Doesn't That Mean the People at AS Company Are a Bit Too Stupid? (Please Keep Reading)

"Chapter 48: Doesn't That Mean the People at AS Company Are a Bit Too Stupid? (Please Keep Reading)"

"I designed it myself."

Luo Yao and Yang Ming locked eyes.

There wasn't a trace of emotion in Luo Yao's eyes. Yang Ming couldn't see through him, but his intuition told him that if Luo Yao had really done this, it could be included in a collection of Arabian Nights tales.

Yang Ming cautiously asked, "Young man, this isn't something to joke about. Even the Ugly Nation hasn't mastered the EUV Lithography Machine light source system yet. Are you sure you designed it yourself?"

Luo Yao had known this question was coming, so he quickly began explaining the principles. "Lithography machines generally come in two types: DUV and EUV. DUV uses a light source with a wavelength of 193 nanometers, while EUV uses a 13.5-nanometer light source."

"According to the Rayleigh criterion, R = D/1.22, the size an optical system can resolve is proportional to the wavelength."

"So, to manufacture smaller chips, you need light with a shorter wavelength—in other words, an EUV light source."

"In fact, we all know that EUV light sources still use 193-nanometer light. But by firing it continuously at liquid tin metal twice, you can obtain 13.5-nanometer light."

"Everything up to this point is simple. The hardest part is the components in its optical path system—the lenses."

Yang Ming nodded as he listened.

Lenses accounted for roughly 40% of an entire lithography machine's cost, making them extremely expensive.

The lenses in a lithography machine were like camera lenses, assembled from lens elements of different shapes.

If one wanted a better way to understand a lithography machine, it could be described as a massive camera.

The difference was that ordinary cameras were used to photograph pretty girls, while lithography machines used exposure and development to reproduce integrated circuit patterns onto wafers.

So, just like camera lenses, the key feature of lithography machine lenses was one word: expensive.

Even a god-tier lens used for shooting the moon would have to call a lithography machine lens "dad."

A lithography machine currently had more than twenty lenses. Only three foreign factories could manufacture them, while Hua Nation was still conducting research and development.

"Those lenses stumped us back then. No matter what we did, the lenses produced over at Changji couldn't match foreign ones in light transmission or smoothness. The results of reflecting the light source off them were completely unusable." Yang Ming felt saddened whenever he spoke of it.

"We really lost too much by not developing semiconductors in the seventies," Yang Ming sighed.

Luo Yao looked at Yang Ming's face, so full of regret. After thinking for a moment, he decided to lay his cards on the table. "The technical difficulties involving the lenses are all in this hard drive."

As he spoke, Luo Yao took out his red hard drive and placed it on the conference table.

The other four people in the meeting room stared silently at the red hard drive on the table.

The most advanced lens technology was all inside that red hard drive?

How could that be possible?

While everyone hesitated, Rao Huiling could no longer sit still. She reached out and picked up the hard drive.

"Let's take a look first."

Rao Huiling connected the hard drive to a computer and began examining its contents. Before long, she stared at the screen in disbelief and said, "The optical crystals for the lenses are extremely specialized. Only finished crystals made from high-purity rare-earth halides have properties that meet the requirements."

"Luo Yao, how did you arrive at this conclusion?"

"Calculations."

"I calculated how crystals from every type of rare earth would affect the results, and ultimately narrowed it down to high-purity rare-earth halides."

Hearing this, Yang Ming said excitedly, "High-purity rare-earth halides are indeed correct. We calculated that before as well."

"Look, this document doesn't just include lens technology. It also contains photoresist technology, the worktable system, the projection objective system, the mask stage system, the automatic calibration system... Basically, all of the lithography machine's engineering documents are in here."

Upon hearing Rao Huiling say that, Yang Ming took the computer with a serious expression and examined it alongside the people beside him.

The files contained not only the technology and principles, but even the dimensions of every component!

The specifications and materials for every single screw were clearly written out.

To put it bluntly, what lay before them was an idiot-proof manufacturing guide for a lithography machine. It taught people step by step how to build one.

But was the technology correct?

After quietly exchanging opinions with the experts he had brought, Fu Daobin asked Luo Yao, "Luo Yao, are you sure these documents didn't come from abroad?"

"No. I'm only sixteen years old. Where would I get such detailed information?" Luo Yao found Fu Daobin's question strange.

"If I could obtain a complete set of lithography machine technology from AS Company, wouldn't that mean the people at AS Company were a bit too stupid?" Luo Yao evaluated them without the slightest politeness.

Luo Yao's words reminded Fu Daobin.

The other party was only a sixteen-year-old kid from a small town. What channel could he possibly have used? Besides, people had recently been assigned to follow him. Other than interacting with the company and his family, he had had no contact with anyone else at all.

AS Company had guarded its technology so tightly for so many years. How could such complete technical information possibly have leaked out?

Now, it seemed the only explanation was that Luo Yao had truly designed all of this himself.

Huaji Company had reported to Fu Daobin that Luo Yao's IQ was above 230. That greatly eased Fu Daobin's doubts about Luo Yao being able to produce lithography machine technology.

But that raised another issue.

Should they conduct model verification according to the engineering blueprints Luo Yao had provided?

"Professor Yang, Professor Shi, what do you think?"

Shi Lin had remained silent until then. Only when Fu Daobin mentioned him did he say, "I've only given it a rough look so far, but some of the principles in it are consistent with the results of our previous research."

"What I wanted to ask was, Luo Yao, why did you say you wanted to dismantle the machine before?"

Shi Lin knew that, given Luo Yao's abilities, there was no way he was taking it apart with the same mindset as a husky wrecking a house. That was why Shi Lin suspected the reason for dismantling it might be crucial information.

"Because I still hadn't proven whether my idea was correct. These documents are very detailed, but without materials and the help of a professional team, I can't build a model to verify it."

After Pangu EDA the first time, Luo Yao actually knew that the technology provided by the system would never be watered down. But no one else knew that.

So Luo Yao decided to take a step back in order to advance, proactively proposing verification.

Sure enough, once Luo Yao said that, Fu Daobin went along with it. "Then merely talking here won't accomplish anything. Let's speed things up and assemble an expert team for theoretical validation and model construction!"

"Good. That was our thinking as well. This design plan still needs to be taken in for verification," Shi Lin said in agreement.

"Luo Yao developed Pangu EDA last time. Maybe this time, he really can help us find the right way to build a lithography machine."

Fu Daobin was beside himself with excitement. If Luo Yao could provide the technology they had been searching for, just as he had last time, then the predicament before them might finally be broken!

"Pangu EDA was developed by Luo Yao too?" Yang Ming, the only person in the conference room who had not known, initially thought he had misheard.

Only after Fu Daobin confirmed it did he realize just how valuable the engineering design documents Luo Yao had provided were.

"Director Fu, may I participate in the verification process?" A small flame of hope had been lit in Yang Ming's heart.

He had fantasized many times about one day leading his team to uncover the key to manufacturing lithography machines, but he had achieved very little.

Now, there was an opportunity that might allow him to witness with his own eyes the birth of lithography machine technology in Hua Nation. Of course he wanted to take part.

"Professor Yang, of course you should participate. This verification must be fast. Otherwise, we have no idea what actions the other side may take next."

"Rest assured, Director Fu. We guarantee we'll complete the mission! We'll work through the night!"

Yang Ming was already in his forties and no longer young, but he knew Hua Nation urgently needed an independently developed lithography machine to break free from its predicament!

Under such circumstances, Yang Ming felt as though he had returned to ten years ago, when he had been bursting with drive.

Fu Daobin made several calls in succession, arranging for experts to rush overnight to the lithography machine research institute, which was still in its infancy.

When the experts received the calls, they were both confused and anxious, wondering what kind of problem had arisen.

The challenges of lithography machines were not something that could be solved casually. Once they went, who knew when they would be able to crack it?

Yet when they arrived at the institute, they discovered that their superiors had handed them a complete set of blueprints for the entire lithography machine manufacturing process.

Naturally, the experts were shocked and wanted to know where the blueprints had come from, but their leader only gave them two words: "Classified."

"Anyway, it was conceived by one of our own. We need all of you to follow up on the verification. The higher-ups attach great importance to this matter, and time is tight. We need to complete model verification within two months."

Two months?!

They really were pressed for time.

But not a single person at the institute objected. Instead, they were all invigorated.

Because they knew that if they were even one step late, they would suffer unfair treatment.

One step late, and they would be fish on the chopping block.

One step late, and the humiliation they bore would only grow!

At this moment, they would act to wash away the humiliation of the past!

Meanwhile.

News that Luo Yao had produced engineering design drawings for a lithography machine had reached Huaji's president's office.

After repeatedly asking Rao Huiling about the details, the people in the president's office all fell silent for a time.

The seven of them usually prided themselves on having far greater insight than ordinary people, yet at this moment, they could not see through Luo Yao.

"President Zheng, do you think the lithography machine plans Luo Yao brought out are real or fake? And where did he get them?" Lu Gao frowned deeply. He simply found it too unbelievable that Luo Yao had discovered lithography machine technology all by himself.

After pondering for a while, Zheng Housheng said, "You can't look at this issue from an ordinary person's perspective."

"Luo Yao possesses an exceptionally high IQ. Based on that alone, his achievements in research and development are bound to surpass those of others."

"On top of that, Luo Yao is personally diligent and hardworking. Look at him—he came back and didn't even rest. He went to the library every day, and all the books he read were related to lithography machines. That shows that his ability to draw those engineering blueprints was definitely not something accomplished overnight."

"Besides, what would he gain by giving us fake technology? By obstructing our research progress?"