Beware of blind spots! Yin Zhiyao speaks out on domestic semiconductor equipment, don’t just focus on chip design

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AMEC has built a 5-nanometer etching machine and has started communicating with TSMC. Many netizens said that the etching machine has been successful, so how can the light Is the engraving machine faster? But some netizens found that most companies are lazy?

Previously, Dr. Yin Zhiyao, CEO of AMEC Semiconductor, spoke about the domestic semiconductor situation at the 23rd China Integrated Circuit Manufacturing Annual Conference and Guangdong Integrated Circuit Industry Development Forum in 2020, and called on domestic enterprises to focus on the development of domestic semiconductor equipment. , but the fact is not optimistic, many companies are "lazy", why is this?

The United States sanctioned Huawei three times. In the end, Huawei's HiSilicon chips were restricted and even forced to become the "swan song." Here we have to talk about the world of semiconductors. Integrated circuits are inseparable from semiconductor equipment and materials, but this is what we lack. The United States stipulates that any use of Huawei's equipment and software to produce products is prohibited, and there are reports that it also interferes with Dutch photolithography The deep purple lithography machine cannot be delivered to SMIC, which also prevents SMIC from producing higher-end chips.

So we see a call in China to build our own lithography machines, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences has taken the lead in stating that it will list projects that are stuck in the West, such as lithography machines, on its task list. However, lithography machines Engraving is so easy.

At present, we still face huge challenges in semiconductor processing equipment. Processing micro and nanostructures is close to the physical limit. It cannot be done by one country or one company.

Moreover, the process of processing integrated circuit chips is very complex, with thousands of steps and hundreds of types of equipment used, and various parts require support from various countries. For example, a photolithography machine we know is It integrates knowledge in mathematics, chemistry, optics, fluid mechanics, polymer physics and chemistry, Japan's special materials, Germany's Zeiss lenses, etc. Which of them is not the top level of science and technology in a certain country?

In addition to the difficulty of manufacturing, what is even greater is the lack of talent, high threshold, huge investment, and long return cycle. As Lei Jun said, making chips is mostly a narrow escape.

Yin Zhiyao talked about China's chip field and said that although there is a semiconductor boom in the country, most of it is superficial prosperity, such as uneven capital investment, shortage of talents, etc., and some companies are even "lazy".

For example, since 2020, the number of semiconductor projects signed by various provinces and cities in the first half of the year has exceeded 160 billion. This figure is twice that of last year. It stands to reason that everyone is actively developing the semiconductor industry, but if you look carefully, 90% of these investments are still used in design, and only 3% is used in equipment and materials. Compared with foreign developed countries, it is poor. dozens of times. Why does this happen?

First of all, equipment and materials are a tough nut to crack. As Holland said harshly before, even if it gives a complete set of drawings, it may not be possible to build a lithography machine. From the previous analysis, we have also seen that the technology required for a lithography machine is indeed not that easy to implement. It is indeed very difficult for ordinary enterprises to study and overcome difficulties without technical blockade or guidance.

Furthermore, the design is relatively simple, and the returns are relatively quick. In terms of the nature of a businessman, this is not wrong. After all, you have to deal with shareholders, right?

But having said that, no matter how much money we invest in design, we have not solved the essential problem. Will we still be threatened by others in the future? If we don't solve the root cause, we will still be "stuck" by others, right?

As Yin Zhiyao said in an interview, we have indeed encountered difficulties in integrated circuits, but we are not without opportunities.

We have seen that the national level has provided support for talent cultivation, and domestic scientific research institutions have also cooperated to overcome these difficulties. We must curb our impetuousness and strengthen cooperation, and we will definitely be able to overcome difficulties!

In response to Yin Zhiyao’s call to pay attention to the development of domestic semiconductor equipment, the situation is not optimistic. What do you think?