161: Chapter 161 Bearing 'Armor', Gradient Infiltration Process!

Deep in the night, the experimental workshop.

It was another few days of grueling battle.

The R&D team of thousands was exhausted, with fatigue written on almost everyone's face, yet their eyes shone with a bright light.

The carbon fiber material needed for the improved ceramic composite bearing had been urgently shipped from the capital and successfully passed the composite test, creating a brand-new composite ceramic bearing material. At this moment, the bearing test was still ongoing.

Zhou Fan stood in front of the master control console, staring intently at the constantly jumping data on the screen, his brows furrowed.

TSMC cutting off supply meant that Fanmi Technology was about to face a desperate situation with no chips to use.

And all this hope rested on the lithography machine before them, which embodied the painstaking efforts of countless people.

General Manager Zhou, the third test results are out!

He Xingwei rushed over with a report, his voice filled with undisguised anxiety.

His eyes were bloodshot, clearly having not had a proper rest for a long time.

Zhou Fan took the report, his gaze quickly sweeping over the data, and his expression inevitably sank.

It still hasn't reached the expected parameters!

His tone was somewhat low.

He Xingwei gave a wry smile and nodded: 'Under high-frequency vibration, the bearing still developed micro-cracks. Although it was much better than the last time, it was far from meeting the requirements of the 45nm process.'

This news was like a basin of cold water poured onto everyone's hearts.

The atmosphere in the laboratory instantly became heavy; the already tense air seemed to solidify, making it hard for people to breathe.

You must know that to overcome this difficult problem, they had already tried countless solutions.

From changing bearing materials to optimizing structural design, every attempt embodied the team's hard work, but the results were always unsatisfactory.

Where exactly is the problem?

Li Hui couldn't help but ask, his voice somewhat hoarse, clearly anxious and frustrated.

As the R&D Director of Haicheng Microelectronics, he knew the importance of this project better than anyone else.

Zhou Fan did not answer immediately, but walked to the laser generator that had undergone countless improvements.

The buzzing sound of the machine running seemed particularly harsh at this moment, and every vibration felt like it was hammering on everyone's tense nerves.

Look here, everyone.

Zhou Fan pointed to a precision component inside the laser generator and said in a serious tone: 'We previously only focused on the strength of the bearing itself, but we ignored a key issue—the bonding degree between the carbon fiber and the ceramic.'

Everyone looked in the direction he pointed, and saw that under high-frequency vibration, there was indeed subtle friction at the contact surface between the carbon fiber and the ceramic.

It is these gaps that cause instability in energy transmission, which in turn leads to micro-cracks, Zhou Fan explained.

He Xingwei suddenly realized: 'I understand! It's like two gears that aren't meshing tightly; problems will naturally arise after running for a long time.'

Then what should we do?

someone asked eagerly.

For a moment, everyone's eyes focused on Zhou Fan; they all knew that since Zhou Fan had discovered the problem, he must have a solution.

This was the tacit understanding they had cultivated over this period.

Zhou Fan pondered for a moment and said: 'We need to find a way to improve the interfacial bonding between the carbon fiber and the ceramic. Deputy Director He, you previously mentioned adjusting the carbon fiber weaving density; perhaps that's a viable direction.'

He Xingwei's eyes lit up: 'That's right! If we can find the optimal weaving density, we might be able to improve the bonding state of the two.'

But that's not enough.

Zhou Fan shook his head, a flash of brilliance in his eyes, 'I've thought of a better way.'

He walked quickly to the whiteboard, picked up a marker, and quickly sketched on it. Everyone gathered around, and they saw that Zhou Fan had drawn a complex schematic diagram of the material structure.

This is...

He Xingwei looked at the diagram, his eyes full of confusion.

Gradient Infiltration Process, Zhou Fan explained, 'We can apply a nano-scale transition coating on the surface of the carbon fiber to allow it to better fuse with the ceramic material, just like building a bridge between two different worlds.'

This idea made everyone's eyes light up.

This approach is good!

Li Hui said excitedly, 'Why didn't I think of that?'

Zhou Fan smiled: 'This is actually some inspiration from my previous research. The combination of different materials often requires a transition layer to achieve the best results.'

He paused and continued: 'We can compare this transition coating to a layer of Armor. It needs to have sufficient strength while also possessing a certain degree of toughness, so that it can protect the bearing from damage under high-frequency vibration.'

When researching the Room-Temperature Superconductivity project in his past life, this situation had occurred many times, and it could basically be solved by the Gradient Infiltration Process.

Even without the analysis and deduction of special abilities, he was very confident.

Then shall we start the experiment now?

someone asked impatiently.

Zhou Fan nodded: 'There's no time to lose. We must find the optimal material ratio in the shortest possible time! Director He, please be responsible for preparing carbon fibers of different densities; Director Li, I'll leave it to you to prepare the nano-coating materials I need.'

You already have an idea?

Li Hui's eyes lit up instantly.

Of course!

Zhou Fan nodded with a smile.

Alright, no problem!

Leave it to us!

He Xingwei and Li Hui felt a sudden surge of enthusiasm and immediately took action; the entire laboratory became busy again.

Time passed second by second, and the sky outside the window gradually turned white with the dawn.

Over a dozen hours, team members took turns, constantly adjusting parameters and testing samples.

Everyone was like a wound-up machine, working tirelessly.

Zhou Fan remained on the front line, guiding every experiment.

His eyes were bloodshot and his voice had become hoarse, but the light in his eyes grew brighter.

Sample Group 37 test starting!

At He Xingwei's command, the new sample was placed into the testing equipment.

Everyone held their breath, staring intently at the data on the screen.

High-frequency vibration began, and the humming sound emitted by the machine made everyone quiet down.

Everything is normal so far...

The vibration frequency is stable within the expected range...

One-hour data is normal...

...

Two-hour data is normal...

...

It has been running for three hours now...

As time passed bit by bit, everyone's heart was in their throat.

As time went on, the atmosphere became even more tense.

The experimental workshop was silent, with only the sound of the machine running to be heard.

Soon, four hours passed, and the sample remained stable.

It passed! The limit time of the special metal has been exceeded!!!

The person in charge of data monitoring exclaimed.

Everyone clenched their fists, but there were no cheers.

Because everyone knew that the key was not four hours, but whether problems would appear after four hours!!

Five hours... six hours...

When the test reached the eighth hour, He Xingwei could no longer suppress the excitement in his heart.

Is it enough? It's been eight hours... Can we consider this a success?

His gaze was fixed on the data screen, which was all green with no warning messages.

Li Hui looked at Zhou Fan.

Others in the workshop also involuntarily looked at the young figure standing at the master control console.

Zhou Fan operated the computer quickly, carefully checking the test data of these eight hours, his expression calm.

A few minutes later, he raised his head and looked at the group of people.

Hmm, the testing process went very smoothly. There was no further material wear or loss of strength; the new bearing is fine!

As soon as he finished speaking, a burst of cheers erupted in the experimental workshop, and everyone couldn't help but get excited.

Some people hugged each other excitedly, even shedding tears of joy.

Others rubbed their foreheads with relief and slumped into their chairs.

Li Hui and He Xingwei looked at each other, their eyes full of excitement.

This test data is exactly the same as the data General Manager Zhou wrote on the whiteboard earlier!

Li Hui had already come to the computer, looking at the data on it, his eyes filled with an inexplicable emotion.

I told you, General Manager Zhou never does anything without being sure!

He Xingwei said with a smile.

It wasn't like they hadn't seen Zhou Fan's monstrous talent before. Back at the Optical Machinery Institute, he dared to operate the equipment directly after just reading the manual, and the key was that he actually produced a high-end optical lens usable for the 45nm process. Such things were already magical enough.

Therefore, He Xingwei could be considered to have developed immunity.

General Manager Zhou, this time it's all thanks to you. This Gradient Infiltration Process is simply a stroke of genius!

He Xingwei sighed in his heart and couldn't help but speak up.

Li Hui also nodded in agreement, with a hint of excitement in his eyes: 'Yes, with this Armor, our bearing can finally withstand high-frequency vibration. The 45nm lithography technology finally has hope!'

Zhou Fan waved his hand and smiled: 'Alright, now is not the time to hand out rewards!'

He paused, his tone becoming serious: 'Next is the extreme test. Don't stop the machine; it must run for at least 72 hours!'

Okay!

Sunlight streamed through the window into the laboratory, illuminating everyone's tired but hopeful faces.

At this moment, although they had stayed up all night, they felt no sleepiness.

Because everyone knew they were creating history.