HCB Chapter 136 Opening the Mountain
Chapter 136 Opening the Mountain
2020 October.
In the first week after the launch of "Project Mountain Opening," Su Chen's schedule became like this—
From 6:00 AM to 10:00 AM, I handle the daily operations of the Flybird platform and H-Link 2.0.
From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., I had a video conference with Zhao Jiancheng, Chen Guodong and Liu Guoqiang from Kunshan to review DRIE’s self-developed technical solution.
From 3 p.m. to 9 p.m., I reviewed the design drawings and experimental data submitted by Microchip Sensing, the joint research team, and various other teams.
After 9 PM —
This is Su Chen's actual "working time".
Every night from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m., Su Chen would lock himself in his office and start the virtual disassembly laboratory of the product analysis system.
Although the system did not unlock new DRIE design drawings, the virtual disassembly lab itself is a powerful tool.
Su Chen can simulate the behavior of plasma in a virtual environment to test the effects of different etching gas ratios, circulation parameters, and stage temperatures on silicon wafer etching.
Each simulation is recorded by the system, generating detailed data reports.
In the real world, obtaining this data would require hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars in experimental costs and several weeks.
But in the virtual space, Su Chen can run hundreds of simulations in one night.
The next day, he would compile the simulation results from the previous night into "parameter suggestions" and send them to Zhao Jiancheng and Chen Guodong.
To outsiders, Su Chen's behavior was incomprehensible.
An entrepreneur with no background in plasma physics was able to accurately point out which set of parameters was correct and which was incorrect.
Sometimes, Su Chen would glance at a set of plasma etching parameters that Chen Guodong and Liu Guoqiang had spent three days calculating and then reject.
"The substrate temperature fluctuation range is too large. The range of -40°C to -20°C will cause uneven etching profiles. Narrow the range to -35°C to -30°C and then recalculate."
Chen Guodong's expression at the time was quite subtle.
He's been doing DRIE for thirty years and has a thorough understanding of the relationship between substrate temperature and etching profile. But the range Su Chen gave—"-35℃ to -30℃"—was exactly the optimal range he estimated based on experience.
How could someone without practical experience possibly know this?
Similar situations have occurred repeatedly.
Su Chen would offer advice on the material selection for a certain vacuum chamber—"Don't use 316L stainless steel, replace it with aluminum alloy. 7075-T6 will do. The strength is sufficient, and the processing cost is 40% lower."
Zhao Jiancheng's response was: "Will aluminum alloys corrode in a high-temperature plasma environment?"
Su Chen replied, "Our etching gas is mainly SF6, which has very low corrosiveness to aluminum alloys. Furthermore, the operating temperature of our vacuum chamber will not exceed 200℃, which aluminum alloys can easily withstand."
Zhao Jiancheng remained silent.
Because every technical detail Su Chen mentioned was correct.
He didn't know how Su Chen knew all this—but the truth was the truth.
Su Chen's understanding of DRIE was so profound that it was unscientific.
What shocked Chen Guodong the most was a discussion about etching cycles.
The "Project Pioneer" uses a modified version of the Bosch process—alternating etching and aluminizing to create through-silicon vias (TSVs) with a high aspect ratio. The core challenge of this process lies in the cycle time ratio of etching to aluminizing.
Chen Guodong and Liu Guoqiang spent a week finally finalizing what they considered to be the optimal set of cycle parameters—5 seconds for etching time and 2 seconds for aluminization time.
Su Chen glanced at the data and said directly:
"The etching time has been reduced to 3.5 seconds, while the aluminizing time has been increased to 3 seconds."
Chen Guodong's first reaction was dissatisfaction.
He worked with DRIE for thirty years and has an extremely deep understanding of the time ratio between etching and aluminization.
"Mr. Su, a 3.5-second etching time is too short. The etching depth in each cycle will be insufficient, leading to an increase in the total number of cycles and a decrease in overall efficiency."
"No," Su Chen said. "Because increasing the aluminization time to 3 seconds results in a thicker sidewall protective layer. This means the etching directionality of each cycle will be significantly improved—effectively increasing the effective etching depth per cycle."
"Furthermore, with the emission power remaining constant, shortening the etching time reduces the thermal load of a single etching operation, minimizing the 'grassland' effect at the bottom. This directly contributes to improving the aspect ratio."
Chen Guodong stared at Su Chen for more than ten seconds.
Then he said, "I'll go back and verify it."
Three days later, Chen Guodong sent the verification results during a video conference.
"苏总，您说的参数——我用现有设备做了验证。刻蚀时间3.5秒，铝化时间3秒——深宽比从20:1提升到了22.5:1。同时侧壁光洁度明显改善。"
He paused:
"I've been working with DRIE for thirty years, and I've never used this parameter combination before."
"I'd like to ask—how did you know that?"
Su Chen's answer was simple: "Intuition."
Chen Guodong didn't believe it.
But he didn't ask any more questions.
From that moment on, no matter what parameters Su Chen suggested, Chen Guodong would verify them first before implementing them.
And each verification result proved that Su Chen was right.
Pshaw.
It may be unscientific, but it's useful.
……
In the second week after the launch of "Project Pioneer", an unexpected person appeared.
On September 12, Su Chen received an email.
The sender's name is Shen Zhiming.
Shen Zhiming—Su Chen knew this name.
Former Vice President of the Plasma Etching Business Unit at AMEC (Advanced Micro-Fabrication Equipment Inc.). One of the pioneers of wafer-level etching equipment in China.
However, Su Chen also knew that Shen Zhiming had left AMEC six months ago. The official reason was "personal career planning adjustments," while the industry's explanation was that he had disagreements with the company's technical direction.
What's even more interesting is that three months ago, under a MEMS topic on Zhihu, Shen Zhiming anonymously posted a comment: "Hongyuan is pursuing MEMS self-sufficiency? Where will the processes and equipment come from? China can't even build a decent DRIE (Device Engineered Metal Array), so what are you talking about MEMS self-sufficiency for?"
This comment received a lot of likes.
And now—this person who once questioned Hongyuan has taken the initiative to send an email.
The email was long, but its core content can be condensed into three sentences—
First, he saw the news that Hongyuan had developed its own DRIE.
Secondly, he worked on chip-level etching at AMEC, but he was always interested in MEMS-level etching, which was one of the reasons he left AMEC—AMEC focused on IC etching and was unwilling to divert resources to MEMS etching.
Third, he wanted to join the "Open Mountain Project".
Su Chen called Shen Zhiming back immediately.
"Mr. Shen, this is Su Chen."
"President Su, I knew you would call." Shen Zhiming's voice was crisp and direct. "I questioned Hongyuan on Zhihu before, and I won't deny it."
"And now?"
"I still think it will be very difficult for you to achieve self-sufficiency in MEMS," Shen Zhiming said. "But I believe that you can succeed in developing DRIE independently."
Why?
"Because I spent eight years at AMEC doing plasma etching. The principles of IC etching and MEMS etching are the same—both involve plasma + gas chemistry. It's just that MEMS etching has a higher aspect ratio and requires more stringent cycle control."
"And these are precisely what I excel at."
Su Chen did not answer immediately.
He was thinking about something—would there be a non-compete issue if Shen Zhiming left AMEC?
Did you have a non-compete agreement with AMEC before?
"Yes. But the non-compete clause applies only to IC etching equipment," Shen Zhiming said. "MEMS etching equipment is not included in the prohibition—because AMEC doesn't do MEMS etching at all. I specifically confirmed this before I left."
Su Chen's eyes lit up.
"Mr. Shen, what do you want?"
"To get straight to the point—I want an opportunity," Shen Zhiming said. "An opportunity to build a Chinese DRIE from scratch. When I was at AMEC, I always wanted to do this, but the company wouldn't agree. Now that I've left, seeing you guys doing this—I don't want to miss out."
"I don't need a high salary. But I need a commitment—if DRIE succeeds, I want to become the technical head of Hongyuan's etching equipment division."
Su Chen did not hesitate.
"make a deal."
"There's one more thing," Shen Zhiming said. "When I was at AMEC, I led a small team of seven people who specialized in the research and development of plasma etching equipment. Five of them left AMEC with me."
Are they all willing to come?
"I said it was MEMS etching, not IC etching—four out of five people were willing."
Su Chen quickly did some mental calculations—
Shen Zhiming, along with four former AMEC engineers, plus Chen Guodong, Liu Guoqiang, and two PhDs sent by Academician Zhou—
The "Opening Mountain Project" team expanded from 8 to 12 people in one go.
More importantly, Shen Zhiming brought the only team in China with practical experience in plasma etching equipment.
They work on wafer-level IC etching at AMEC, but the underlying technologies such as plasma control, vacuum systems, and gas delivery are interconnected.
"President Shen, please report to Kunshan next Monday. I'll have Zhao Jiancheng pick you up."
"good."
After hanging up the phone, Su Chen's lips curled up slightly.
Shen Zhiming's addition is like adding an accelerator to the "Opening Mountain Project".
Chen Guodong has thirty years of experience with DRIE process technology—he knows what silicon wafers want.
Liu Guoqiang has the technological reserves of the Chinese Academy of Sciences' 863 Program—he knows where the theoretical boundaries are.
Shen Zhiming has eight years of engineering experience with plasma etching equipment—he knows how to turn blueprints into machines.
Three people, three dimensions.
Add to that Su Chen himself—that irrational "intuition".
Perhaps, it really can happen.
……
Almost at the same time, another major event was also underway.
September 15, Suzhou.
The formal signing ceremony for Microchip Sensing's 67% controlling stake was held in a hotel conference room in Suzhou Industrial Park.
Su Chen, Li Wei, Wang Minghui from Qiming Venture Partners, and Fang Xu—the four of them sat on opposite sides of the table.
The signing process went smoothly.
Wang Minghui's attitude was completely different from a month ago—when he was still rejecting the 67% controlling stake proposal. But as soon as the news of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology's major MEMS project came out, he immediately changed his mind.
Because he understood—Su Chen wasn't just running a company, he was building an industry.
An industry endorsed at the national level offers returns far exceeding those of an ordinary company.
After the signing was completed, Wang Minghui and Su Chen shook hands.
"President Su, I'm sorry about what happened before. I really didn't see the situation clearly at the time."
"Mr. Wang, business disagreements are normal. The important thing is that we ultimately came together."
Wang Minghui nodded.
Turning to Li Wei, he said, "Dr. Li, Qiming Venture Partners' previous investment hasn't been wasted. Your team is Microchip's greatest asset. Now, with Hongyuan's production lines and market support, you can go all out."
Li Wei smiled slightly: "Of course we'll go all out."
He turned to Su Chen: "President Su, after the signing is completed, the entire Microchip Sensing team will be fully integrated into Hongyuan's MEMS system. My personal position is entirely up to you."
"Dr. Li, you will continue to serve as CEO of Microchip Sensing, and will also serve as the Technical Director of the Qixin MEMS brand," Su Chen said. "All technical decisions on the design side will be made under your leadership."
Li Wei nodded: "Understood. I will draft a detailed technical plan for the first step as soon as possible—a complete set of design drawings benchmarked against BMI270—and submit it within two weeks."
"Okay," Su Chen said.
After the signing ceremony, Su Chen and Li Wei talked alone for more than ten minutes.
"Dr. Li, I have something to tell you."
"Please speak."
"I plan to launch an option incentive plan for the core team of the MEMS business group."
Su Chen briefly explained the framework of the plan—
From the total shares of Hongyuan Intelligent Technology, a dividend right equivalent to 15% of the revenue and profit of the MEMS business group will be allocated as an incentive for the core team.
The scope of coverage includes three core teams: the design team (Microchip Sensing), the manufacturing team (Hongyuan Microsystems), and the equipment team (Kaishan Project team).
The incentive condition is that core team members can receive profit sharing after the Qixin MEMS brand's products enter the commercial mass production stage.
"The goal of this plan is simple—to make every core member feel that they are not working for someone else, but starting their own business."
Li Wei's expression changed.
"Mr. Su, this plan is very tempting. But I'd like to confirm one thing—does your previous promise to 'invest all profits in MEMS R&D' contradict this incentive plan?"
"There's no contradiction," Su Chen said. "All profits are invested in MEMS R&D—referring to the profits from the Flying Bird platform and flight control business. Once the MEMS business group itself generates profits—those are its own fruits. These fruits should be shared by the people who created them."
Li Wei looked at Su Chen and remained silent for a few seconds.
Then he said, "Mr. Su, I've worked in the semiconductor industry for 15 years and met many bosses. But you're the first one to say something like that."
Su Chen smiled slightly: "Because I'm not just a boss. I'm a soldier in this war for MEMS autonomy. Soldiers should live and die together."
……