A tension almost solidified, like an invisible viscous fluid, filled the brand‑new, immaculate chip mass‑production trial line within the lithography machine R&D base. Here, no clamorous machine roars existed—only low hums from precision equipment, faint hisses from gas‑circulation systems, and nearly inaudible breezes stirred by robotic arms moving with exactitude. Air filtered to near‑absolute purity, constant temperature and humidity strictly confined to an extremely narrow range—as if the environment itself held its breath, awaiting a sacred moment.
Xiuxiu stood before the huge observation window in the visitor corridor, still in her spotless white anti‑static cleanroom suit, mask covering most of her face, revealing only a pair of deep, bright eyes. But now those eyes—usually sharp as a hawk's, filled with unshakable will—could not suppress an extremely complex turmoil: fatigue accumulated under prolonged high pressure, deep anxiety about unknown outcomes, but more than anything, a near‑pilgrim‑like focus and anticipation. Her gaze pierced the thick special glass, firmly fixed on the deep‑ultraviolet (DUV) lithography machine at the production line's core, refined and optimized countless times by her team, now running steadily.
Today was the day of the "first tape‑out."
"Tape‑out"—a term bearing too much hope, anxiety, dream, and cost within the semiconductor industry. Its English name "tape‑out" originated from the tradition of storing design data on magnetic tape for delivery to production. Though tapes are now rare, this historic designation persists, symbolizing the crucial step where chip design moves from virtual code and drawings toward physical reality—the beginning of trial production, the first crack where dreams shine into reality.
This improved DUV lithography machine of Xiuxiu's team bore not merely a technical verification task, but also the mission of producing the first physical sample of a high‑performance communication chip for a domestic top‑tier chip‑design company—"Huaxin Technology." This chip's design targets matched international giants; success would greatly alleviate the domestic "chip shortage" pain in this field. Therefore, this tape‑out was not just a technical assessment but carried heavy industrial expectations and national mission.
The entire tape‑out flow resembled a lengthy, precise symphony, and lithography was its most critical, most challenging brilliant movement. Xiuxiu's thoughts drifted back to the overture that began this "symphony."
**First Movement: Data Preparation and Mask Fabrication**
Weeks earlier, the chip‑design data package from Huaxin Technology, after strict encrypted transmission, arrived at the base's data center. It was a vast database composed of thousands of GDSII‑format files, defining all physical structures on the chip—from billions of transistors to the finest metal interconnects—in geometric form. This data was the chip's "soul blueprint."
But this "soul blueprint" could not be directly used for production. It first needed complex preprocessing—like musical scores requiring arrangement and adjustment according to instruments and concert‑hall acoustics. This process saw Xiuxiu's team closely collaborate with Huaxin's engineers and specialized EDA (Electronic Design Automation) software tools.
First, the most critical **optical proximity correction**. Due to light diffraction and interference effects, at the nanometer scale, patterns formed by the lithography machine's exposure on silicon wafers would deviate from the design patterns on the mask—like corners rounding, spacings narrowing or widening. It was like using a slightly frayed pen to trace an extremely fine pattern; edges would blur and distort. To solve this, they had to apply predistortion to the original design patterns, "reverse" compensating these optical effects in advance on the data, so the final exposed patterns would approach the design intent as closely as possible. This required enormous computation and precise model support.
Next, **resolution enhancement techniques** were applied. To break through the physical resolution limits of the lithography machine itself, they adopted technologies like phase‑shift masks, off‑axis illumination, optimizing at the data and mask‑fabrication levels, enabling printing of smaller, more precise patterns with existing lithography tools.
Then, the processed data was "fractured"—cut into formats suitable for laser pattern‑generator writing, delivered to mask‑manufacturing factories. Mask fabrication itself was a miniature lithography process. They needed to produce a corresponding mask for each circuit layer (potentially dozens of layers), usually magnified four or five times. These masks would, in subsequent lithography steps, project patterns layer by layer onto silicon wafers like slides. The performance advantages of Xiuxiu's improved lithography machine would ultimately be reflected on silicon only through these nearly perfect masks.
**Second Movement: Wafer Processing—The Core Dance of Lithography**
With all masks ready, the tape‑out's "main course"—wafer processing—officially began. Xiuxiu's gaze followed the 300‑mm‑diameter silicon wafers, surfaces smooth as mirrors, on the production line. These pure silicon wafers were the chip's "foundation."
Wafers first entered the cleaning station, undergoing rigorous cleaning and drying, ensuring no surface contaminants. Then, into the **coater‑developer**. Here, wafers were uniformly spin‑coated with a thin layer of photoresist. This photosensitive polymer, sensitive to specific wavelength light, was the "photosensitive negative" receiving pattern transfer. Coating thickness, uniformity directly affected subsequent pattern quality.
Next, photoresist‑covered wafers were precisely transferred via robotic arm inside the DUV lithography machine before Xiuxiu. This was the most critical step—**exposure**. The lithography machine's dual‑stage system worked with astonishing speed and precision synchronously: one stage carrying a wafer for alignment and exposure, the other carrying the next wafer for pre‑alignment and measurement, seamless switching, maximizing production efficiency.
Xiuxiu could see inside: deep‑ultraviolet light at 193‑nm wavelength generated by an argon‑fluoride laser, shaped and homogenized through complex optical systems, became uniform beams penetrating the mask. The mask's circuit patterns, at a reduced scale, through the projection lens—the machine's most precise, most expensive component, its interior comprising over twenty aspherical lens elements, like an incredibly complex compound eye—were precisely imaged onto the photoresist on the wafer surface. Photoresist in exposed areas underwent chemical change.
After exposure, wafers exited the lithography machine, entering **post‑exposure bake**, undergoing precise thermal treatment to stabilize the latent image formed.
Then, **development**. Wafers immersed in specific chemical developer; depending on photoresist type (positive or negative), exposed areas (positive resist) or unexposed areas (negative resist) dissolved away, faithfully replicating the mask's circuit patterns in relief on the photoresist layer. Now, on the wafer surface, microscopic circuit patterns became visible.
But this was merely the first step of pattern transfer. Photoresist patterns themselves were not conductive or semiconducting—just a temporary "stencil." Next, wafers would enter **etching** machines, using plasma or chemical liquids to etch away silicon, silicon dioxide, or metal materials in areas unprotected by photoresist, truly carving circuit patterns into the chip's base materials. Or, enter **ion‑implantation** machines, via high‑energy ion‑beam bombardment, implant specific impurity atoms in unprotected areas, altering silicon's conductivity type, forming transistor core structures.
After one circuit‑layer pattern completed, wafers needed cleaning again to remove residual photoresist, then repeat the above process—coating, lithography, development, etching/ion implantation, cleaning—for next‑layer circuit fabrication. Chips formed complex three‑dimensional structures through such layer‑by‑layer stacking and interconnection. The entire flow might involve dozens or even hundreds of major steps, hundreds of precision equipment, cycles lasting weeks. Any minor error could nullify all previous effort.
**Finale: Testing and Dawn**
Now, this batch of wafers from the collaboration between Xiuxiu's team and Huaxin Technology had completed all layer processing. They were no longer smooth silicon wafers; surfaces covered with fine, multi‑layer stacked three‑dimensional structures, under specific light showing iridescent colors—interference results from thin‑films of varying thickness, called "the chip's rainbow."
These wafers, bearing countless people's effort and hope, entered final testing. First, **wafer electrical test**. Precision probe stations descended thousands of microscopic probes, contacting pads corresponding to each chip pin, applying test signals, measuring electrical parameters—on‑resistance, leakage current, switching speed, power consumption, etc. Data scrolled rapidly on computer screens.
Xiuxiu, team members, and Huaxin's leaders all stared intently at monitoring screens, hearts seemingly gripped by an invisible hand. Air filled with almost suffocating silence, only one's own pounding heartbeat audible.
Time passed minute by minute. Suddenly, the engineer in charge of final testing jerked his head up, voice altered by excitement: "Preliminary electrical test… passed! Key parameters… meet design expectations!"
A "buzz—" seemed to explode in Xiuxiu's mind. After brief dead silence, immense, post‑catastrophe‑like elation burst forth like a breached dam, instantly washing away all tension and anxiety! Behind the observation window, the control room erupted in deafening cheers! Engineers, technicians embraced, high‑fived, some even shedding tears of excitement!
Success! The first tape‑out succeeded!
Though this was still 28‑nanometer process, lagging behind world‑leading levels; though merely engineering samples, far from mass production and commercialization—this meant their independently developed, improved DUV lithography process fully capable of supporting domestic high‑end chip design realization! This meant they had opened the crucial link from design to manufacturing, proving domestic equipment's capability! This was not merely a technical success, but a confidence‑rebuilding, a powerful declaration breaking monopoly!
Xiuxiu stood still, body trembling slightly, eyes uncontrollably moist. She recalled the resolve when submitting resignation in the Netherlands, the various discomforts and doubts upon returning home, countless sleepless nights during light‑sourceresearch and development, despair brought by mask defects, the never‑giving‑up eyes of tired team partners… All hardship, all pressure seemed to find release now, transforming into scalding tears blurring her vision.
That evening, the base exceptionally held a small‑scale celebration banquet. No lavish venue—just simple arrangement in the cafeteria, yet atmosphere exceptionally warm. Researchers long under high pressure could finally temporarily unload burdens, freely release emotion. Clinking glasses, laughter, animated conversation intertwined, full of vibrant vitality and hope.
Xiuxiu, as the greatest contributor, naturally became the focus of toasts. She wasn't good at drinking, but tonight she accepted every offer. Cup after cup of pungent liquid slid down her throat, burning her stomach lining, yet bringing a peculiar, weightless sense of relief. Alcohol like warm tidewater, overflowing her long‑tightened nerves, allowed fragile emotions firmly repressed by reason to quietly surface.
She looked at the surrounding excited, sincere faces, listening to their genuine admiration and gratitude—immense achievement and equally immense emptiness simultaneously struck her. She had come this far, fulfilled part of her vow upon returning home, yet the price paid was almost her entire personal life, countless nights alone bearing pressure, the unspeakable loneliness and softness deep inside as a woman.
As the banquet neared end, the crowd gradually dispersed. Xiuxiu felt dizzy, feet like stepping on cotton. She declined colleagues' offers to escort her back to her dorm, staggering alone to the terrace outside the cafeteria. Late‑autumn night wind with chill brushed her burning cheeks, bringing slight sobriety. Leaning against the cold railing, gazing at the city's distant blurred lights, an unprecedented fragility wrapped her tightly like the night.
Unconsciously, she took out her phone, fingers almost instinctively dialing that memorized encrypted number.
The call was answered after two rings, Mozi's low, slightly surprised voice coming through: "Xiuxiu?"
Hearing this voice, thestrong shell Xiuxiu had forcibly maintained seemed to completely shatter under alcohol and emotion. Tears surged abruptly, she choked, almost incoherent:
"Suc… succeeded… tape‑out succeeded… Mozi… we… we did it…" Her voice filled with sobs, mixed with immense joy and deeper exhaustion andgrievance.
Mozi on the other end clearly paused, then his voice became extremely soft, carrying careful reassurance: "I know, I know you did it. Xiuxiu, you are amazing, stronger and more extraordinary than any of us imagined."
"But… but I'm so tired…" Xiuxiu whimpered like a lost child into the phone, "Really tired… sometimes… sometimes I feel I can't hold on… so many eyes watching me… so many expectations pressing me… I can't lose… I can't…"
She spoke intermittently, pouring out pressure, fear, loneliness never revealed to anyone. Alcohol numbed her reason but released her truest emotions.
"I know, I know everything." Mozi's voice seemed to carry warmth, through the radio waves, warming her cold fingers and even colder heart. "You have already done more than enough, Xiuxiu. No one could do better. If you're tired, lean for a while; it's okay."
His words simple, yet like most effectiveplacebo. Xiuxiu listened to his steady breathing, feeling that unconditional understanding and support, her frantic heartbeat gradually calmed, leaving only a deep, almost dependent sense ofpeace of mind.
"Mozi…" she murmured his name, voice faint and reliant, "Don't hang up… just… stay talking with me… okay?" Now she was no longer the iron‑cladfemale warrior leading teams to conquer technical barriers, just an ordinary woman craving warmth and companionship.
"Alright, I won't hang up." Mozi responded softly, voice carrying a tenderness she had never heard, almostdoting affection. "I am right here, with you."
Night wind brushed Xiuxiu's stray strands, distant city lights blurring into a sea of hazy glow through her tear‑filled eyes. Phone pressed tightly to her ear, conveying the comforting presence of that man across the ocean. The first tape‑out's success, like a lighthouse, illuminated the path forward for China's chip industry; and now the silent companionship through the phone, like a hidden harbor, consoled her soulhaving weathered storms, finally able to dock temporarily for rest.
She knew at dawn she would still don that white armor, return to her battlefield. But at least now, in thisdeep night where success and exhaustion intertwined, she permitted herself this moment of vulnerability, permitted herself to rely on that distant, silent yet powerfulprotection.