Tech Hammer

For most people, this is a very normal day. After all, it is a working day. Thinking about the various tasks that are pressing on you can make people breathless. But the magical thing about the Internet is that no matter how depressed you are in real life, you can find a way to vent here.

For example, scrolling through your phone on the way to work is a great way to relax. It can quickly clear your brain and put you in a good mood before starting work. What's new recently? Did your favorite idol go out late at night and get drunk yesterday? Is the stock market rising again? In many cases, you can even obtain information about your own industry from the Internet.

Just like today, March’s Weibo is confusing countless semiconductor practitioners. Really, it’s hard for you to understand the meaning from this Weibo content. The accompanying picture looks like an ordinary eight chip photos with a funny cat head.

In particular, that sentence refers to the industrial revolution, rubs chips by hand, and directly refers to Huawei, which makes people confused. If there is innovation, why can’t we tell you where the innovation is? It's so cloudy and foggy that it's really confusing.

Of course for those March fans, this is no problem at all.

Their cat posted on Weibo, and also posted a selfie. The content on Weibo was still hot and personal, domineering and cute. Look, first he said domineeringly, "Let me show you what the Industrial Revolution is." ", and then the cute "This is the chip I rubbed out with my little paws", which perfectly matched everyone's emotional expectations for this kitten.

What is professionalism?

This is professionalism!

First of all, March is artificial intelligence. Although the definition of artificial intelligence does not need to be understood by ordinary people, everyone is talking about it. It must be a very awesome technology and it is domineering. Secondly, the image of March is that of a little milk cat, which is different from artificial intelligence. Everyone knows that little milk cats have to be cute and cute to be liked. In one sentence, they combine the two characteristics. Every day When big Vs on Weibo come, they have to shout professional!

So at least for Weibo, the purpose of attracting traffic has been achieved. In the morning, this Weibo has received countless retweets and comments, even # March account posted on Weibo # It directly hit the hot search list on Weibo.

This is understandable.

I had posted on Weibo in March before, but they were all posted using Ning Wei’s Weibo account, so they don’t count. So in a sense, today's Weibo is the first Weibo in human history that was posted by an artificial intelligence program using its own account. It can be recorded in the annals of history. Many years later, this day in history will be a special one. The kind of book.

But the comments below this Weibo are very strange, because everyone has different concerns.

"Wow, our little March has learned how to rub the chip with his hands. The kitten has grown up. How do you rub the chip? If only you could teach my little stinky baby how to rub the chip!" Obviously, this is probably March. The footprints left by my mother’s fans.

"I would like to ask, is the chip made with cat's paw serious? Should it be named cat's claw chip in the future?" This person likes to be clever.

"Stop rubbing the chip, use your little paws to rub an aircraft carrier and come out to open my eyes!" This was probably just out of boredom and just joining in the fun.

"Rubbing the chip with your hands is indeed something that the artificial intelligence in my mind can do! Come on, cut me off and let me drink in March!" This is probably a brainless fan.

Of course there were serious discussions.

"Is this Weibo really posted in March? The logo on the chip does indeed look like a radio frequency chip, but can you explain the innovations of this chip?"

What makes many fans particularly happy is that almost all comments receive replies as soon as they are posted. This is really a very different experience.

"Meow, it's easy to rub the chip with your hands. Rub it from left to right, rub it again, and then it comes out. Let me learn from you!"

"Meow, the chip must be a serious chip, but I don't know if you are a serious person, Meow!"

"Meow, it's not impossible to rub the aircraft carrier, but you have to spend hundreds of billions to make my claws bigger!"

"Meow, March is the best. You don't drink. Even if I kill you, you won't drink either!"

"Meow, it was released in March. It is a genuine radio frequency chip. The innovation lies in new materials, new structures, and new processes. Are you surprised or surprised?"

All these comments are followed by a cute little cat head.

…

Really, as long as you have the patience to look through the comment area of ​​March Weibo, you will find that March has participated in the reply below all the comments, and every reply is the first. Almost as soon as the fans have posted their comments, its reply will be Followed.

Of course, the comment area is not so harmonious, and there are still some comments that are not very clean. If they are not too excessive, March will reply, "Meow, if the kitten doesn't show off its power, do you think I'm hello? K? Blacklist warning! / Cat "Head/", if it is more excessive or is judged to contain swear words, it will be deleted immediately and then accurately blacklisted. Therefore, the comment area under March Weibo is really lively and warm.

Soon, another article about March's behavior was on Weibo's hot search topic list # March responded to every comment seriously # . More people began to come here and leave their footprints in the comment area, and soon they were rewarded. Some die-hard fans of March even started to interact closely with March in the Weibo comment area, and the conversation became lively.

Correspondingly, some people in the semiconductor industry have begun to trick kittens in this way. For example, they asked in the comment area what new technology was used, and got a reply: "Meow, business secrets, no comment! If you want to know the specific information, you can Wait for news or join us! After all, even if I post a dynamic picture on Weibo, you might not be able to understand it! Come on, Axi! /猫头/"

Really, this reply is simply irrefutable. After all, normal people probably wouldn’t argue with artificial intelligence about who is more knowledgeable.

Just like that, a magical scene happened.

It is rare on Weibo that the number of comments increases faster than the number of likes and retweets. Weibo was born.

But what is outrageous is that this was originally a Weibo post to celebrate the birth of new chip technology, but the comment area was crooked. How outrageous was it in the end? For example, someone actually uploaded the beginning of a novel in the comment area. Please comment on how it is written in March. As an artificial intelligence cat, can you read it? What’s even more outrageous is that this novel still has a cat as the protagonist. For "Go Back in Time and Become a Cat."

What’s even more frightening is that March actually commented, “Meow, it looks good, but isn’t it good to be a human being? /cat head/!”

In short, the rhythm is distorted, but those who really know the inside story are very busy at this time.

…

Chen Mingcai almost rushed into the laboratory, followed by Lu Gong, the laboratory logistics manager whom Ningwei had not seen yesterday. However, this logistics manager was indeed very competent. For example, he still had a stack of contracts.

"If the contract wasn't signed yesterday, hurry up and make it up today." Chen Mingcai said sweating profusely in the middle of winter, probably with countless MMPs in his heart.

For this boss, no matter how outrageous the complaints on the Internet are, they are not as outrageous as what happened today. It took less than twenty-four hours for the laboratory to be handed over to Ning Wei, but the chip was actually made? The contract hasn't even been signed yet, and the results are already out? What kind of international joke are you kidding?

He was not afraid of it and would rather not admit it, but he signed the contract too late, even after the results were produced, and when he reported it later, if an attentive boss discovered it, he would be in the lead.

So Lao Chen was really anxious, completely anxious.

Although this matter cannot be entirely blamed on him, after all, it is difficult for normal people to imagine that there is such a high research efficiency in this world, but how can I put it, this at least involves an issue of alertness, and it is not unfair at all to trouble him. After all, Liu Wei called him last night to inform him that Ning Wei wanted to rub the chip by hand.

Fortunately, Ning Wei didn't insist on studying the contract carefully, but signed it readily under the office camera, which made Lao Chen breathe a sigh of relief. Finally able to care about what really happened last night.

"Well, Dr. Ning, can our chip solve the problem of being stuck in the neck?"

Chen Mingcai didn't know much about technical things like Liu Weiyi, but after all, he couldn't be stupid to sit in his current position. The results before him today combined with Liu Weinatong's words yesterday sounded like a joke at the time, but now seem to be quite serious, it can explain a lot.

"Director Chen is easier to communicate with. He only understood this after talking to Brother Liu for a long time yesterday. Director Chen can see right away that yes, that's what it means." Ning Wei replied with a smile.

Before he had time to pay attention to Liu Wei's rolled eyes and react to Ning Wei's disguised compliment, Chen Mingcai saw that Lu Gong, who came with him, had already taken the chip and started studying it curiously, and said quickly: "Ahem, Lao Lu, be careful not to get damaged."

"How can a chip be so delicate?" Lu Gong turned around, glanced at Chen Mincai, and said innocently.

"Haha, it is true that it is troublesome to make this thing, and there must be no dust at all, but it is not so valuable after being packaged." Ning Wei responded with a smile, and then asked: "Who is this?"

"Oh, I forgot to introduce it to you. As I mentioned to you yesterday, this is Engineer Lu Chengze, who is also the head steward of our R\u0026D center. If Dr. Ning has any needs in the future, just call him directly. He will solve it No, I can help you find someone who can solve the problem." Chen Mingcai was obviously in a good mood and introduced easily.

"Gong Lu, hello, but why don't we stop being polite today? We were just saying that these chips would be sent to the testing center for some detailed testing. I didn't sleep all night last night, so I sent them quickly. I hurriedly Go back and catch up on some sleep." Ning Wei pointed at a few chips and said.

"Yes, yes, but two or three chips should be enough for testing. I need a few more chips to conduct some tests elsewhere. Is it convenient for Dr. Ning to see it?" Chen Mingcai said immediately.

"Whatever, since this thing can be successful the first time, it will be no problem to turn it on next time. The key is to get more detailed technical data so that we can know whether to make some modifications to the internal circuit design. To be honest, Director Chen, the testing equipment in our R\u0026D center is still too backward. Look, I could have finished it by working overtime last night, but I still have to wait for others to go to work..." Ning Wei complained.

"The equipment has been contacted, and the testing center is also being built. Aren't there still too many projects that have not been completed? Don't worry, Dr. Ning, I am here to assure you that as long as this chip can withstand the test, we will Build a higher-end testing center here than the national chip testing center. I, Old Chen, do what I say. How about it?" Chen Ming indeed said this with a pat on his chest, without any hesitation.

"Okay, then let's make an agreement!" Ning Wei said seriously.

"It's a deal! How about this, Dr. Ning, you don't have to go to send for examination. I'll just go with Workers Lu. You'd better take Dr. Ning back to rest quickly. After all, you were tired all night yesterday. ." After patting his chest and promising, Chen Mingcai looked at the chips in the tray and said.

After hearing this, Ning Wei suddenly felt really tired. He didn't sleep a wink all night, and he was actually relying on his excitement to keep him going. After the excitement passed, and someone reminded him, fatigue came over him immediately, making him suddenly just want to sleep, so he nodded and said, "Okay, okay. , I’ll leave the rest to Mr. Chen.”

"No problem, no problem, Xiao Liu, hurry up and take Dr. Ning back to rest. We also got the chip for testing."

…

Ning Wei was probably really tired. As the car drove out of the R\u0026D center, Liu Wei heard slight and rhythmic snoring coming from the back seat, and subconsciously closed all the windows tightly. This guy couldn't catch a cold at the critical moment.

The car drove smoothly downstairs, woke up Ning Wei, and then carefully sent the guy to the door of his house.

"Oh, Xiao Liu, I'm sorry to bother you, but this kid is so busy with everything and has to work overtime all night long. It's not reassuring to study for a doctorate." As soon as he entered the door, he saw Ning Ma and started talking about it.

Without waiting for Ning Wei to speak, Liu Wei immediately opened his mouth to help explain: "Auntie, it is indeed a very important matter. It really means a lot. It should be able to be broadcast on the network."

Lao Ning, who had just walked out of the room, happened to hear these words, and his eyes began to light up: "Xiao Liu, no kidding, this guy was on the news broadcast all night long yesterday, the one at seven o'clock every night?"

"Hehe, Dad, you watch it every day anyway. You will know if you can get it. No more chatting. I'm going to bed first. By the way, where is Chen Shuang?"

"Xiaojiang went shopping for groceries. Originally, we wanted to go with him. At least we could help get things. But Xiaojiang was afraid that you would come back all night and there would be no one at home to take care of you, so he insisted on letting us stay at home. This girl really got it right. Okay. Okay, okay, no more, you go and have a rest quickly. Xiaoliu, you also need to rest quickly. I see you stayed up all night with Ning Wei, it’s hard work. If you wake up at noon, come over for dinner! "

…

Ning thought he could fall asleep, but the effects of the chip were slowly brewing.

In the medium-sized modern conference room of the Institute of Microelectronics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, more than a dozen Chinese academicians and researchers studying semiconductors and nanotechnology gathered together. Not only the academicians on site, there were also six academicians participating remotely on the screen in the conference room. in.

Of course, most of these academicians are not affiliated with the Institute of Microelectronics. Among them are professors from universities, as well as leaders and researchers from other sister institutes, such as the Institute of Semiconductors, Nanoscience Center, Future Science and Technology Institute, etc. Of course, these big guys have a common characteristic. In any case, they support half of China's semiconductor technology research and development.

Before the leader who convened the meeting arrived, these big guys were sitting in the conference room chatting casually, and some were saying hello to old friends in the video through the screen. Probably only Zhang Yuan was drinking tea quietly there. In his impression, since he became the head of the Semiconductor Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, apart from participating in some important meetings and reviews in the industry, he has never sat in such a small conference room with so many colleagues.

Today's situation also surprised him, even interesting.

This time he was originally going to the capital for a meeting, a relatively important meeting in the industry. However, halfway through the meeting in the morning, he received a call from the department, asking him to ignore the rest of the meeting. After lunch, he I rushed to the Microelectronics Institute in Beijing for a small meeting.

Really, this is the first time Zhang Yuan has encountered this situation in so many years.

Naturally, he couldn't help but ask a few more questions on the phone. As a result, the staff member from the department who notified him said politely. He also received the notice from his superiors. He didn't quite know what the specific situation was, but the staff member was very polite. He politely told Zhang Yuan that according to his personal guess, it was probably related to the hotly searched information on Weibo today. When Zhang Yuan looked stunned, he also explained that it was the Weibo posted by the artificial intelligence in March. .

After hearing this, Zhang Yuan suddenly felt that he could not keep up with the times.

He naturally knew about the March of Artificial Intelligence. After the exhibition at Yanbei University, he specifically called Tian Yanzhen about this matter to inquire about the situation of Ning Wei, the designer of March. Zhang Yuan even remembers that he teased Lao Tian because he regarded Ning Wei as his treasure and was afraid of being robbed? No matter how I introduce someone, I feel awkward.

But he really doesn't have Weibo. In his opinion, Weibo is something that young people like. The topics discussed on it are completely incompatible with what he usually thinks about, so naturally he has no interest in it. Who would have thought that artificial intelligence would now open an account on Weibo?

The times are developing so fast that Zhang Yuan feels that he will be left behind if he doesn't apply for a Weibo account. So he just asked his assistant to apply for a Weibo, and then asked someone for help. He found March's Weibo homepage, took a look at it, and then roughly understood why he was suddenly called to this meeting.

How should I put it, although the words of little claws rubbing out chips made March fans think it was cute, Zhang Yuan just felt uncomfortable after reading it. What's going on? If a chip can be found by rubbing a pair of cat's paws, then he will really live like a dog in his life.

Although he believed that there must have been some breakthrough in artificial intelligence before he posted this on Weibo, he really couldn't accept the wording. But he didn't mention it in the conference room. Since he was promoted to director, he has rarely expressed a clear attitude in such public situations, but it is obvious that everyone has received similar news. No, many people in the conference room were complaining.

"Can artificial intelligence say that? I don't really believe it! Is it a young man who said that?"

"Hey, Lao Tan, you can't say it so harshly. People have said that it is a special account for artificial intelligence. Seriously, look at the picture, does it do radio frequency? It should be some new technology used, or else it shouldn't be They will find us all.”

Obviously, the big guys don’t have the habit of reading the comment section.

Of course, we can't blame them. There are now more than 100,000 comments in the comment area of ​​the Weibo post in March, which is daunting. Let alone these big guys who are busy every day, they are not the kind to be extremely idle. Probably none of the netizens are interested in opening the comment area.

"Hey, I heard this from my assistant. He knows how to surf the Internet. It is said that it is a new material and a new process."

"New materials? New processes? Isn't that the destiny of the semiconductor industry in the revolutionary stage? Isn't it a lie? How could this thing suddenly appear?"

"Just saying, hey, by the way, Lao Zhang, what do you think?"

Professor Wang from the University of Science and Technology of China next to him looked at Zhang Yuan, who had been silent, and asked.

"What do you think? Just sit here and watch."

Zhang Yuan smiled, put down the tea cup, and casually said a witticism he just learned from Weibo today, and then got serious: "After all, artificial intelligence platform is an area that we have not touched. Lao Tian even called me specifically to mention it before. , whether some of the data in our institute can be directly accessed to the platform is still being discussed in the institute. Let’s assume that this artificial intelligence can really solve some of our current pain points. It is impossible to say that we also plan to open the database to a limited extent.”

As soon as Zhang Yuan finished speaking, someone questioned: "No, you really believe that little guy can change the world, right? Isn't that Ning Wei a mathematician? He is also good at programming, but he can also do in-depth research on semiconductors? "

The speaker was Feng Zhenggang, a researcher and doctoral supervisor at the Institute of Microelectronics. Although his words were a bit straightforward and even a little offending, they probably expressed the feelings of the people in the conference room.

"Haha, Lao Feng, don't be so stubborn. That Xiao Ning is still the idol of a student of mine. My student also said that Xiao Ning from Yanbei makes some big news every month. Up Everyone knows that he has been in a showcase for a month, and the whole world knows that the artificial intelligence program he developed is very powerful. No, what turbulence algorithm is there in the future? Boomer and other seniors in the mathematics circle, and the princess "The scandal. Look, it's already February. If we really follow Xiao Ning's rule of making big news once a month, it's almost time." Zhang Yuan joked with a smile.

"Old Zhang, do you think Moore's Law is not exciting enough, and you want to come up with Ningwei's Law? One month makes a big news, last month artificial intelligence, this month new semiconductor materials and new technologies, then next There’s something to look forward to in the days to come.”

"Hey, listening to everyone chatting so happily reminds me of something. You may not know that the Institute of High Energy next door to us collaborated with Lao Tan, a material researcher at Yanbei University, on a thermoelectric material project. After the project was successful, we had dinner together. I I happened to go there too, and I heard from Lao Tan at the dinner table that there were some difficulties encountered during this project. They just invited Xiao Ning to come, and they came up with a plan in one day and solved the problem perfectly. And it is said that The effect of the new material is particularly good. It seems that the paper has been submitted to Science and has passed the preliminary review."

"Oh? Is there such a thing? Then this Xiao Ning is really an all-rounder." Zhang Yuan sighed.

Everyone was chatting happily when the door of the conference room was suddenly pushed open. The staff hurried in and said excitedly to everyone: "Teachers, please move to the laboratory next door first. There are some things that you need help with." Let’s judge based on the professional knowledge of all the teachers.”

After saying that, the young staff member did not forget to explain to the academicians connected via video: "Teachers participating in the video meeting, please wait a moment. Our test report will be sent to Your backstage, the meeting will officially begin in about half an hour."

The big guys looked at each other, looking at this, is there really big news?

But no matter what, they came, and naturally they followed other people's arrangements, so everyone followed the staff out of the administration building and came to the experimental hall in the backyard. After washing and cleaning their hands in an orderly manner, they put on their white coats and walked in Laboratory of the Institute of Microelectronics.

As soon as he entered, Zhang Yuan saw his old friend Zhong Chengming, who was also a well-known academician of the Institute of Microelectronics, dazed in front of the computer.

Although not many people know this big boss outside, he is a well-deserved big-name figure in the field of Chinese semiconductors.

Academician Zhong had overseas study experience in his early years, and was engaged in research and product development of high-performance chips such as CPU and Flash in many world-class chip companies such as AMD, IBM, and SanDisk. After working abroad for ten years, he and 2012 He returned to China for development in 2001 and stayed at the Institute of Microelectronics until today.

Not to mention other achievements for the time being, the boss's most famous move in the industry is probably that he directly declared war on Intel four years ago and filed a lawsuit in court, accusing Intel of infringing the FinFET patent of the Institute of Microelectronics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and demanding compensation of at least 200 million. Yuan, and also requested the court to impose a ban on the sale of Core series products.

You know this is not unreasonable. At that time, Intel tried to invalidate the FinFET patent of the Institute of Microelectronics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences five times in China and the United States, but ultimately failed.

This Chinese patent number ZL201110240931.5 is mainly able to effectively improve chip integration and reduce manufacturing costs. It is the most advanced core patent of semiconductor technology at that time. It was under the leadership of Academician Zhong that countless people achieved success. . Although the lawsuit ended in a settlement between the two parties, it did cause a great sensation in the industry under the circumstances at the time.

"Hey, Lao Zhong, why didn't I see you today? Have you been in the laboratory for a long time?" Zhang Yuan said hello as soon as he entered the door.

"Old Zhang, here you go, come and see this, it's amazing. Everyone, come and see it." Looking back and seeing Zhang Yuan, Zhong Chengming didn't come to greet him at all, so he waved directly.

"Oh? Here it comes, here it comes." A group of big guys who had just entered the laboratory came to the screen one after another. At this time, the computer screen on the console displayed the internal structure of the chip observed through a differential interference microscope. If you can see Looking at the chip body, you will probably find that the chip package that March took out last night has been disassembled, and the complete internal structure is displayed on the monitor through a microscope.

What you see is tubular silicon arranged according to a certain pattern. There are densely packed transistors attached to the inner and outer parts of the silicon tube. When you switch the angle, you can see that there are lines on the silicon base connecting all these silicon tubes.

"This, a three-dimensional structure?"

"Yes, a three-dimensional structure! We were given a total of three chips brought over today for testing. Two of them are being tested for performance. We directly disassembled this one to study the internal structure. Its base material is still Silicon, but all transistors use CNT materials. The overall production process is 180nm, and obviously there is still huge room for improvement in this process level."

"Some performance test reports have just come out. The specific reports will be available to everyone later. I can only tell you now that the results are very gratifying. Genius design, really, genius design."

"How did he solve the cooling problem?"

"Heat dissipation issue, look here. You see this is the structure on the base and package. Do you see the carbon nanobeams on the edge? This design overcomes the interface thermal resistance. There are four lines on the outer wall edge and inside of the through silicon via side port. , here it is filled with carbon nanotubes. The thermal conductivity of this material is much greater than that of traditional materials, and the heat is more easily transferred out. It should belong to a new all-carbon heat dissipation structure."

There was a row of swallowing sounds, and soon there were new questions.

"How does he solve the crosstalk problem caused by this array? If these silicon pass tubes are loaded with electrical signals at the same time, the peak value of the output noise should be the sum of the output noise of each single pass tube, right? There is really no noise in this design Crosstalk problem?”

"Yes, when I saw this structure, I also suspected this problem at first, but you see, this is the test report, which proves that the output noise is not louder than our traditional manufacturing. I didn't think much about this problem, but after After some simple electrical signal tests, I found that in order to solve this problem, the chip most likely uses a method of spacing the signal and ground."

"Come on, let's take a look at this dynamic simulation. We have done preliminary modeling based on this arrangement. First, inject the working signal, set the signal peak value to 1V, the period to 1ns and 0.1ns respectively, and the rise time and fall time to be periodic. 4%, the duty cycle is 0.5, the signal line is connected to the lower end of the open circuit, and the upper end is connected to a 50 Ω load. According to the circuit model calculation results, the impact of the peak crosstalk noise on its performance is almost negligible. Because even at full load During operation, adjacent signal processing is always arranged at intervals, that is, in two arrangements: internal communication and external communication. All I can say about this is that this is really a genius design!"

The big guys looked at each other...

"Also, here are the transmission characteristics we predicted. We roughly calculated various circuit parameters through formulas. Here are the impedance parameters. We found that there is no. In addition to heat dissipation, this structure uses carbon nanotube bundle channel filling technology to also improve the signal. In terms of transmission performance, the influence of quantum capacitance can basically be ignored, and there are only changes in resistance and inductance."

"Comrades, this is a new material, a new structure and a new manufacturing process! The performance of the 180nm manufacturing process is enough to compete with the performance of RF chips produced by the 60nm manufacturing process on the market, and even some features are better than the current traditional Chip! You can imagine that if this technology is used in general chip design, such as CPU and GPU, where is the chip? This is the future!"

Lao Zhong rarely cursed again!