164: Chapter 164 The First Chinese Core!!!

It was eight o'clock in the morning.

The electronic experimental workshop was already fully staffed, and the atmosphere was unprecedentedly solemn.

"General Manager Zhou, I've notified General Manager Qin and the others, and Director Lan knows too; they should be here soon!" Li Hui leaned into Zhou Fan's ear and whispered.

In fact, he had only reported the news of the successful lithography yesterday, and it was only later that he received a call from Qin Tianlei saying that several big shots would be coming.

He wasn't really sure exactly who would be coming.

"Hmm, I know!" Zhou Fan nodded without saying anything more.

Lin Wenwu must have notified Lei Jun, so he should be coming too, barring any surprises.

At this moment, Zhou Fan was standing in front of the main console of the lithography machine, performing the final calibration.

Soon, rapid footsteps suddenly came from the workshop entrance.

He looked up and saw Yang Tian leading a group of people in quickly.

In the crowd, he was somewhat surprised to see Academician Yu Fei.

This old academician had actually come as well.

The cuffs of his Zhongshan suit were still stained with a little dust, and he looked travel-worn, evidently having rushed over from the capital overnight.

Lan Bowen, Lei Jun, and Qin Tianlei were also in the crowd, walking with hurried steps.

"Zhou Fan, we didn't disturb you, did we?"

Academician Yu Fei's voice was serious, but his gaze was glued like a magnet to the lithography machine emitting a cold metallic light.

Yesterday afternoon, he had just returned to the capital from a business trip.

After sleeping for a while, he was woken up by Lan Bowen's phone call.

Hearing that the lithography chip test was about to take place here, he didn't even change his clothes and rushed over overnight.

"Old Yu, you're joking. If today's experiment is successful, it would be best to have you witness the birth of China's first fully domestically produced chip!" Zhou Fan said with a smile.

"Good, as long as you have confidence!" A glint flashed in Academician Yu Fei's eyes, and then he waved his hand.

"You don't need to worry about me; I'll go take a look at the machine first!"

Saying this, he walked straight towards the modified lithography machine in the workshop that was about to be tested.

"Then we'll go take a look too!" Unable to hold back, Lan Bowen and Qin Tianlei greeted Zhou Fan and followed closely behind Academician Yu Fei.

At this time, Lei Jun came to Zhou Fan's side.

His face carried a smile.

"I just sent a lawyer's letter to TSMC, and then I received a call from Lin Wenwu, learning the news that you were going to test the chip."

He said, suddenly laughing, with complex emotions surging in the red bloodshot eyes.

"If it succeeds, I'll make the call to allocate all the compensation from this lawsuit to your laboratory."

"That would be great!" Zhou Fan smiled.

"Where is Lin Wenwu?" Lei Jun scanned the area but didn't see that familiar figure.

"Their software department isn't here, but they should be coming over in a while!"

"Is the control system done?"

"Yes, it was done three days ago. The speed was very fast..." Zhou Fan's tone carried a hint of admiration.

"General Manager Lin has really risen to the occasion; such a complex system, and he got it done in half a year!" Lei Jun also laughed.

Subsequently, the two men's gazes simultaneously and tacitly turned towards the machine in the center of the workshop.

"I have already imported the design for the qiankun chip into the system, now I'm just waiting for this light!" Zhou Fan's voice suddenly rang out again.

"Hmm!"

These words instantly made Lei Jun's heart burn with fervor!

In Lei Jun's view, that was not only China's first 45nm Lithography Machine, but also the only hope for Fanmi Technology.

If today's experiment could succeed...

The crisis of Fanmi would have a solution!

...

Academician Yu Fei's gaze swept across the workshop; over a thousand researchers were waiting in strict formation.

Even the cleaning lady was holding a thermos and waiting in the corner.

Everyone's breathing seemed to be in sync.

He nudged Lan Bowen's arm and said with a smile, "Look at this turnout; it's much livelier than when we were working on 90nm lithography back in the day."

"That's natural. The technical difficulty is much higher. At this point in time, for Zhou Fan to be able to produce it... it's truly incredible!"

"Indeed!" Academician Yu Fei couldn't help but sigh with emotion.

Looking at the precise machine in front of him, there were obvious traces of modification, but he didn't mind it at all.

They had modified many machines in the past; as long as it could achieve a technological breakthrough, it was good technology!

"Academician Yu, the time has come."

At this moment, Li Hui, who had been accompanying them, suddenly spoke up and reminded them softly.

At the same time, Zhou Fan's voice rang out from the main control console.

"The 45nm lithography chip test will begin in one minute. All posts, be prepared!"

Upon hearing this, Academician Yu Fei straightened up abruptly, stepped back three paces, and stood still, straightening his spine like an old soldier waiting for the flag-raising ceremony.

Lei Jun and Lan Bowen also subconsciously stood in a row.

The workshop instantly fell silent, with only the low hum of the lithography machine's cooling system remaining, like an ancient beast brewing thunder in its belly.

At the control console, Zhou Fan took a deep breath.

"Thirty seconds!"

"Ten seconds!"

"Five seconds!"

"..."

As the countdown ended, Zhou Fan pressed the start button.

"Experiment start!"

The entire laboratory was silent.

The laser generator started first, emitting a pale purple beam.

After being refracted by twelve sets of optical lenses, it turned into a thin line almost invisible to the naked eye, falling precisely onto the surface of the wafer.

The photoresist quietly developed under the beam, like a tide awakened by moonlight, slowly outlining the texture of the circuit.

"First set of exposure complete, precision 99.98%!" The voice of a young researcher came from the monitoring station, carrying an irrepressible tremor.

"Second set of exposure, no deviation..."

"Double exposure process complete, no abnormalities!"

Everyone held their breath.

The 'skyscrapers' on the surface of the wafer were taking shape at a speed visible to the naked eye, just like a grand and magnificent project, displaying unparalleled charm in the microscopic world, leaving people awestruck and fascinated.

As time passed, it was like a divine pen making the final stroke.

The machine made a "click" sound of positioning, and the humming gradually ceased.

The robotic arm precisely removed the wafer that had finished lithography and placed it into the inspection chamber.

At this moment, you could hear a pin drop in the workshop.

Academician Yu Fei and the others couldn't help but step forward, carefully examining the semi-finished wafer in the inspection chamber.

So perfect, just like a work of art!

So... exhilarating!!

"How long will the test results take?" Academician Yu Fei asked, his voice serious.

"They will come out very soon!" Li Hui, who was on the side, hurriedly replied.

Three minutes later, the test data appeared one by one on the large screen in the workshop.

Everyone's gaze turned towards it immediately.

"Chip yield: 85.3%!"

"Circuit integrity: 100%!"

"Performance test: Reached 98% of design expectations!"

"..."

"..."

As each piece of data came out, the entire workshop became even quieter.

The air seemed to have frozen at this moment.