75: Chapter 75 Beyond Imagination!

"One hundred?"

Hearing the number Lin Yuan tossed out so nonchalantly, everyone in the workshop was stunned.

According to the rules of the semiconductor industry, if a newly developed prototype machine could successfully process ten wafers in a row during batch consistency testing without errors, it would be enough to pop champagne and celebrate before the whole world.

Anyone who dared to test twenty wafers during an initial trial run was already a madman with extreme technical self-confidence, perhaps even a bit of a gambler's mentality.

This was because any tiny bit of mechanical redundancy, temperature deviation, or micro-vibration in the optical path would be infinitely magnified during continuous high-intensity operations, ultimately leading to the scrapping of the wafers!

But Lin Yuan had asked for one hundred wafers right out of the gate.

What kind of concept was that?

It meant he intended to use the most demanding and ruthless method to roast this newly born national treasure in the harshest of purgatories.

Chen Jingshan narrowed his eyes and stared at Lin Yuan, his voice steady.

"Are you sure?"

Lin Yuan stood before the control console and smiled, his tone thick with ease.

"With three perfect core technologies that transcend the era, I have confidence in it."

His voice was as light as a breeze, but the certainty written into his bones made the very air feel thick.

Chen Jingshan gave him a deep look, his Adam's apple bobbing once. He said no more, only nodding slowly but heavily.

Beside them, Zhou Ping's gaze swept back and forth between Lin Yuan and that silver-gray beast with its cold, sharp lines; his mind was a complete blank.

Was this young man truly confident, or...?

Wei Jiancheng and the others exchanged looks. When their eyes met, they saw the same resolve in each other's gaze and spoke no more.

Soon, several researchers who had been standing by stepped forward. Their movements were light and quick as they pulled out wafer cassettes one by one from the military-green transport crates.

In less than five minutes, one hundred 8-inch blank wafers, coated with expensive Photoresist, were all loaded into the feed chamber.

Lin Yuan stood at the control console, his fingertips sliding fluently across the screen as he set up the batch operation program.

Finally, he looked up, his gaze sweeping across every nervous face on the scene.

His fingertip hovered above the start button.

"Begin."

His fingertip pressed down decisively!

“Vroom—”

From inside the Photolithography Machine came an operational hum that was deeper than before.

The Superconducting Acceleration Cavity ran at full power, and the EUV Light Source began high-frequency pulse cutting.

In the entire workshop, dozens of pairs of bloodshot eyes were glued to the jumping green data on the large screen without blinking.

No one spoke.

No one even dared to take a deep breath.

Time seemed to be infinitely stretched at this moment...

Under everyone's watchful eyes, the entire Photolithography Machine operated without the slightest stutter or a single red error message popping up. It ran with such stability, efficiency, and cold precision.

Finally.

Accompanied by a crisp electronic beep, the words "Batch Operation Complete" popped up in large green letters on the control console screen.

But still, no one cheered.

Because everyone understood that the true judgment had not yet arrived.

Lin Yuan turned around and tilted his chin toward several researchers.

"Retrieve the wafers and send them for inspection."

The researchers snapped out of their daze and rushed forward, neatly placing the one hundred wafers—carrying the hope of the entire nation—onto specialized trays.

Then, the group marched in a grand procession toward the inspection area.

Inside the Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) inspection area.

Several high-precision devices had already finished preheating.

Lin Yuan did not do it himself; instead, he handed the task over to several core technical personnel.

"Group inspection. Each device is responsible for twenty-five wafers. Once all scanning is complete, summarize the data."

"Yes!"

The inspection officially began.

On four independent display screens, gray-and-white SEM images popped up one after another.

The lines were straight, the edges sharp, and the structures perfect.

First wafer: Qualified.

Fifth wafer: Unqualified.

Tenth wafer: Qualified!

As the inspection results for the wafers came out one by one, the atmosphere in the workshop did not relax; instead, it grew increasingly tense.

Time felt as if it had been slowed down countless times.

Finally!

When the scan results for the hundredth wafer popped up, a batch inspection report automatically integrated by the system suddenly occupied the main central screen.

[Batch Inspection Complete]

[Total: 100 pieces]

[Qualified: 91 pieces]

[Unqualified: 9 pieces]

[Yield Rate: 91%]

In the workshop, there was a dead silence that lasted for three full seconds.

The next instant.

"Awoooo—!!!"

"Ninety-one percent... My God..."

"A ten-nanometer process, a first run of a hundred wafers, and a yield rate of ninety-one percent!!"

"We... we succeeded!!"

"We succeeded, ahhhhh!!!"

The entire workshop went completely out of control!

Emotions suppressed to the extreme erupted like a volcano that had been building for countless years, instantly smashing the dam of rationality to pieces!

Wei Jiancheng stared up at the "91%" figure on the screen, his throat working several times before he finally choked out a sentence.

"This... this is what a true national treasure looks like!"

He Yicheng adjusted his glasses, the rims of his eyes already red behind the lenses.

Yang Lin simply squatted on the ground, covering his face with his hands, his shoulders twitching violently.

Zhou Ping stood at the back of the crowd, watching this scene, his chest surging with an unnameable turbulence.

A ninety-one percent yield rate.

A ten-nanometer process.

A batch test of one hundred wafers.

When these three numbers were stacked together, what did they represent?

They represented that Xia Country's Photolithography Machine now stood at the very pinnacle of the global semiconductor manufacturing process pyramid!

Zhou Ping took a deep breath, suppressing the giant waves churning in his chest. He stepped forward, passing through the researchers who were still excitedly celebrating, and walked straight toward the young man at the center of the storm.

He stopped in front of Lin Yuan.

Looking at this young man who was barely twenty years old, he didn't know how to speak for a moment.

Before coming here, he had imagined countless scenarios of "witnessing history."

But this scene was the only one he hadn't imagined.

"Comrade Lin Yuan."

"I originally thought the results I imagined were already exaggerated enough."

He paused, gave a self-deprecating laugh, and shook his head.

"But looking at it now, my vision was still too small."

"This witnessing of history is more... insane than any version I imagined!"

Chen Jingshan also walked over from the side. He looked at Lin Yuan with an uncontrollable smile on his face.

"Director Zhou is right. You, kid, have once again taken all of our imaginations and ground them into the dirt."

Lin Yuan accepted this heavy praise with composure, merely nodding with a light smile.

"Thank you, Director Zhou. Thank you, Dean Chen."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the scientific researchers who were hugging and weeping because of the success.

Then, his eyes fell back onto Zhou Ping and Chen Jingshan, a meaningful light appearing in his pupils.

"Since the machine has been successfully developed and its performance has been verified..."

"Regarding those 'greetings' sent by our friends abroad..."

"Shouldn't we give them a direct response?"

...

Seven o'clock that evening.

The intro music for Xia Country's most authoritative news channel played on time.

The scene cut in, and a dignified, solemn broadcaster announced this world-shaking news brief in an impassioned and rhythmic tone.

"News from this station: Xia Country's first independently developed EUV Photolithography Machine has passed all tests as of this morning..."