It needs to be clear that in the natural environment of chip production, lithography technology is undoubtedly a more important piece of machinery and equipment. Without lithography, it is impossible to produce and manufacture high-grade integrated circuits. In the lithography industry all over the world, Spanish ASML enterprises are undoubtedly a common phenomenon like superstars. The company is also the only manufacturer in the world that can produce and manufacture EUV lithography technology. Like TSMC and Samsung, they are all EUV lithography technologies produced by Spanish enterprises in ASML. Because of the limited production capacity, Spanish companies have been in great demand for lithography technology, and China Science and Technology Development Company has also asked for it several times!
Lithography is one of the most important machines and equipment in chip manufacturing. At present, ASML has monopolized the global high-end mask aligner. China has long wanted to master the technicality of lithography, but it took Shanghai Microelectronics 20 17 years to build 90nm lithography, which is already very difficult. So why is lithography so difficult to build?
Although everyone has a lot of high-end technology, there is one thing that is still difficult for everyone to build until today, and that is lithography technology. Speaking of which, there is no doubt that someone will talk about it. Everyone can build a nuclear bomb, but they can't come up with a small lithography technology. First, let's analyze the difference between the two.
The basic principle of nuclear bomb is to use neutrons to collide with uranium atoms to produce nuclear fission, which leads to explosion. Although this basic principle looks simple, it is actually very difficult to do. One is to have high-concentration fuel, and the other is to have some outstanding talents with scientific and technological progress to carry out this complex large-scale engineering system software. At that time, under the condition of building a nuclear bomb, people were able to get the relevant raw materials they needed, and at that time, there were outstanding talents like Qian Xuesen and Deng Jiaxian, who broke through all kinds of difficult technologies and standards to get this kind of thing.
However, lithography technology is different. 1. Lithography technology is divided into lithography technology, pre-lithography technology and post-lithography technology. Pre-lithography is a well-known ASML lithography technology for chip manufacturing. The key of back-track lithography technology is integrated circuit chip. At present, the back lithography technology has reached the world's popular technical level, and the front lithography technology called ASML lithography technology is the most difficult lithography technology.
In 2002, when the manager of Shanghai Microelectronics Weapons and Equipment Enterprise visited France, a technical engineer said to him, "We can't make a complete set of engineering drawings for everyone."
Photolithography technology is similar to a digital camera, and its film photo is a silicon single crystal coated with photosensitive glue. The pattern design of power supply circuit is solved by lithography, microprojection, etching and organic chemistry on exposed silicon surface. The whole process of manufacturing integrated circuits has to be repeated dozens of times. Mask aligner is a kind of equipment for manufacturing integrated circuits. When manufacturing an integrated circuit, a layer of lithography is first covered on the surface of the round crystal, and then the surface of the silicon single crystal is directly irradiated by a light source through a mask plate. At this point, the gloss glue will melt when stimulated by the light source, thus producing its own power circuit. This basic principle doesn't sound complicated, but why can't it be done? It needs to be clear that the accuracy of this kind of circuit board is nanometer, about as fine as 1/5000 of a hair, and the camera lens used in this lithography technology is not allowed to have a deviation of 2 nanometers. That kind of technical level is the top level in the world at present.
In addition to extremely strict accuracy standards, top-notch light sources are also needed. Its optical and electronic systems are extremely complex. At present, the best in the world is extreme ultraviolet. Because of its huge technical level, it has not been improved in China. Today, only Britain has mastered this excellent technology. Even if you can develop lithography technology, the manufacturing accuracy is very backward. The lithography technology that others can manufacture is at the level of 5 nm process, while the lithography technology of 14 nm process is only improved in China, so it is difficult to consider the characteristics of integrated ic produced today.
Considering the premise of top light source, there should also be perfect mechanical equipment accuracy. Lithography technology has two consoles for synchronous fitness, one for carrying film and the other for carrying film photos. The two consoles must be strictly synchronized, and the deviation must be below 2 nm technology. These two consoles must also have the same instantaneous speed as the missile launch. Moreover, there are strict regulations on the external natural environment, and the changes of environmental humidity, temperature and working pressure will endanger the accuracy of the whole working process. The temperature should be controlled at five thousandths, which requires a more accurate temperature sensor. At present, the best lithography technology in the world is SMEE, which includes 13 subsystem, 30,000 mechanical equipment and 200 sensors. There must be no problems with all parts, otherwise it will have an impact.
Some biologists have also said that integrating ic at this stage means the top scientific research achievements in human history. It is not difficult to see how difficult it is to produce and manufacture a lithography technology.