdown voltage is too small.
The live chips that pass the test will be cut in the packaging plant, and then they will still be divided into different grades according to the electrical parameters that are focused on.
Usually, the first-class goods flow to the enterprise market as server chips, and the second-class goods flow to high-end consumer markets such as computers and mobile phones as consumer-grade chips. The next is to low-end consumer markets such as USB flash drives and electronic toys.
At 1 o'clock in the afternoon, the statistical yield of Bingxin's batch of trial production wafers was released, reaching a satisfactory 38%.
This means that Bingxin's 65nm process technology has successfully completed the risk trial production, and it also means that the next step can be carried out on this basis to improve the yield, try mass production, and increase production capacity.
In April 2006, Bingxin completed the 90nm risk trial production. In June of the middle of the year, it suddenly changed its mind and decided to skip the generation and directly develop the 65nm process technology. Then, it solved the key problems at the end of January this year and completed the risk trial production in early March.
During this process, Bingxin was on high alert, worked overtime intensively, cancelled annual leave, and finally achieved initial results.
However, apart from the joy and excitement from the heart, Qiu Ciyun did not intend to speak out loudly or hold a celebration event. He just announced a low-key holiday in batches and issued a wave of overtime pay, bonuses, bonuses, bonuses, and high temperature subsidies.
What? It's not high temperature yet? I issued it first to prevent high temperature.
In short, the low-key Bingxin plans to make further progress after resting at home and then talk more about the process technology.
Everything went well. In the evening, some employees were happy to take a vacation, not only for the company's prospects, but also for the thick red envelopes, and finally for the belated reunion with their families.
However, when Bingxin contacted two packaging factories in Luzhou and asked them to take the wafers to be packaged with the new process, the news was still exposed.
The two packaging factories in Luzhou are Changdian Technology, which was restructured and listed, and Huatian Technology, which was established three years ago. On the one hand, they were invited by Luzhou and Bingxin to build a link in the industrial chain. On the other hand, it is also because Bingxin is the only two wafer factories in China with 130nm process technology, and there may be better prospects.
However, Bingxin seems to have encountered problems in the process technology. The 90nm that was reported last year has not seen any new movement, and it is suspected that it is difficult to give birth, which makes people sigh.
The only two 130nm processes are of course good, and the Lin'an Second Plant and Shencheng Third Plant that were announced to be built one after another also seem to have a good expansion vision, but the core of a wafer factory is still advanced process technology.
So...
When Changdian and Huatian received a call from Bingxin, informing them of the relevant information and asking them to keep it confidential for the time being, they once suspected that there was something wrong with their ears.
65nm?
Haven't you been working on the yield and small-scale mass production of 90nm?
How did you suddenly come up with 65nm?
No, we were still sighing with regret!
This, this... This is a direct wrist-breaking!
Your big brother SMIC hasn't even figured out the production of this process yet!
Changdian and Huatian are very close to Bingxin. The heads of the two companies arrived one after another and confirmed the news from Qiu Ciyun, who was still working, that Bingxin had completed the risk trial production of 65nm.
"Your packaging yield cannot lag behind." Qiu Ciyun made a request, "We expect to start small-scale mass production in the third quarter, and foreign customers will comprehensively evaluate the overall links."
Seeing that both companies nodded, he instructed: "Don't tell others about the process in advance, improving the yield is the most important thing."
Yield means money, quotation, and competitiveness.
The heads of Changdian and Huatian left Bingxin in a daze, still feeling like they were dreaming. Did Bingxin give up research and development after achieving certain results in 90nm and turn to 65nm?
Then, they actually managed to hold it in?
When they woke up, they felt restless as if grass had grown in their hearts or a cat was scratching them.
That night, considering that there was a third party present when they met with Mr. Qiu, they finally couldn't help but share the news with their friends.
——Mr. Xu, I have something to tell you. Don't tell anyone else that Bingxin has completed the risk trial production of 65nm! I heard Mr. Qiu Ciyun say it myself!
——Hey, Mr. Liu, I have a secret. I'm telling you. Don't spread it out. Bingxin has done a trial production of 65nm! Absolutely true! My friend is helping Bingxin with packaging and testing!
——Mr. Zhao, are you still talking about SMIC's process? You are so old-fashioned. Bingxin is already one step ahead! I tell you...
——Zhou Yue, have you heard that Bingxin has achieved phased results in the development of 65nm? Hush, just listen to it, but don't report it in your newspaper. They asked me to keep it confidential!
On the Lantern Festival on March 4, as a reporter for "Semiconductor Technology", Zhou Yue originally planned to spend time with her family, but she heard the news from her university alumni early in the morning and immediately realized that there was a big movement in the industry.
What is the concept of 65nm process?
SMIC, the No. 1 company in China, has not mastered it!
The leading companies in the global industry are TSMC and Intel, while the latter does not do wafer foundry. The former only had 65nm mass production capacity last year, and then UMC announced that it would provide mass production to customers in the third quarter of 2006.
It can be said that in the field of global wafer foundry, TSMC and UMC are in the first echelon with 65nm process and developing the next generation 45/40nm process.
Then comes Chartered Semiconductor, IBM, Samsung Electronics, Infineon, the four companies that have formed a research and development alliance, and Texas Instruments in the United States, which are in the second echelon.
SMIC in China has mastered the mass production of 90nm, but has not yet completed the trial production of 65nm, so it belongs to the third echelon.
As for Bingxin, it is rumored that it has been doing mass production of 90nm, so it belongs to the fourth echelon.
Now, how did this fourth echelon surpass the third and approach the second?
Admittedly, Bingxin only did a risk trial production, and there is still some distance from mass production, but as long as Taiji and UMC do not announce that their 45/40nm has reached mass production capacity, once Bingxin goes into mass production, it can announce that it is only one generation behind the world's leading process!
Zhou Yue and everyone who heard the news had a doubt in their hearts, how did Bingxin do it?
As a reporter, she wanted to be more sure, is this true?
"Semiconductor Technology" is a media focusing on the semiconductor industry. When she heard the news that could be called the great news in the mainland, she really couldn't stay.
On the one hand, Zhou Yue contacted classmates in the industry, and on the other hand, she was also trying to mobilize her connections, trying to get more accurate information from Bingxin, Luzhou officials, Changdian and Huatian, which set up factories in Luzhou.
Bingxin has always kept a distance from the media, and this time is no exception. It remained silent and there was no news.
Luzhou officials were at a loss after receiving a call from the media: What? What did you say? Bingxin has done 65nm? Why don't we know? No news was received.
After receiving the call, Changdian and Huatian's attitudes were consistent and innocent: Who said that? I didn't say it. Why are you asking me? I don't know, I don't know.
However... the semiconductor industry is not small, but not big.
There were already sporadic rumors, Bingxin employees who were on vacation, and Bingxin Wafer Manufacturing Service Alliance who pricked up their ears. Everyone had many teachers, students, alumni, friends, and former colleagues. Zhou Yue still confirmed 90% of Bingxin's progress in the process through continuous verification.
Really, it's true!
Bingxin really completed the trial production of 65nm!
Zhou Yue quickly finished the manuscript, but felt that it was still a little short of a final decision.
So, she tried to log on to the new social platform Weibo, and went directly to Mr. Fang's content advising buying a house to ask - Mr. Fang, has Bingxin completed the risk trial production of 65nm?
No response.
She posted content herself and tried the x-on:function of Weibo.
Still no response.
Zhou Yue understood that this was Mr. Fang's tacit consent.
At 3 o'clock in the afternoon of March 4, the official website and blog of "Semiconductor Technology" published the latest report from reporters, enthusiastically introducing the process technology progress made by the mainland enterprise Bingxin.
"Semiconductor Technology" is a monthly magazine, but it also followed the trend and registered an account on Sina Blog, which has attracted the attention of many people in the industry. People often discuss some industry situations online.
When such a report officially appeared, the increasingly widespread gossip seemed to be stamped.
The mainland semiconductor industry was all discussing this sudden explosive news.
Is it Bingxin or Zhongxin?
It's Bingxin!
Is it 90 or 65?
It's 65!
Really?
The media reported it!
The industry was restless, and the phone bills soared.
Many Bingxin employees began to be called by acquaintances and reporters in various ways.
"I heard that your factory has developed 65nm?"
"We are old classmates, is it true? If it is true, I will switch to another company in the second half of the year!"
"Do you still recognize your teacher? Is it so difficult to get a reliable message?"
At 3:30 in the afternoon, just half an hour after the report came out, Fang Zhuo's phone never stopped ringing.
The first person to call was Zhang Rujing of SMIC.
Zhang Rujing heard the news from his subordinates in the office, and he thought it was a joke.
However, looking at the solid report on the computer and the confirmation from his subordinates who had called several times, he still found it hard to believe.
No one understands the difficulty of catching up with manufacturing processes better than Zhang Rujing.
Although SMIC has been disturbed for a period of time by Taiwanese reporters tearing up the settlement agreement, it has still been working hard to catch up with advanced processes. It is currently at least 1 to 2 quarters away from 65nm trial production.
Therefore, he was extremely shocked and confused. How could the 130nm ice core that still needed SMIC's assistance the year before last advance to this point?
It's okay for SMIC to help you, but can you still ask Taiwanese reporters and UMC to send a team of experts to help you?
Impossible!
Zhang Rujing and Fang Zhuo were very familiar with each other. After the call was put through, he asked directly: "Mr. Fang, 65nm? Is it real or fake?"
"Really, 38% yield." Fang Zhuo had already digested the latest news from Qiu Ciyun yesterday. He had been thinking about the planning time and the changes that this process could bring for more than a day, and it was natural that he had nothing to do with Zhang Rujing. So hidden.
Zhang Rujing held the phone and was speechless for a long time.
At this moment, the emotions in his heart were very complicated and subtle. Mainland semiconductors had made a gratifying breakthrough, but it was not SMIC? It's actually an ice core?
It's still gratifying, but also a bit regretful.
Is SMIC's progress slowing down? Or is the ice core progressing too fast?
Zhang Rujing came back to his senses, sighed, and thought about the possibilities in the manufacturing process: "You didn't continue the research and development after the trial production of 90nm last year, but skipped it directly?"
"Well, as expected of Mr. Zhang, it is not a waste. We plan to secure the third factory in Shanghai to make sensors. The pressure in this field will be relatively less." Fang Zhuo explained the priority arrangement.
Zhang Rujing was very shocked: "Who made this decision? The risk is too great. Mr. Qiu? Professor Hu?"
"Well, their joint decision." Fang Zhuo replied, and the "they" here also included another person whose name it is inconvenient to name now.
Zhang Rujing couldn't help but ask: "The board of directors just agreed? The risk is too great."
As the head of SMIC, he is very aware of the risks involved. If the development of 65nm does not go smoothly, a lot of time will be wasted on 90nm, which has achieved initial results. There is a huge time cost here.
It can be said that the decision to skip generation R&D is to put the company on the edge of a knife and dance!
90nm can still achieve great benefits by following the steps. If something goes wrong with 65nm, who will bear the responsibility?
Fang Zhuo said lightly: "My agreement means the board of directors agrees."
He smiled and said: "It's okay. If you fail, you will fail. Anyway, there is no SMIC in the mainland."
Zhang Rujing was speechless again, and then sighed from the bottom of his heart: "That's you, Mr. Fang, that's you, a layman, that's you..."
That is to say, you, Mr. Fang, have the absolute right to speak to the Bingxin Board of Directors, that is, you, a layman, listen to what others say, and that means you dare to take a gamble like this.
It seems like a compliment, sometimes it is a bit of a denigration, but it’s better to praise more.
Zhang Rujing was silent for a while, without asking how Ice Core did it. He said sincerely: "I hope the semiconductors in the mainland will get better and better, and SMIC is not far away from 65nm."
"Mr. Zhang, let's make progress together." Fang Zhuo also said sincerely.
Just as the call from Zhang Rujing ended, another unfamiliar number from Shanghai called.
Fang Zhuo chose to answer.
"Mr. Fang, this is Jiang Qi from Huahong." The caller gave his name first, after all, we haven't contacted each other for a long time, "I heard that Ice Core has made progress in the 65nm process. Even though I am in Huahong, I feel very happy. "
It’s Jiang Qi, Huahong’s vice president.
Bingxin once had some troubles with the people who dug up Huahong.
Jiang Qi continued: "Mr. Fang, I am really happy to hear this news. I used to think that Bingxin was just a company run by amateurs, and I felt that it would only end up with nothing but chicken feathers. Of course, I was really angry with you for poaching people. , but now..."
He paused: "Now, I am just happy, just happy."
Huahong was the country's experimental product in the semiconductor industry, and it undoubtedly failed due to restrictions on purchasing equipment and introducing technology.
It and companies with similar backgrounds can only struggle to move forward.
Jiang Qi was shocked when he heard the latest news about Bingxin.
Bingxin is different from SMIC in that it has a technology leader like Zhang Rujing in charge. It seems to have been unsociable and wild since birth.
Even though Ice Core obtained the 130nm process technology and began mass production, many people, including Jiang Qi, were aggrieved.
What is an ice core? But I was just lucky enough to get the license and introduce and purchase the technology.
If Huahong had this permission, it would only do better than Bingxin!
Jiang Qi has this confidence, but he can only be envious or even jealous.
But……
What is the concept of 65nm?
Jiang Qi is not an outsider and has a good understanding of technology and international standards. He is shocked that Bingxin can do this, but also feels that it would be difficult for Huahong to reach this point under the same conditions.
Just look at SMIC, SMIC also has a license.
Jiang Qi knew very clearly that he could not compare with Zhang Rujing, something that even SMIC could not do...
There was only blessing in his heart.
If we didn't have persistence and determination in our hearts, why not make semiconductors?
When Jiang Qi thought about it, he immediately felt that Mr. Fang deserved more respect for investing so much money, so he made such a proactive congratulatory call.
Fang Zhuo could feel some emotion from his tone. He first thanked the other party for the congratulations, and then smiled and said: "Hey, I may not be honest when I say this, but Bingxin's success also has an assist from Hua Hong. I am very grateful to Hua Hong. It’s thanks to such a group of pioneers, otherwise, where would the soil come from in the country?”
Jiang Qi laughed and was not worried at all.
He made an appointment to visit him when he had time, and wanted to hear for himself the details and stories behind the ice core breakthrough.
Fang Zhuo put down the phone and felt a little emotional. He just took a sip of water and suddenly heard the landline ringing in the office.
He just reached out and looked at the phone on the table vibrating again.
Fang Zhuo glanced at the incoming calls on the landline and mobile phone, and simply pressed connect on both: "Hello, I'm Fang Zhuo."
——"Mr. Fang, I am Zheng Yingfeng from the Electronics Department."
——"Mr. Fang, I am Xu Miao from the Luzhou Municipal Office."
It was a call from above and from the place at the same time.
"Secretary Xu, I will report the situation to the leader of the Electronics Department first. 65nm has indeed passed the risk trial production, but there is still a lot of work ahead." Fang Zhuo said to the mobile phone.
The mobile phone immediately realized the situation and thanked him, which was considered to have accurate information.
The Electronics Department also heard Mr. Fang's voice and waited for a few seconds before saying, "Mr. Fang, the leader will call you in five minutes. Is five minutes enough?"
Fang Zhuo replied simply: "Enough."
The phone didn't hang up.
Taking advantage of this time, he drank water, moistened his throat, and organized the wording of his report.
In fact, there is indeed a lot of work after the trial delivery, and I don’t know why there was such a big response this time.
Five minutes later, the leader on the other end of the phone changed and asked kindly about the technical status of the ice core.
Fang Zhuo gave an original report, starting from the development of 90nm after breaking through 130nm the year before last, to the trial production of 90nm in April last year, to recruiting Dr. Liang and his team, and deciding to skip generations of development. Until today, there is not much difficulty in this. Rendering is just a flat presentation.
"It's not easy, it's not easy." After listening carefully, the leader sighed, "Bingxin is a good name."
He praised a few more times and asked, "What do you need for the ice core?"
The leader knew that Fang Zhuo had come to the capital for a period of time to work on policies and had also made suggestions for the industry.
But the ice cores at that time were different from the ice cores now.
Fang Zhuo hesitated for a few seconds and said, "Bingxin wants an academician spot."
The leader was startled, he did not expect this answer.
He laughed loudly and didn't say yes or no.
Fang Zhuo also laughed and did not mention it a second time. Even if it didn't work this time, he still left an expression of appeal.
The phone call didn't last long, but there would be a face-to-face report to the capital later.
Fang Zhuo put down his phone, gathered his emotions, and called Luzhou.
This time it was not Xu Miao before, but Secretary-General Luo Minghua.
"Mr. Fang, we are having a meeting to discuss how to cooperate with the development of ice cores. You, you, really gave us a big surprise!" Luo Minghua laughed loudly.
"It's a fluke. I don't know if it's a surprise. I'm just sorry it didn't happen." Fang Zhuo said.
"Ice cores are very rare. I see many people are talking about it. Mr. Fang, how do you make ice cores?" Luo Minghua asked.
Fang Zhuo pondered for a while, knowing that there was a meeting opposite, and said slowly: "The credit goes to Mr. Qiu, Professor Hu, and all the employees of Bingxin. It is their sweat, perseverance, and belief that have made Bingxin what it is today."
“How are ice cores made?”
"Actually, I asked myself this yesterday. In addition to the internal efforts of Ice Core, it is also the support of leaders, the policies given by Luzhou, and the support given by domestic universities. Without these, Ice Core would not be Ice Core."
"The 65nm ice core is just a trial production, just a small step on the semiconductor road. This is not the 65nm ice core, but the 65nm ice core. There will be 40nm, 28nm, and more in the future."
"For the ice core on Yuhu Road, our goal is higher and further."
Applause rang out in the conference room, enough to be heard by the cell phone with the external voice turned on.
When Luzhou spoke again, it was no longer Luo Minghua, but the steady and powerful voice of another big leader.
"Mr. Fang, congratulations to Bingxin. I hope you will continue your efforts. We will always be Bingxin's strongest backing."
I recommend this friend's book "Rebirth: Reversal 1998".
Introduction: Looking back on the eventful years.
Xu Xinian was reborn in 1998.
People say that people in that era were as innocent as water.
After being reborn, Xu Xinian just wanted to say that it was a fart.
This is an era full of pitfalls.
The famous bridge at home and abroad was quietly sold by an unemployed vagrant in the form of selling scrap metal.
There are also big bosses who plan to blow up the Himalayas and introduce warm winds from South Asia into the interior, thus solving the drought problem in the northwest in one fell swoop.
In addition, qigong master, carpenter king, TOP Song.
IQ taxes are being paid crazily one after another.
Xu Xinian, who had been cheated all his life, wiped away his tears.
If you can't beat me, I'll join. This time I'll be the guest.