"Dean Wei," Jing Mingqiu called out to Wei Deze, "Can I borrow some equipment from the institute?"
Wei Deze was stunned for a moment, then nodded vigorously, "Of course, do you want to use the equipment here to modify your small electric scooter?"
"No," Jing Mingqiu pointed to the window, "I saw an unfinished large-scale lithography machine in the adjacent chip research institute and suddenly had an inspiration to modify it."
Hearing this, Wei Deze's face stiffened. He never expected Jing Mingqiu to want to use his own equipment to help Fang Haosi and his team.
"Is that not okay?" Jing Mingqiu noticed Wei Deze's expression and scratched his head, "Then forget it, I'll just have to put in more effort and do it slowly myself."
Wei Deze still wanted to invite Jing Mingqiu to join and didn't want to offend him at this time, so he quickly said, "Of course, but Old Fang is very protective of the lithography machine under his care. It won't be that easy for you to modify it!"
"It's fine," Jing Mingqiu said with ease, unconcerned, "His lithography machine is simple in construction. If he doesn't agree, I'll just make one from scratch."
After getting Wei Deze's permission, Jing Mingqiu temporarily bid farewell and strode out of the Jingda Mechanical Research Institute, entering the adjacent Longguo Shuimu Chip Research Institute and finding Fang Haosi to explain his intentions.
Fang Haosi was worried about how to persuade Jing Mingqiu to stay. Upon hearing his request, he readily agreed and proactively assigned a graduate student to be his assistant.
A young man wearing thick glasses, holding a thick folder, walked over, "Hello classmate Jing Mingqiu, my name is He Yongwen. I'm here to introduce you to the lithography machine we made..."
Seeing this, Wei Deze was not to be outdone and immediately sent his most promising disciple, a tall, dark-skinned, strong man.
"Brother Jing, my name is Zhao Daniu. You can just call me Daniu. I'm very familiar with all the equipment in our institute. If you need anything, just call me!"
With the help of He Yongwen and Zhao Daniu, Jing Mingqiu took out an electric screwdriver and, in a few swift moves, disassembled the lithography machine in the chip research institute into a pile of parts, beginning to modify each one...
Meanwhile, on the internet, discussions about Jing Mingqiu had already stirred up a huge frenzy.
"Shocking! A high school student actually produced a two-nanometer precision lithography machine, breaking through Western technological blockade. Is this the distortion of humanity or the degeneration of morality?"
"Nonsense! A lithography machine is the jewel of industry, a high-end device used to engrave chips. Our country's current highest-grade lithography machine can only produce five-nanometer precision."
"He, a high school student, managed to produce a two-nanometer precision lithography machine. They're really exaggerating, it's hilarious!"
"I declare this the most amusing joke of the year..."
He Yongwen deeply admired Jing Mingqiu's skills. Upon discovering that many people online were fiercely mocking him, he decisively logged into his account to vindicate him.
"What he said is true, there is indeed a high school student who produced a two-nanometer precision lithography machine."
As soon as he posted it, netizens began to mock him fiercely.
"How is that possible!"
"Are you a paid shill he hired?"
"Desperate for fame, aren't you?"
...
Facing the surging malice, He Yongwen had no choice but to upload a photo of his work ID, with his face obscured.
"I am He Yongwen from the Longguo Shuimu Chip Research Institute. Jing Mingqiu is currently at our institute modifying a large-scale lithography machine, and he really did produce a two-nanometer precision lithography machine."
He Yongwen's action was like adding fuel to an already boiling discussion, completely pushing Jing Mingqiu to the forefront.
However, at this moment, Jing Mingqiu paid no attention to the discussions about him online. All his energy was focused on modifying the lithography machine.
Increasing the precision of the lithography machine from seventy nanometers to two nanometers was a significant improvement in terms of data, but it was still the same system rating.
To complete the advancement task, Jing Mingqiu had to cross the chasm, pushing the precision of the lithography machine from nanometers to angstroms, or even picometers, to have a chance.
One angstrom is one-tenth of a nanometer, and one picometer is one-thousandth.
To put it simply: 1 picometer is equivalent to one trillionth of a meter.
This was a terrifying number.
To achieve this, traditional engraving methods with lithography machines, even at the cost of sacrificing yield and risking massive scrap through multiple exposures, could not accomplish it. A new method of chip engraving was necessary.
Jing Mingqiu sat in front, eyes closed, his brain racing as he began to search the system for the most suitable solution.
Modifying it alone versus having laboratory support offered two completely different operational experiences.
Combining his current resources with the personnel he could mobilize, Jing Mingqiu quickly found a perfect solution.
Since the engraving method using ultraviolet light as a light knife had reached its limit, why not simply change the wavelength of the light?
Single-wavelength light had limited precision, so a hybrid mode with multiple wavelengths would be used to increase accuracy.
Introducing more wavelengths of light required more mirrors.
For these mirrors to work together on a single chip, the internal layout of the lithography machine needed to be redesigned.
Readjusting the layout would require considering the internal circuit routing, balance, and weighting...
It was a ripple effect, where a modification in one area necessitated synchronous modifications in others.
This involved a vast amount of knowledge and technology, with extremely intricate aspects to control. Doing it all by himself, Jing Mingqiu estimated it would take at least a month to complete all the modifications.
Fortunately, this time, he wasn't fighting alone.
After quickly reviewing the entire plan in his mind, Jing Mingqiu called He Yongwen and Zhao Daniu over.
"He Yongwen, you and the people from the chip research institute will be primarily responsible for the debugging of the mirrors. Here is the operational guide..."
"Zhao Daniu, you and the people from the mechanical research institute will be primarily responsible for modifying the robotic arm. Here are the modification requirements..."
After assigning some less critical but labor-intensive tasks based on their capabilities, Jing Mingqiu went to the mechanical research institute and entered the high-temperature workshop in the backyard, taking out a small hammer to modify the ultra-high-temperature magnetic melting furnace within.
About twenty minutes later, the modification was complete. Jing Mingqiu took out a temperature gun and looked at the number 2200 with a satisfied expression.
Weighing, adding materials, melting, purifying...
While Jing Mingqiu was busy refining new alloys needed for modifying the lithography machine, Fang Haosi and Wei Deze, after hearing reports from their students, fell into deep thought.