266: Chapter 266 Breaking Through the Barriers of Photolithography: The 16-Nano Photolithography Machine

Gao Mingxuan walked to the center of the stage, with all 11 pieces of equipment behind him.

"The morning presentation ends here," he said. "Everyone is welcome to take a closer look. All equipment is in operation, and you are welcome to test the workpieces on-site. We have prepared various raw materials for you to operate and experience firsthand."

He concluded with one final sentence: "The philosophy of Xingchen Heavy Industry is very simple—use Chinese machine tools to manufacture world-class products."

Applause erupted.

It was not enthusiastic applause, but heavy applause—like hammers striking steel.

Because everyone knew that what they saw today was not just a product display, but a declaration of the rise of an industrial powerhouse.

The crowd surged toward the exhibition stands.

Representatives from Germany, Japan, and the USA gathered in front of the equipment, repeatedly testing them with their own measuring instruments.

Hans Muller lingered in front of the Heavenly Work Extreme for twenty minutes, personally operating the machining program and testing three workpieces.

Finally, he said to his assistant: "The data is authentic. The precision really reaches 0.001 mm, and the stability is excellent—after processing ten workpieces in a row, the error fluctuation does not exceed 0.0003 mm."

"What should we do?" the assistant asked.

"Lower prices," Hans gritted his teeth. "Reduce the DMU 80 to $700,000. Also... contact Xingchen and ask if they are willing to engage in technical cooperation."

"Cooperation?"

"Use our European channels in exchange for their technology licensing," Hans said with a complex look in his eyes. "If you can't beat them, join them."

This was the first time in the century-long history of German industry that it had proposed technical cooperation to a non-Western country.

The delegation from Japan's FANUC was even more embarrassed.

Their most proud numerical control system had been comprehensively surpassed by Xingchen's Xingchu OS—not only was the precision higher, but it also integrated AI and supported multiple languages.

Although Tanaka Koji had left the venue, the rest of the team remained.

Technical Director Yamamoto Ichiro operated the Luban Milling Machine's AI system and then fell silent.

"Their AI... can really recognize material changes," Yamamoto whispered to his colleague. "We have been researching for five years and still haven't reached this level."

"Should we buy a few and take them back for research?"

"Buy them. Buy them through a distributor in Taiwan; don't use the Japanese company's name."

The representative from America's Haas was relatively calm because they focused on the low-to-mid-end market, so the competition with Xingchen was not direct.

But Vice President Robert Li (Chinese-American) said to his assistant: "Contact headquarters and suggest transferring some low-end production lines to China to use Xingchen's equipment. Costs can be reduced by 40%."

"What about the US factories..."

"Shut them down," Robert said decisively. "There is no sentiment in manufacturing competition, only cost and technology."

The aftermath of the morning's launch was still lingering. After a short two-hour break, everyone arrived at Exhibition Hall 4 next door.

2:00 PM, Hall 4.

There was no heavy equipment here, and the lighting had become brighter and softer.

Three transparent, clean covers rose on the exhibition stand. Inside were not steel beasts, but precision works of art—silver-white shells, complex optical systems, and precise mechanical structures.

Li Wanqing, President of Xinghuo Chip, took the stage again.

She had changed her outfit today: a white lab coat over a light gray shirt, looking professional and rigorous.

"This morning, President Gao showcased 'manufacturing tools'," Li Wanqing began. "This afternoon, I will showcase 'the tools to manufacture tools'."

She pointed to the first transparent cover: "Without high-end machine tools, one cannot build high-end chips. But without high-end lithography machines, one cannot build the core of high-end chips—the lithography machine."

The transparent cover opened slowly.

A piece of equipment about 10 meters long and 3 meters high was revealed. It was not as rugged as the machine tools; it looked more like a precision scientific instrument: countless lenses, lasers, sensors, and control units integrated within the silver-white shell.

The first generation of Xinghuo lithography machine: Suiguang-16.

The large screen popped up with parameters:

Parameters: ASML NXE:3400C VS Xingchen Suiguang-16

Light Source Type: 193nm ArF

Numerical Aperture (NA): 1.35

Resolution (Single Exposure): 38nm

Multiple Exposure Capability: Supports 1 VS Supports 1

Overlay Accuracy: 1.8 nm

Production Capacity: 200 wafers/hour

Price: $12 million VS $9.6 million

When the parameters were fully displayed, the audience fell into dead silence once again.

This time it was not amazement, but shock.

Because everyone knew what a lithography machine meant—it was the crown of the semiconductor industry and the pinnacle of the modern technological pyramid.

ASML monopolized the global high-end lithography machine market, especially EUV (Extreme Ultraviolet) lithography machines, selling only to TSMC, Samsung, and Intel, while imposing an embargo on China.

Now, Xingchen had brought out its own lithography machine.

"I know what you are all thinking," Li Wanqing said calmly. "ASML's EUV lithography machines can only do below 7nm, and our DUV (Deep Ultraviolet) can do at most 7nm. But—"

She brought up a roadmap:

Xinghuo Lithography Machine Technology Roadmap

2018: Suiguang-1 (DUV), already in mass production

2020: Suiguang-14 (14nm/5nm Free Electron Laser), under development

2022: Suiguang-7 (7nm/3nm Metal Oxide + Computational Lithography), in pre-research

2025: Suiguang-3 (Below 3nm Nanoimprint/Electron Beam), conceptual stage

"More importantly," Li Wanqing said, "we provide end-to-end solutions."

chip Manufacturing and Packaging Full Line

The big screen began playing a video; the location was the Huizhou Daya Bay chip manufacturing base.

This was not an animated demonstration; it was real footage.

The scene started with silicon wafers entering the factory:

Silicon Wafer Cleaning: Automated robotic arms send wafers into the cleaning machine.

Thin Film Deposition: PECVD (Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition) equipment grows oxide layers.

Lithography: Suiguang-16 lithography machine exposure.

Etching: ICP (Inductively Coupled Plasma) etching machine forms patterns.

Ion Implantation: Injecting doping ions.

Annealing: Rapid thermal annealing to activate doping.

Chemical Mechanical Polishing: CMP equipment planarization.

Repeat: Repeat the above steps 30-50 times to form a multi-layer structure.

Packaging and Testing: Cutting, packaging, testing.

The entire process was fully automated without human intervention.

"A full line with a monthly output of 50,000 16nm chips, including all equipment for lithography, etching, thin film, cleaning, inspection, and packaging," Li Wanqing said. "The total investment is about $800 million, with a construction cycle of 18 months."

She provided a comparison: "Equivalent foreign production lines require $1.2 billion and 24 months. And... they might not even sell it to you."

These words were pregnant with meaning.

The eyes of the representatives from Southeast Asian countries—Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand—lit up.

They had always wanted to develop the chip industry, but they couldn't buy the equipment or hire the technology.

Now, Xingchen was willing to provide "turnkey projects": from factory design, equipment installation, and process debugging to personnel training—all-inclusive.

The president of a Malaysian semiconductor company raised his hand directly: "Ms. Li, we are interested! Can we discuss this in detail?"

"After the press conference, we can discuss in the signing area," Li Wanqing smiled.

"At the same time, we also provide full lines for new energy vehicle manufacturing." The second video played, with the location being the Hongqi Automobile Chengdu Super Factory.

It was also real footage from beginning to end:

Stamping Workshop: Large stamping machines press steel plates into car body panels, 15 times per minute.

Welding Workshop: 500 welding robots work simultaneously, completing one body-in-white every 60 seconds.

Painting Workshop: Fully automatic painting, with 99.9% consistency for each car.

Assembly Workshop: AGVs (Automated Guided Vehicles) deliver parts, robotic arms install them, no human intervention.

Inspection Line: Laser measurement, autonomous driving test, sealing test.

"This production line includes four major processes: stamping, welding, painting, and assembly. The robot density reaches 120 per 10,000 square meters, with an automation rate of 95%," Li Wanqing introduced. "Annual output of 300,000 vehicles, investment of $800 million. Traditional production lines with the same capacity require $1 billion and three times the manpower."

She threw out the real temptation:

"We can provide a 'four-in-one' full-stack solution for partner car companies:

Production line equipment: The entire car production line.

Battery system: Xinghuo ternary lithium batteries and lithium iron phosphate batteries, as well as sodium-ion batteries.

chip system: Automotive-grade chips.

Software system: Autonomous driving OS, in-vehicle OS."

"The success of the Hongqi E-MINI has already verified this path," Li Wanqing said. "It only took 10 months from factory construction to mass production. It only took 6 months from mass production to monthly sales of 500,000 vehicles."

In the audience, the representative from Vietnam's VinFast stood up excitedly.

VinFast was Vietnam's first car brand, but it had always been constrained by technology and supply chains.

"Ms. Li!" the Vietnamese representative said in not-so-fluent Chinese. "We can sign immediately! The entire production line, plus technology licensing!"

"Yes, we can," Li Wanqing nodded. "But it requires the Vietnamese government to provide land, tax incentives, and... guarantees for intellectual property rights."

"No problem! Our Prime Minister is personally paying attention to this project!"

Representatives from other developing countries couldn't sit still either.

Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines... all wanted to develop their own automotive industries, but previously they could only do OEM for Japanese cars. Now, they had the opportunity to possess complete independent production capabilities.

4:00 PM, the press conference ended.

Li Wanqing and Gao Mingxuan stood on stage together and bowed to the audience.

Thunderous applause erupted in the audience, lasting for three minutes.

This applause was not only for the products but for the possibilities—the possibility of a country transitioning from an industrial follower to an industrial leader.

The possibility of a civilization transitioning from technology importer to technology exporter.