As we all know, aero engines and lithography machines represent the top level of human technology development, and can be regarded as the eye-catching pearl in the industrial crown. At present, China's aviation engine has made great progress, then, China's lithography machine What is the status quo of development? This kind of reputation is the 'two artifacts and one star' level of 'artifacts' in the new era. Can China catch up with Europe and the United States? Especially recently, a certain technology media said, 'What is the card of our neck? These 'details' It is difficult for China to look at the top of the lithography machine. The author analyzes the latest developments of lithography machines in China according to the public information. The so-called lithography machine, the principle is actually similar to the camera, but its negative film is coated with photosensitive glue (also called photoresist). Silicon wafers. Various circuit patterns are exposed to the photoresist by laser microprojection. The exposed portion of the photoresist reacts with the silicon wafer and is permanently engraved on the silicon wafer. This is the most critical step in chip production. Since the lithography machine can be used in the final package of the chip and the production of flat panel display devices, the lithography machine here generally refers to the front lithography machine for chip production.
Due to the extremely complicated technology of the former lithography machine, after years of competition, ASML (Asma), which was developed by the former Dutch Philips company, is the largest company, occupying the majority of the market share, and two lithography companies in Japan ( Nikon and Canon have basically withdrawn from the lithography market. Even the most technologically advanced US cannot currently produce a complete lithography machine on its own, only requiring the most critical technology, and owning ASML (Asma). Key controlling rights. Some comments say: 'As the most important equipment in the manufacturing process of integrated circuits, the lithography machine is very important. The chip manufacturers want to improve the process. Without it, China's semiconductor technology cannot be upgraded. The ban on the lithography machine is a major factor'. In fact, as early as 1971, China's Tsinghua University Fine Instrument Department successfully developed the 'laser interference positioning automatic step-and-repeat camera', which is the front step lithography At the time, the current lithography giant ASML has not yet been established. It can be said that it is at the same level as the lithography technology in Europe and America. After entering the 1980s, as the country slowed down the semiconductor
After entering the 21st century, China re-launched the research and development work of the former lithography machine, and established a special research and development company - Shanghai Microelectronics Equipment Co., Ltd. (SMEE). At that time, foreign companies arrogantly said, 'even if the drawings and yuan All the devices are for you, you can't assemble them. 'Shanghai Microelectronics Equipment Co., Ltd. has integrated innovation. Finally, in 2007, it developed China's first 90nm high-end projection lithography machine, becoming the fourth in the world to master high-end light. According to the public information disclosure, since the prototype uses a large number of foreign key components for integration, after learning that the lithography machine was developed in China, the foreign companies tacitly carried out the embargo on key components, and the prototype became a display. , can not be put into commercial production. The company has to invest in product development to the lower-tech package lithography machine and flat panel display lithography machine, and successfully occupied 80% of the domestic packaging lithography machine market, to solve The company survived the crisis, but the key problems of China's chip production have not been resolved.
Although the treasures are not loved: Why are Chinese export fighters more and more difficult to find buyers? On June 20, Nigerian President Bukhari signed the 2018 government appropriation bill, and the Nigerian Air Force’s approved budget not only retained three for payment. The JF-17 fighter's 12.79 billion naira (about 35 million US dollars) installment, the revised budget has an additional 17 billion naira (about 47 million US dollars). This also means that after the ups and downs, Xiaolong The fighters finally have a second user. Perhaps everyone will have such doubts in their hearts, so that our 歼-7 sold so well that year, after that, it seems that the fighter exits suddenly fell from the climax to the trough, As for us today, we really need to be happy for the successful export of only three planes? In this issue of "Sheathing" we will talk about the export of Chinese fighters. (View full content search WeChat public number: sinamilnews)
In the face of such a difficult situation, China has not discouraged, carefully combing the key core technologies of the former lithography machine, decided to carry out the national science and technology cooperation, investing huge sums of money and elite soldiers will take this research difficult. The first difficulty It is the exposure optical system of the lithography machine. It consists of dozens of large-bottom lenses in series. The optical parts are controlled within a few nanometers. ASML's lens group is exclusively produced by the old optical instrument company Zeiss. The joint research of Changchun Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, which produces remote sensing satellite lenses, and the optical precision engineering innovation team of the National University of Defense Technology have achieved many breakthroughs. Successfully developed a projection lithography exposure optical system containing aspherical optical components, and in Shanghai. Microelectronics 90nm lithography machine has achieved the results of 85nm limit exposure resolution that meets the requirements of lithography process, and has mastered the immersion 28nm lithography machine and higher level lithography machine exposure optical system, which has been mass-produced. The 110nm node KrF exposure optical system, it is worth mentioning that the shorter-wavelength EUV EUV projection lithography exposure optical system has also successfully broken through EUV projection lithography 32 nm line width photoresist exposure pattern.
The second difficulty is the laser source of the lithography machine. According to unofficial sources, the lithography machine source of Shanghai Microelectronics is not commercially available due to the localization of the lithography. The lithography excimer laser source needs to be narrow. Line width, high energy and high pulse frequency, these parameters are contradictory, and the development is extremely difficult. At present, only one Japanese company in the world independently produces light sources after the merger and combination, and the rest are acquired by ASML. After the development of the ArF excimer laser source in the lithography machine, after 9 years of hard work, the first '65nm ArF step-scan dual-stage lithography exposure light source' manufacturing task and 'under 45nm immersion type' have been completed in China. Development of exposure light source and production capacity of small batch products' task. And batch production of ArF exposure light source of 20-40 watt 90nm lithography machine. The third difficulty is the lithography machine workpiece table, in order to make the design pattern to silicon wafer On the top, and can integrate billions of transistors in a square of 2~3 square centimeters, the workpiece table of the lithography machine needs to reach 2nm under high-speed motion (equivalent to 30,000 points of hair diameter)
When the president of Nikon Corporation of Japan came to visit China, he said: "The optical system of the lithography machine is very difficult, I believe that you can develop it, but the (double) workpiece table may not be able to get it, because this The system is too complicated. 'China's Tsinghua University and other units have worked hard to solve the problem. Not only have they made the workpiece table that meets the needs of 90-nm lithography, but also the two-piece table for 28- to 65-nm lithography has been successfully developed. It became the second country in the world to develop a double workpiece table for lithography machines. The fourth difficulty is the immersion liquid system of the lithography machine. After entering the process below 65 nanometers, the exposure optical system can no longer meet the needs, and new technologies are urgently needed. After research, TSMC technicians proposed using water as a lens, laser beam through 'water' as an intermediary, shortening to shorter wavelengths, and working with ASML to develop a 45-nanometer immersion lithography machine. The original 193 nm wavelength lithography machine continues to last, the chip process can be as low as 7 to 14 nanometers, TSMC and ASML companies have become leading companies in their respective fields.
After years of research, Zhejiang University of China has developed a prototype of the immersion control system to provide technical support for the development of China's immersion lithography machine. After the successful development of the project, it will promote the domestic lithography machine to surpass the lithography machine of Nikon and Canon. The second place in the lithography machine production company. With the successful development of the above four key technologies, ASML has to re-establish a partnership with Shanghai Microelectronics and claimed that it has never sold the most advanced lithography machine in China. 'Embargo', is willing to export the most advanced lithography machine to China at any time. The author believes that China's optical technology will stand on the world's leading position for five to eight years. At that time, China's chip industry will usher in a piece. Twilight.