"Liu, what are you doing in a big fuss, it's only an order of 800 million, didn't SMIC just place an order of 1.7 billion for us?

Wait, what are you? Who placed the order for us? At this time, the sales department manager on night duty, about 30 years old, and he was a little fat, and he also walked over with a thermos cup.

"Manager, it's Datang Technology that placed the order for us! It's Datang Technology! Liu hurriedly pulled the manager to his computer and pointed to one of the messages.

"Datang Technology? I remember that they were not engaged in heavy industry? These two emerging technology companies that are very popular, they also want to engage in chips?

This... It's illogical. At this time, the manager of the sales department was also stunned, and then immediately reported the news to the middle and senior management who were still asleep.

Of course, he just sent a message to explain the situation briefly, and he didn't dare to take this risk after calling him in the middle of the night.

"Where do they get the ability to produce chips? The lithography machine is out? At this time, Liu is also a little skeptical, a heavy industry to engage in chips?

Isn't this a joke?

"What kind of order did they place? Etched monads? ”

"Yes, they placed an order for a million wafers from several other fabs, and then sent them to us, so that we can complete a series of steps such as etching in the fastest time.

The etched wafers are then sent to Datang Technology. Liu glanced at the data on the order and said to the manager.

"That's it, anyway, we're just a supply chain guy, what does he do so much, after all, the economy is sluggish in this year, and it is estimated that the chairman will be happy to die after knowing about it." The manager of the sales department also spoke.

In fact, most people think that the production of chips is just to use a lithography machine on the cut wafer, and use a laser to "hit" the transistors on the wafers according to the scheme given by the chip design company, and the transistors are "hit" on the wafers in a certain arrangement, and the chips are made in this way.

In fact, this is just some self-media for the sake of traffic, which has greatly simplified the process of chip production and hyped up lithography machines.

The lithography machine uses a laser to hit the transistor on the wafer, which is only the last installation step, before the wafer needs to be etched, also known as "digging the trench to lay the foundation".

If a lithography machine is installed, then "laying the foundation" is done by an etching machine.

Under normal circumstances, after a batch of sand is refined and turned into wafers, it can be etched in the chip factory and then ended up in the final lithography machine.

However, the domestic chip industry started very slowly, and generally these jobs are divided into major companies to complete, such as manufacturing wafers is a company, etching is another company, and using a lithography machine to hit transistors is another company.

And these companies form a fragile supply chain, as long as the process of one link is not up to standard, then the level of the entire chip will not go up.

No matter how new your lithography machine is, how many nanometers of transistors can be punched on the wafer, as long as the process of my etching machine can't break through, I can only make a 45nm pit for you, then your lithography machine is useless even if it reaches 5nm, because it can't be installed at all.

Therefore, the backwardness of the domestic chip industry is not only the backwardness of lithography machines in the real sense, but also the backwardness of the entire domestic supply chain system.

As long as one supplier drops the chain, then the entire supply chain is waiting for a break, and no matter how high the bet on the process, it can't be done, either to find another foundry, or to obediently wait for a technological breakthrough.

Therefore, there is a fundamental difference between a lithography machine and an etching machine.

The lithography machine is used to expose and develop, the silicon wafer is covered with a layer of photoresist (photoresist), and then a mask is put on top of it, and the mask is patterned.

By exposure development (similar to the previous principle of photographic film), the pattern is left on the photoresist. Then proceed to the next steps (etch, implant, etc.).

Etching machines are used to etch on silicon wafers, such as carving a groove, digging a deep pit, etc.

On the side of micro technology, they are responsible for digging pits in wafers.

"Manager, if you Datang Technology has made such a big order, will they master any chip-related technology?" Liu asked.

"I don't think there's any hope, he placed an order for 22 nanometers, how can we have a 22 nanometer lithography machine in China, and generally TSMC can place this kind of order.

Or other chip foundries, our orders are still mostly 90 nanometers. The manager also shook his head, and then denied Liu's words.

"Then what did he do with such a big order, this is 800 million, we can't let us finish etching, then we won't install transistors, just throw it in the warehouse of Datang Technology, what is he trying to do." Liu was also getting more and more confused at this time.

"Maybe people also have their own ideas, after all, the chip industry is not something that can be broken through with enthusiasm, although Datang Technology is a good company,

But in the chip industry, IMHO, they will be killed to pieces. The sales manager shook his head, then said, "But anyway,

It is also our Huaxia industry, our chip industry, which has been stuck in the neck for nearly 30 years, and I also hope that a miracle will happen, but reality is reality, isn't it. ”

Don't look at their micro technology is engaged in the step of wafer etching, but in fact, what they are engaged in is only the last process of the etching step, that is, the most untechnical one.

Generally, the steps of etching sound like digging a pit, which is very untechnical.

After all, who wouldn't dig a pit?

A lot of people would think so.

But if you dig a hole that is worse than a virus, it will be difficult.

From the very beginning of the etching of the PN section, a Poly requires 32 processes, followed by Spacer, Sti, Canti, and then the most untechnical copper area.

In fact, their company is also the most non-technical copper area, the last one, and this is just etching, there are Pvd, ion implantation, wet and so on behind etching.

And just like this, 90% of their company's equipment is imported, and it is still the most untechnical one, and they are the only ones in the whole of China who can do this most untechnical one.

It's really infuriating.

"Although reality is reality, manager, will there be a miracle in your Datang Technology? It's like Top of the Gods that we play every time. Liu asked.

"It's a miracle, it's not good, but it can only be hope, and the rest of the things will be verified by time." The manager also chuckled and spoke.