In February 2016, the American APC (Advanced Optical Crystals Corporation) issued a solemn statement, announcing that the company has cooperated with Clemson University to develop KBBF crystals (potassium fluoroborate), a breakthrough in China since 2009. Monopoly of this strategically significant crystal. And they claim that their own crystals are comparable to those made in China, and even surpass China in some key technical fields. This will greatly improve the US's national defense level and break China's long-term technological blockade.
Many people should be a little confused when they see such news. After all, the development of science and technology in the United States is much more advanced than that in China. In the eyes of many people, American science and technology are crushing China. But in fact, China has a large number of talents. Although there is still no way to compare with the United States as a whole, China has completely surpassed the United States in certain areas. For example, the KBBF crystal mentioned this time, its effect is far beyond your imagination. The core technology of
CPU chips is lacking in China, mainly because it is difficult for China to manufacture lithography machines, which are the core equipment for the production of large-scale integrated circuits. To manufacture and maintain lithography machines, a high degree of optical and electronic industry foundation is required. In the world, only a few companies such as Nikon, Canon, Otech, SUSS, ASML, etc. can master it. Therefore, the price of the lithography machine is expensive, and a set of equipment generally needs between 30 million and 500 million US dollars. But what few people know is that although China has not mastered the lithography machine technology, it has mastered the core component of the lithography machine, that is, the KBBF crystal. What is
KBBF crystal?
Its physical name is potassium fluorinated boron beryllate crystal, which is a nonlinear crystal used in light emission electron microscopes and ultra-high power lasers. Since the 21st century, the laser has been known as the fastest knife capable of performing a variety of high-precision tasks. Therefore, human beings are increasingly demanding lasers. The KBBF crystal is one kind. It can convert the laser into an unprecedented 176-nanometer wavelength laser. It is the only non-linear optical crystal in the world that can immediately store overclocking and cause deep ultraviolet lasers at this stage. It is the only crystal that can be used with ultraviolet light. In the civilian field, it can build ultra-high-pixel photoelectron spectrometers, precise measurement of nanotubes, and cutting-edge scientific research such as photolithography.
So how does China master such core technologies?
This needs to mention Mr. Chen Chuangtian, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, who has been engaged in the research on the mechanism and performance of nonlinear optical materials all his life. And in 1983, the manufacturing technology of KBBF large crystal was developed, which caused a huge international response. But China did not know the value of this thing in the early days. Since the 1980s, it has accumulated related technologies. It was mainly used in laser research at the beginning, and China played a great power. Open supply to global scientific research institutions. However, with the deepening of research.
In 2009, China realized the strategic significance of this crystal. The export ceased immediately, and the sudden technical blockade made the Americans dumbfounded. For this reason, the American "Nature" magazine even published an article " China hides this crystal " to express the importance of this kind of crystal.
China bans exports, but KBBF crystal has great potential for future development. Naturally, the United States cannot give up, so since 2009, they have invested tens of billions of dollars in research and development, vowing to break through China's technological blockade. This is also the reason why the company will be so happy after breaking through the technology of the crystal. As an international power, the United States has never been willing to condescend to others.
So does their creation of this crystal have an impact on China? In fact, yes!
However, the impact does not seem to be significant. Although KBBF crystals have high hopes, it is difficult for this crystal to be used in the field of people's livelihood. The reason is that KBBF crystals currently contain highly toxic beryllium and their crystal layered growth habit is serious. Therefore, in more cases, this crystal is mainly used in the military field, such as a certain type of laser weapon and laser anti-missile. It is necessary to use the role of this crystal. At the same time, this crystal also has a unique role in some aerospace fields. It is understood that this crystal was used on Chang'e-3 to achieve high-precision missions in aerospace.
However, the KBBF crystal is notIt cannot be widely used in the field of people's livelihood at all. It only needs to solve these two problems and it will be widely used. To take the industrial system to the next level, the key to the problem is to find a new type of deep ultraviolet NLO crystal material. Look for new materials that are pollution-free and can extend their service life. Therefore, since China began to ban the export of KBBF crystals in 2009, it has continued to conduct research on this.
