Chapter 484: Hope for a Chip Breakthrough
Published on 2023-09-09 22:16 | VIP Chapter
On the second floor of the small villa, in the study, Xu Chuan boiled a pot of water and brewed a few cups of tea with the tea leaves given to him by the elder.
After handing it to the two of them, he took a sip and asked, "I wonder what Mr. Ding has to say when he urgently comes to see me this time?"
Ding Jingguo put down the teacup in his hand, thought for a while, and organized his words and said, "I am sorry to bother you just after the New Year. It mainly involves some chips. I want to ask you, Academician Xu."
Hearing this, Xu Chuan looked at the big boss of Development and Reform with some surprise, and asked curiously, "Chips?"
Ding Jingguo nodded and said, "Yes, about chips."
After a slight pause, he continued, "In terms of chips, the situation we are facing is quite severe. In recent years, due to changes in the international situation, many of our high-tech companies have been maliciously blocked by some Western companies."
"On the basis of monopolizing the chip industry and other industries, they maliciously restrict others from purchasing products and components, including electronic chips. Not only do other companies have to pay large amounts of protection fees, but they may also violate the spirit of the contract at any time and abuse and generalize the concept of security."
"Of course, I didn't come here to complain to you this time. We We have also realized the strategic importance of the semiconductor industry and have been actively increasing our investment in R&D. "
"Especially in the field of high-end chips, we have been encouraging companies to increase their investment in R&D, strengthen technological innovation and protect independent intellectual property rights. "
"It's just that in this field, we face huge technical challenges to catch up with the world's advanced semiconductor industry. Especially in the field of high-end chip manufacturing, such as integrated circuit processes below 7 nanometers, we are far behind those Western countries that have decades of development in chip history. "
"Catching up is a huge and arduous task that requires continuous efforts and innovation. "
"But to be honest with Academician Xu, we have made some breakthroughs in this regard, but we have encountered some key problems that no one can solve for the time being. "
"If this problem is solved, we may be able to make chips close to the 7-nanometer process. "
"And this time I came to visit you, just to ask you to help see if this problem can be solved. "
Ding Jingguo briefly introduced the purpose of his visit to Xu Chuan.
After hearing this, Xu Chuan asked in surprise: "Seven nanometers?"
To be honest, he had never heard of this news in his previous life.
Although he had been in the United States in his previous life, he was not unconcerned about the development of China.
From memory, it seems that it will take some years for China to truly break through the seven-nanometer level.
The reason is that 7 nanometers is an important milestone in chip technology. It represents one of the most advanced processes for manufacturing chips. Chips below seven nanometers belong to advanced process chips.
Compared with previous processes, such as 14 nanometers or 10 nanometers, the design, lithography, materials, etc. used in chips of 7 nanometers and below have a major turning point.
Not only can more transistors be accommodated on a chip of the same size, but also stronger computing and processing capabilities can be provided, power consumption and heat generation can be reduced, battery life and equipment reliability can be improved, etc.
Chips of seven nanometers and below have undergone tremendous changes in design materials, processes, etc.
For example, the use of ring gate (GAA) nanowires in the horizontal array of the chip will inevitably use tunnel FETs and III-V element channel materials and vertical nanowires to improve it at the 7-nanometer node.
The processes above 7 nanometers do not require these.
Speaking of which, the development and design and manufacturing of chips are actually like the stairs of a building.
Going down gradually from the top, each step down means solving a problem.
When you reach the 28nm, 14nm, 7nm, 5nm, 3nm, and 2nm floors, it means that you have reached the turning point of the corresponding floor.
What can support you to continue to move down is not just the solution of a certain problem, but a series of or even more problems.
All aspects such as light source, material, EDA, design, etc. must be broken through before you can continue to sink.
For example, light source, different light wavelengths have different exposure scales, and in the chip field, with the continuous advancement of microelectronics manufacturing technology, the size of chip transistors is getting smaller and smaller, and the requirements for device structure are getting higher and higher, which requires higher resolution and finer exposure patterns.
For those who pay a little attention to this area, the lithography machines on the market are generally divided into DUV and EUV.
DUV is a relatively mature solution at present. At this stage, the deep ultraviolet light source with a wavelength of up to 193nm is used, which is widely used in 7nm and previous processes.
With the continued miniaturization of the process, DUV is no longer able to cope with it, and EUV equipment with extreme ultraviolet light source is needed.
That's why Xu Chuan was so surprised by the 7 nanometers mentioned by Ding Jingguo.
Because according to his understanding, to be honest, this is indeed not something that China has made now.
Although Ding Jingguo said that there are still some problems that have not been solved, if he can say that, then it must be just a little bit short.
What surprised Xu Chuan was that the country has secretly made a lot of moves in recent years without telling the United States and other Western countries.
As expected of a rabbit, a cunning rabbit has three burrows, and it is even better than that.
Ding Jingguo smiled and said, "Speaking of which, I have to thank Academician Xu for this."
"Me?" Xu Chuan looked at him curiously.
Ding Jingguo nodded and said with a smile: "You may not care much about this, but the country will always remember your contribution to the motherland."
"In 2018, you led the team to complete the "Nuclear Energy β Radiation Energy Concentration and Conversion Electric Energy Mechanism Project". Using this technology, we traded some technologies and equipment that were originally banned or not sold from other countries."
"Among these things, some are related to the development of chips. It directly promotes the development of our country's chips and speeds up the speed."
"With the solution of controlled nuclear fusion technology, the country has more sufficient funds to invest in other fields. All kinds of factors add up to today's results."
"Of course, these things are still state-confidential information. Academician Xu, please don't spread it out. After all, once other countries know that we have made breakthroughs in chips, there will definitely be some other troubles."
Hearing this, Xu Chuan nodded and understood.
No wonder his memory is greatly different from the current situation. Because of the butterfly effect, not only the field he is studying has also made breakthroughs.
He smiled and said, "This is a good thing. If we can break through the 7-nanometer process, we will be one step closer to solving the bottleneck of chips."
"Although there is still a long way to go with AMSL and other companies' 3-nanometer and 2-nanometer, at least there is hope and dawn."
After a slight pause, he looked at Ding Jingguo and asked, "So what is the problem that you came to me this time?"
"I'm just a mathematician and physicist. If you want to ask me to help design chips or something, it's probably unrealistic, and I don't have the ability."
Although he was very happy that the country could make a great breakthrough in chips, he would definitely not be able to rashly enter this field and do things like outsiders guiding insiders.
After all, he is not a scholar in the field of chips, and he is not familiar with this field.
On the opposite side, listening to Xu Chuan's "humility", Ding Jingguo and Ren Zhengfei couldn't help but jump in the corners of their eyes.
Just a mathematician and physicist
Listen, is there anything more Versailles than this?
But there will be business at this time, and they don't have time to chat.
Taking a deep breath, Ren, who was sitting next to him, said, "That's right, Academician Xu."
"In terms of chip design and manufacturing, mathematics plays a very important role, and the most representative one is the EDA software that is now basically controlled by foreign manufacturers."
"From the involvement of integrated circuits to wiring, numerical control, calculation, signal integrity and other aspects."
"At present, HiSilicon, a subsidiary of Huawei, is working with Huaxin to find a way to break through this aspect, but our R&D team has encountered some very difficult problems in numerical control and the entire process of customized circuits."
"For example, the boundary value of nonlinear partial differential equations, numerical algebra array design, discrete mathematics, etc."
"We have asked some other mathematicians for help on these issues, but there is not much progress at present. For some key mathematical problems, the professors we have found have not had much effect after optimization, and cannot play a role in improving the quality level of chips."
"But these problems must be solved, because they basically involve the reduction of the nanometer level of chips, the performance of finished products and other aspects, and the relationship is very important, so."
"So you want me to help you solve these problems?" Xu Chuan asked directly.
Mr. Ren nodded, somewhat embarrassedly.
HiSilicon and Huaxin have a great weight in the domestic chip field, but in front of this person, let alone HiSilicon + Huaxin, even if Huawei is added, it is estimated that it is not enough.
The value he has created for the country alone has far exceeded all of them combined.
Let alone other things, just the controlled nuclear fusion technology, he doesn't know what they can compare with.
Although chips, mobile phones and communications are important, they are completely unbeatable in front of fusion technology that solves energy.
After listening to Mr. Ren's question, Xu Chuan did not agree to it immediately.
If it was just a simple math problem, he could have agreed to try it directly.
Not to say that he can solve all the troubles, but there should not be many math problems that can stump him in the field of mathematics, especially in the field of applied mathematics, which is his strong point.
But this obviously involves not just a simple math problem, but also things such as chip design and manufacturing, which has exceeded his research scope.
On the opposite side, Ren Zhengfei waited for the answer with some trepidation.
To be honest, he hasn't felt this kind of anxious waiting for a long time.
If this person refuses, they can only try to find another mathematician.
However, they have consulted many famous mathematicians in related fields in China, but there is almost no change.
There is no way. In the chip industry, China started very late. In addition, this is a field with extremely high technical barriers, and there are almost no corresponding mathematicians in China.
So when it comes to related research, they have no way.
But if there is no breakthrough, there may be some other changes in chips and international situations.
Fortunately, after knowing their difficulties, the higher-ups, with the support of the Development and Reform Commission, got the opportunity to meet this person.
On the opposite side, Xu Chuan frowned and thought for a while, then looked up at Mr. Ren sitting opposite and said, "I can try, but I can't guarantee that I can solve your problem."
"After all, the mathematical problems in chip design and manufacturing should not be the same as the mathematical field I study. I haven't been exposed to this aspect. When the time comes, you will need to arrange some people to cooperate, and maybe you will need to go to your R&D department to study together."
Although he is not very familiar with mathematical design in the chip field, he still decided to give it a try.
After all, if the seven-nanometer chip can be broken through, the next step is five nanometers.
And the maturity of seven nanometers will inevitably drive the maturity of domestic chip design and manufacturing technology.
Even if it is still not comparable to the top two-nanometer and three-nanometer technologies abroad, at least there is hope of catching up.
Hearing the answer, Ren Zhengfei's eyes burst into surprise, and he nodded quickly and said: "These are all fine, don't worry, as long as you have a need, HiSilicon and Huaxin will do their best to find a way to do it."
Xu Chuan nodded and said: "Okay, are you in a hurry? If you are in a hurry, you can send me the problems you encounter first, and I will take a look at them and get familiar with them first."
Ren Zhengfei nodded quickly and said: "No problem, I will contact the R&D team immediately and send you the problems after sorting them out."
On the side, Ding Jingguo also smiled and said: "This time, I really troubled Academician Xu. To be honest, we have already found many mathematicians, but we have never solved these problems. Fortunately, you are still here."
It must be said that with such a top scholar, no matter when, they have a sense of confidence that they are covered by someone. It seems that as long as he takes action, any problem can be solved.