Since the reform and opening up, my country’s social status and social economy have been continuously improved. At the same time, its scientific and technological strength has also made a qualitative leap. The quality of electronic products produced in China has made great progress. Made in China is resounding all over the world, and its technological strength has also improved. recognized at home and abroad. However, it is undeniable that in some high-precision technological fields, it still lags behind the world’s advanced level. At present, domestic chip manufacturing has become a major problem in my country’s science and technology field. Then, why is it so difficult to manufacture chips, and what is the process of chip manufacturing?
- Why are chips so difficult to manufacture?
To people who don’t know chips, a chip is just a thin black little silicon chip, smaller than a fingernail, that doesn’t look difficult to make, so it’s hard to imagine why a chip is so difficult to make. But in fact, as long as you put the chip under the microscope, you will see the intricate lines like a map. Whether designing these lines or producing them requires strong design, command and risk control capabilities. Especially in chip manufacturing, the process is particularly complicated, and if you make a wrong step, you will have to do it all over again. At the same time, the lithography machine necessary for manufacturing chips is also a big problem. Currently, the only company that can produce high-end lithography machines is ASML in the Netherlands, and only dozens of them are produced every year. And under the intervention of the United States and other countries, ASML cannot sell high-end lithography machines to my country. All problems need to be solved by our country. Therefore, chip manufacturing is still a big problem for my country.
2. The process of chip manufacturing
To make a chip, the first step is to make a wafer. Manufacturers need to use sand for multiple purifications to extract electronic grade silicon. This step alone is extremely difficult, the fault tolerance rate is extremely low, and only one impurity atom can be contained in one hundred silicon atoms. Wafers are obtained by slicing the silicon ingots obtained after purification. The second step is the transistor stage. At this time, a photolithography machine is needed to imprint the circuit structure on the wafer, then dig out the circuit diagram, implant ions, and remove the photoresist. The transistors are then connected with copper and finally electroplated to remove the excess copper. The process seems simple, but the core tool of the lithography machine has not been mastered in China. To meet the standard, only imported lithography machines can be used. Most of the domestic chip manufacturing is “stuck” at this step. Finally, in the packaging and testing stage, as long as the test passes, a chip is born.
In recent years, my country has also realized the importance of independently manufacturing chips, and the government has also increased its support for companies in the chip field. At present, my country’s chip design capabilities have been improved, keeping pace with the world. Domestic chip manufacturers, such as SMIC It has gradually developed and achieved good market performance. I believe that over time, domestic chips can also occupy a place in the world.