Domestic photonic chip production line preparation
The world's first chip was born in 1947. Humans successfully manufactured transistor , integrating information, data, etc. into chip integrated circuits. Since then, scientists and researchers have continued to follow this path and explored microelectronic processors. After continuously optimizing materials and technology, the performance of chips has also been continuously improved. The
process has developed from microns to nanometers, and has successively exceeded 90nm, 28nm, 14nm, 7nm, 5nm and other processes within the nanometer process range.
and even TSMC, , Samsung , have made major breakthroughs in the process below 5nm. Both are moving towards 3nm this year. Not only that, 2nm chips will also be mass-produced in 2025.
chip processes have been going on for half a century, and the process performance is changing, but what remains unchanged is that the mainstream material is still silicon. This is the first generation of semiconductor material explored by humans. Almost all chips on the market are made of silicon and are collectively called electronic chips. The advantages of
electronic chip are very obvious, the industrial chain is mature and the performance is stable. However, electronic chips also have very high requirements for semiconductor equipment manufacturing technology. The only manufacturers in the world that can produce chips of 7nm or below are TSMC and Samsung, and the high-end chip manufacturing market is only in the hands of a few giants.
Moreover, electronic chips are facing the problem of Moore's Law's limit. Once the limit cannot be broken, the process of electronic chips may come to an end. Therefore, process technology is crucial to explore new chip materials.
has tried to use graphene as chip material and then make carbon-based chips, but a complete industrial chain has not yet been formed. Photonic chips can be made using second-generation semiconductor materials such as indium phosphide , gallium arsenide .
For many people, photonic chips are relatively unfamiliar products. In fact, the semiconductor industry has long carried out related research, and good news has also been heard in the industrial chain in China. According to media reports, the first multi-material and cross-size photonic chip production line in China is under preparation and will be completed soon and is expected to be completed in 2023.
What is a photonic chip? In fact, the so-called photonic chip is a device made of second-generation semiconductor materials, which can be used in communications, data centers, medical care and other fields. Compared with electronic chips, the advantage of photonic chips is reflected in the fast computing speed, which is about 1,000 times that of electronic chips.
At the same time, the manufacturing threshold for photonic chips is low, and high-performance electronic chips can be created without using top-level EUV lithography machines. This means that it is not impossible for China to build a complete photonic chip industry chain.
China is already preparing a production line for photonic chips. The relevant work is ready, and the production line is completed and the photonic chip wafer mass production will be put into mass production. Of course, the specific process needs to be based on reality, but I believe that after taking the first step, there will be a second step. Can the
photonic chip overtake?
electronic chips have formed a market size of $100 billion in output, which will be impossible to shake for the moment. Moreover, the industrial chain behind electronic chips cannot be easily replaced. After all, using high-end EUV lithography machines to manufacture high-end chips has become the best path.
However, as mentioned earlier, high-end chips are in the hands of a few giants. If they do not provide chip supply and foundry services, the result will be obvious, so one more path will have more opportunities.
Since the photonic chip has excellent performance, can it achieve overtaking on the curve? This may depend on the application field and industrial value of photonic chips. The application fields of
photonic chips are very broad, with application potential in industry, consumer electronics, automobiles, etc., and can be further subdivided into automotive autonomous driving, VR/AR and voice recognition, etc. It can be seen that photonic chips have broad market application prospects. If photonic chips can be covered in every corner of life, there are indeed conditions to meet the needs.
In terms of industrial value, a series of core technologies need to be overcome, from basic processes to manufacturing equipment, we must keep up with the pace of industrial development. However, photonic chips have not yet formed huge output value, so there are fewer relevant entrants.
It is not possible to draw conclusions too early to determine the industrial value of photonic chips, but judging from the attention of photonic chips, the market conditions in the future will improve.
It should be known that photonic chips are not a substitute for electronic chips, and the relationship between the two is not a competitive relationship, because photonic chip devices sometimes need to be installed in electronic chip equipment, so that terminal facilities can achieve better performance breakthroughs through fusion and matching.
As for whether photonic chips can be independently transformed into a new industrial chain, it depends on the future development direction.
was written in the end
electronic chips have developed for half a century, forming a output value of 100 billion US dollars, while photonic chips are still in the infancy of the industrial chain. The first photonic chip in China will be completed next year, and perhaps the industrial chain will be improved after the production line is completed. We look forward to greater progress in the field of photonic chips in China. What do you think of photon chips? Welcome to leave a message below to share.
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