16: Chapter 16 Give me a satisfactory answer

"Baiyi, I'm here... open the door!"

Zhang Baiyi and Gao Yuan came out together to greet him, followed by two beautiful Humanoid Robots!

Opening the door, Zhang Baiyi saw Li Qingquan. "Quan'er, why are you here so late at night? I thought you'd arrive tomorrow at the earliest."

"Cut the nonsense, let's talk business... Why did you call me here?"

"Hehe, good news! Photolithography Machines... Does Xiawei want them?"

Li Qingquan frowned. "You called me here just for this?"

Xiawei naturally wanted Photolithography Machines. In fact, there were domestic manufacturers producing them, but the gap in resolution and alignment accuracy compared to top international manufacturers was quite large! Even if there was a breakthrough last year, it wasn't a technological breakthrough, but a breakthrough in thinking!

Li Qingquan didn't believe there was a domestic manufacturer with a higher process node than Xiaxin International either...

"Zhang Baiyi, you'd better give me a satisfactory answer... or else we won't be friends anymore!"

At this moment, Gao Yuan stepped forward.

"Director Li, shall we go inside and talk?"

"And you are? Gao Yuan?"

As Zhang Baiyi's best friend, Li Qingquan naturally knew of Gao Yuan.

"Yes. Right now, the whole world knows Xiawei wants Photolithography Machines, and I just happen to have them here... Fully automatic extreme ultraviolet photon exposure, electromagnetic rail bearing alignment system, uniform light intensity, high efficiency... a super-resolution Photolithography Machine with photon point-shot exposure and a 3nm process node!"

When Li Qingquan heard "Photolithography Machine" earlier, he thought it was unreliable...

Now, after hearing Gao Yuan's words, he immediately turned to leave...

Don't be ridiculous. Xiaxin International was already the strongest company in Xia Country researching Photolithography Machines, and they had only just mass-produced 22nm machines and were currently working on 10nm. You, a bankrupt internet entrepreneur, are telling me you have a 3nm process node Photolithography Machine? And it uses some kind of photon exposure and electromagnetic alignment? Was that even possible?

Seeing Li Qingquan about to leave...

Zhang Baiyi got anxious.

He grabbed him. "Quan'er, what's wrong?"

"I don't have time to play with you guys. You internet people love playing with concepts... We at Xiawei are in the manufacturing industry; we can't afford to play around!"

Gao Yuan knew this would be the result...

That was why, even though he had exchanged many good things from the Future World, he had no way to promote them...

This was even with Zhang Baiyi inviting Li Qingquan; if he had contacted Xiawei himself, no one would have come at all.

But since he was here...

Gao Yuan naturally wouldn't let him leave like this...

"Director Li, please wait! I don't know what misunderstanding you have about us internet people, but now, I'm also in manufacturing. Since you're already here, why not take a look at the machine before you go? You're an expert, Director Li; you'll know if it's real with just one look, won't you?"

Li Qingquan turned back. "You have the machine right now?"

"Yes, right in the backyard..."

Gao Yuan didn't mince words. At a time like this, presenting the actual object was far more persuasive than any flowery talk.

Li Qingquan clearly calmed down a bit...

"Then let's take a look!"

The three of them went to the backyard. Ten Photolithography Machines were placed in a corner of the yard. They weren't large and looked somewhat like printing presses!

All ten Photolithography Machines were covered with tarpaulins...

Gao Yuan casually uncovered one...

"This is it... Director Li, you can try turning it on! Although there are no Silicon Wafers, you should be able to test its performance... right?"

Of course Gao Yuan had Silicon Wafers, but he wasn't prepared to expose them yet. For now, he was just giving Xiawei an opportunity to exchange some money...

Releasing too much at once would inevitably attract unwanted attention. Even with just the Photolithography Machine, the temptation was already great enough!

Li Qingquan frowned and walked over. It was just tossed in the yard like this and didn't look very big. Could such a thing really produce 3nm chips?

But since he was already here, he definitely had to give it a try...

After connecting the power, Li Qingquan turned on the Photolithography Machine. Generally, the photolithography process involves steps such as cleaning and drying the wafer surface, priming, spin-coating Photoresist, soft baking, alignment and exposure, post-baking, developing, hard baking, and etching.

However, the Photolithography Machine Gao Yuan had brought back from the Future World was clearly more than just a little more advanced than those on Earth...

Li Qingquan took just one look and could no longer remain calm...

At this moment, he was leaning over the Photolithography Machine, watching the operating procedures inside...

Although there were no Silicon Wafers, it was currently in test mode, and what Li Qingquan saw was already breathtaking.

High-end Photolithography Machines are known as the most precise instruments in the world, the "flower of the modern optical industry"!

The most precise Photolithography Machines in the world today use extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light with a wavelength of 10-15nm. The shorter the wavelength, the sharper the "blade" of the photolithography, and the higher the precision control required for etching.

In Li Qingquan's understanding, 10-15nm EUV was already the limit. But the Photolithography Machine in front of him didn't use EUV; it used photons...

It was as if others were using carving knives, while this machine was already using lasers.

A photon is a microscopic elementary particle, a gauge boson. Using photons as a light source could theoretically achieve any level of precision...

Li Qingquan looked up at Gao Yuan. "This... can this machine be modified? 2nm, 1nm... no, even 0.1nm might be possible..."

Gao Yuan nodded in admiration...

"A genius is indeed a genius; you can tell just by looking... Theoretically, it can be done, but to ensure quality and improve the yield rate, we're sticking with 3nm!"

This kind of Photolithography Machine could indeed reach 0.1nm in the future.

What does 0.1nm even mean? It's only the size of a single atom. That is the true Light of Industrial Limits for humanity. Relying on current technology, even if the West were given another hundred years, they would at most break through the 1nm process node...

Chips processed with a 0.1nm node would have their computing speeds pushed to the physical and mechanical limits...

Moreover, the higher the precision, the more the design process needs to improve. Only Optical Quantum Computers, which still only exist in science fiction, would require chips with such high precision...

Current silicon-based computers simply wouldn't be able to utilize the capabilities of such chips...

It would be like mounting an aircraft engine onto a tractor...

After just one look at the Photolithography Machine, Li Qingquan didn't want to leave anymore.

He even wanted to guard the Photolithography Machine overnight, fearing the wind would damage the lenses or dew would dampen the bearings. These were high-precision instruments; even a single speck of dust could lead to different results!

But Gao Yuan didn't care at all; it was just a matter of two bottles of wine.

Gao Yuan and Zhang Baiyi dragged Li Qingquan into the house.

"Director Li, I guarantee the Photolithography Machine is perfectly safe..."

Such a Photolithography Machine was basically a toy in the future, and no one cherished it. If it broke, you just got a new one...

But now... this was the most high-end industrial optical miracle in the entire world.

Li Qingquan steadied himself. "President Gao, it's a pleasure to meet you... I wonder where this Photolithography Machine came from? Do you have the intention to sell it?"

Gao Yuan naturally wanted to sell it; otherwise, why would he have contacted Li Qingquan?

"Director Li, who in the world do you think could manufacture such a Photolithography Machine?"

Li Qingquan shook his head. "Yuandian announced at the end of last year that they were moving into 3nm chips, but their Photolithography Machines are still the old ones. This machine of yours... is beyond my knowledge."}],