Introduction of the interviewee
The guest interviewed in this issue comes from Dr. He Shaolong, founder of Zhejiang Liufang Semiconductor Technology Co., Ltd., a member unit of Qiushiyuan Semiconductor Alliance.
(The picture shows Professor He Shaolong, the interviewee)
He Shaolong obtained his doctoral degree in Physics from Zhejiang University in 2005. From 2005 to 2008, I worked as a lecturer at Hiroshima University and a doctoral researcher at the National Institute of Materials Science in Japan, conducting research on advanced carbon based materials. Joined the Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2008, and joined the Ningbo Institute of Materials Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2016. In 2018, Dr. He Shaolong founded Zhejiang Liufang Semiconductor Technology Co., Ltd. in Zhuji, Zhejiang.Dr. He Shaolong has been engaged in advanced materials research for a long time, including the growth and physical properties of advanced carbon based materials such as graphene and silicon carbide. So far, more than 30 papers have been published in top international academic journals such as Nature Materials, Nature Communications, Phys. Rev. Lett., PNAS, etc; Invited to give keynote speeches at important domestic and international academic conferences such as March Meeting in the United States, Semiconductor Annual Conference in Japan, and Xiangshan Conference. Dr. He Shaolong has led 6 National Natural Science Foundation of China projects, including key projects, and participated in multiple Ministry of Science and Technology 973 projects and national key research and development programs.Dr. He Shaolong has been dedicated to the field of materials for decades, possessing a profound academic research background in materials and personally experiencing entrepreneurship in the field. His insights into the materials industry are quite profound. Welcome to listen to Dr. He Shaolong's sharing of his views on the development of China's materials industry and learn about the entrepreneurial story of the Six Party Technology team with us.Qiushi Yuan: Could you please explain to us what thermal field materials are? As important thermal field materials, what are the characteristics of CVD SiC, CVD TaC, CVD SolidSiC, etc. that can adapt to harsh thermal field application environments?He Shaolong: "Thermal field materials", as the name suggests, refer to materials used in high-temperature environments. The thermal field materials we are talking about today specifically refer to thermal field materials applied in the field of semiconductor equipment.Semiconductor equipment thermal field materials not only have the primary characteristic of "high temperature resistance", but also need to have the characteristics of "ultra-high purity and corrosion resistance". Commonly used thermal field materials include high-purity isostatic pressed graphite, silicon carbide ceramics, etc.
Our company mainly researches and produces thermal field materials including CVD SiC coatings, TaC coatings, CVD solid SiC, and high-purity SiC ceramic materials.
However, the above-mentioned materials all have the common characteristics of ultra-high purity, high temperature resistance, and corrosion resistance, but there are still slight differences in specific functions and usage scenarios.
The TaC coating has the strongest high temperature resistance and can meet the requirements of environments above 2000 ° C, such as thermal field components in SiC single crystal furnaces grown by PVT method.SiC coating is more suitable for use in scenarios below 1800 ° C and is typically used for various epitaxial trays, such as LED epitaxial trays and monocrystalline silicon epitaxial trays.
High purity silicon carbide ceramics (usually requiring purity better than 4N) have better mechanical strength than isostatic pressed graphite, and typical applications include crystal boats, furnace tubes, etc. in diffusion and oxidation equipment.
CVD solid SiC is a bulk material deposited by CVD method, which has higher purity and better density compared to SiC ceramics obtained by sintering method. CVD integrated SiC can be used as a focusing ring and reflector material in semiconductor etching equipment.Qiushi Yuan: The supply of coating components (SiC, TaC, etc.) for advanced integrated circuit process nodes is almost monopolized by foreign competitors. Can you analyze the reasons behind the current supply pattern from your perspective? How to break the deadlock?He Shaolong: From a holistic perspective, not only are our integrated circuit coating components monopolized; There are still many fields and products that have been monopolized for a long time.Looking back at the development history of the technology industry, we have to admit that Western countries have a first mover advantage in basic research and advanced technological innovation.Taking the semiconductor field as an example, integrated circuit technology based on transistors originated in Western countries in the last century; After decades of precipitation and continuous iteration around the production process, equipment, and supporting components of integrated circuits, it is natural for Western countries to have a monopoly position and a first mover advantage in semiconductor equipment and components.The semiconductor industry chain is very long, and every link in the chain has a point that needs to be broken through. Therefore, in order to achieve autonomy and controllability in the semiconductor industry chain, it is necessary to select suitable nodes in the industry chain based on the team's background and strength to start breakthroughs.The domestic substitution in the semiconductor field generally starts with important equipment and components, gradually expanding to very niche fields such as SiC coated components.SiC coating products belong to a niche field in semiconductor consumables, and the reason for their long-term monopoly is that coatings are a relatively niche field with certain technological barriers.In summary, there are two reasons behind the long-term monopoly of coated components by Western countries: firstly, the first mover advantage of Western countries. Secondly, coated components are a relatively segmented field with technical barriers. This field was not given much attention before, but has only recently been given attention and begun to enter the process of domestic substitution.How to break the deadlock? On the one hand, we should learn from the advantages of advanced foreign companies in coating technology; Starting from the fundamental research of material preparation, we will take one step at a time, continuously accumulate and improve.On the other hand, we cannot be constrained by pioneers in our innovation consciousness. We emphasize basic research and technological innovation within the company, inspiring young colleagues to calm down and study, catch up with and surpass foreign peers, and strive to become leaders one day.Qiushi Yuan: How do you view the positive effects of wide bandgap semiconductor materials (third-generation) on boosting the equipment, component, and material industries? What are the advantages of carbon based material coating products in segmenting process scenarios in the third-generation semiconductor material industry chain?He Shaolong: I once visited a domestic 12 inch silicon-based epitaxial wafer factory and saw that almost all the equipment, components, and materials used inside were foreign brands.A glimpse reveals the whole picture. The silicon-based semiconductor industry began in the 1950s, and the supply chain industry ecosystem dominated by Europe and America has been in operation for many years. In the silicon-based field, we are latecomers. Therefore, when we want to break the mature and stable supply chain pattern in the silicon-based industry chain, the cost we pay will be even greater.The third-generation semiconductor industry in our country started around the same time as abroad, which is a great advantage for our equipment, component, and material suppliers because everyone is on the same starting line.The manufacturing process of third-generation semiconductors is different from that of silicon-based semiconductors, and it is not a simple technological shift.Due to its unique process characteristics, SiC requires the re development of equipment, components, and materials that are compatible with it, and cannot directly replicate silicon-based processes.Taking SiC crystal growth process as an example, the current mainstream method for SiC crystal growth is physical vapor transport (PVT), which is completely different from silicon-based liquid-phase pulling process. Therefore, in the development of crystal growing equipment, domestic equipment has performed outstandingly and occupied the main market share. The process technology of other third-generation semiconductors is also similar, so domestic equipment and component suppliers have obtained a relatively good development window period.Qiushi Yuan: Could you please introduce to us again the composition of Six Party Technology's coating products and solutions? And the application scenarios it covers?
He Shaolong: Liufang Technology focuses on the semiconductor thermal field environment and provides semiconductor grade high-purity coating product solutions based on different segmented application scenarios.
As shown in the figure, our products are distributed in different process links of various semiconductor industry chains, as follows:
1. Used for the first generation semiconductor crystal pulling guide tube;2. Applied to epitaxial trays of various semiconductors including silicon, silicon carbide, etc;3. Flow guiding rings for TaC coatings applied to compound semiconductor substrates and epitaxial equipment and processes;4. Crystal boats, furnace tubes, and oars used for silicon and silicon carbide diffusion equipment;5. High purity SiC etching ring for semiconductor etching equipment.Seeking Truth: In the field of display panels, what are the special requirements for carbon based coating components in the new generation of display epitaxial processes from Mini LED to Micro LED? What progress has Six Party's coating product solution made in the field of display panels?He Shaolong: There is a clear difference between Mini LED and Micro LED. Micro LED is a true micro display processing unit, and mini LED has no essential difference from current ordinary LED.Micro LED, with its excellent color rendering effect, will be widely applied in different scenarios after breaking through various technological barriers in the future, even with good adaptability to certain harsh environmental conditions. Such as VR, AR, smartwatches, ultra large screens, automobiles, and aerospace.The chip size of Micro LED is extremely small, but its production process is increasingly "semiconductor oriented", and the technical specifications required in its epitaxial production process are also very high. For example, the growth uniformity index of the epitaxial layer is several orders of magnitude higher than that of ordinary LEDs.The relatively strict technical specifications of Micro LED epitaxial wafers have put forward extremely high requirements for MOCVD equipment, processes, and more. Our silicon carbide coated trays are in direct contact with epitaxial wafers, so we have greatly improved the design and quality of the trays in collaboration with our customers during the design and manufacturing stages; Conduct various studies on the uniformity and stability of the temperature of the epitaxial tray; Closely control parameters such as coating uniformity, coating size, and coating roughness; To ensure the uniformity and stability of our trays and guarantee the uniformity index of epitaxial wafer production in the epitaxial process. Our extended tray products have received recognition from multiple customers.In response to the demand for yield of epitaxial wafers, we improve the deformation of the tray to extend its lifespan, thereby avoiding particles falling onto the tray and causing a decrease in yield, thus improving the local yield of epitaxial wafers. We have also successfully explored and developed unique processes and applied for corresponding patents as a result.Qiushi Yuan: What are the advantages of Zhejiang Liufang's R&D team and product development?He Shaolong: Hexagonal Semiconductor attaches great importance to research and development, and we equally value basic research and technology development that meets customer application needs.Firstly, as entrepreneurs with a background in scientific research, we have a profound understanding of the importance of fundamental research. Even though the company's revenue scale was still small at that time, we established a research and development center in Ningbo and cooperated with Yongjiang Laboratory to establish a thermal field material innovation center, investing tens of millions of dollars in research and development. We continue to support R&D personnel to focus on exploring future semiconductor new materials and technologies.At the same time, we actively cultivate an engineer culture. Organize an engineer forum to support the company's engineers in developing various inventions and creations based on their own research interests; Provide financial support for good ideas to conduct in-depth research and form the final product.Secondly, we are customer-oriented and promote systematic technological development. We always work closely with customers in the process of technological development, deeply understand the application scenarios of products, and attach great importance to the evaluation and testing methods of product performance.In summary, Hexagonal Semiconductor is a company that highly values research and development, especially basic research. Since the birth of our company, we have set "materials change the future" as our mission, determined to use the power of technology and materials to change the world.Qiushi Yuan: As a scientist and entrepreneur, can you introduce to us the stages of basic material research and product mass production? What challenges exist during these necessary stages?He Shaolong: There is a very big gap and difficulty from basic material research to truly achieving mass production of goods. As a former researcher and current entrepreneur, I have gone through two major stages of basic material research and product mass production, both of which have deeply touched me.Firstly, originality is a 0-1 process, with a huge gap in between. Original research requires researchers to have a strong curiosity, be willing to sit on the bench, devote themselves to research, and dare to challenge authority. Let me give an example in the history of science about Faraday's research on electromagnetic phenomena: In 1820, Oster's latest discovery of the phenomenon of "electromagnetism" aroused the research interest of a large number of scientists, including Faraday. People naturally think: Since electricity generates magnetism, does magnetism generate electricity? For this reason, scientists began long-term experimental explorations, including many famous scientists at the time such as Ampere, Fresnel, Arago, Delacroix, as well as Faraday. But after ten years, there has been no breakthrough, so many scientists have given up their research. Faraday persevered and spent almost all ten years pondering this question. Finally, in 1831, Faraday discovered that only changing magnetic fields could generate electricity. After Faraday came into contact with the phenomenon of electromagnetism, it took another ten years to discover the effect of "magnetoelectricity". It can be seen how difficult it is to conduct original research from 0 to 1.And 1 → 100 is based on original achievements, making samples → making products → products that customers are willing to pay for, and the process is also full of difficulties. Not only does the product need to have good consistency, but the product also needs to control costs and reflect cost-effectiveness characteristics. From 1 to 100, it tests more the production control ability (product consistency, cost control) and marketing ability of the enterprise. For start-up companies, both are also difficult challenges.
Qiushi Yuan: You are a scientific worker who has been engaged in material research for a long time. What factors prompted you to decide to start a business? What are the considerations behind your dual role as Chairman and CTO at Six Party Company?
He Shaolong: I have seen some excellent founders and teams who, based on their original intention of technological innovation, are passionate about starting their own businesses and ultimately transforming advanced technology into products, changing our lives and promoting the progress of human society and science and technology. As a researcher rooted in the field of materials, I also hope to utilize my years of scientific research training to establish a company that constantly pursues technological innovation and product development, using materials to change the future; Our vision is to become an excellent enterprise with core technology and market competitiveness, using the money earned in the market to continue investing in cutting-edge new technology development, and taking on the mission of "materials change the future".I am currently serving as both Chairman and CTO at Six Party Technology, which is a natural outcome. Liufang Technology is a startup company, and as the founder, I naturally assumed the role of chairman. In addition, as an entrepreneur with a research and development background, I am suitable for leading the company's technology research and product development work.In our entrepreneurial team, whether I am serving as the chairman or CTO, I have always been at the forefront. Working together with entrepreneurial partners through thick and thin, inspiring and leading everyone forward.
Qiushi Yuan: As a startup member unit of Qiushi Yuan Semiconductor Alliance, how do you view the relationship between startup member units and the alliance? What aspects do you think the Qiushiyuan Semiconductor Alliance should continue to improve in order to serve industry members more pragmatically and efficiently?
He Shaolong: As an entrepreneurial member unit of Qiushiyuan Semiconductor Alliance, my first impression of Qiushiyuan Semiconductor Alliance is that it is a relatively industrialized organization that has been developing towards professional and in-depth industrial organization.
If we put ourselves in the shoes of others, I suggest that the Qiushiyuan Semiconductor Alliance should think more about how to provide a relatively complete presentation for new member units or member units that have limited understanding and interaction with the alliance, deepen mutual understanding, and enhance the depth of interaction.In addition, as a representative of entrepreneurial member units, I suggest that the alliance can provide truly valuable and effective industrial resource grafting for member units, preferably through deep personnel integration to a certain extent. Based on its own ecological characteristics, the alliance has abundant resources to connect with member units, including customer resources, financial resources, training resources, and talent resources. The form of docking can also be flexibly implemented, such as one-on-one docking, segmented technology industry salon forums, etc.As a member unit, I believe that the relationship between the alliance and member units is a two-way pursuit and mutual achievement. On the one hand, as a member unit, we may wonder: what help can the alliance provide us, and what can we gain from the alliance? On the other hand, as a member unit, what can we do for the alliance?As a member of the industrial ecosystem, we hope to actively participate in the ecosystem of the Qiushiyuan Semiconductor Alliance: we are constantly growing ourselves, while also promoting the development and growth of the alliance.Afterword to the interviewerAs a former researcher, Dr. He Shaolong has been dedicated to basic materials research for over 20 years; As an entrepreneur, he aspires to establish Six Party Technology with the beautiful vision of "changing the future with materials", creating an entrepreneurial environment conducive to researchers' creativity in scientific research, and exploring breakthroughs around the weak domestic field of semiconductor thermal field materials.
Basic material research ->solving customer needs ->achieving large-scale production of products, crossing various gaps that are filled with difficulties and obstacles, requires extremely high "comprehensive combat" capabilities for entrepreneurial teams.
Through communication with the founding team of Six Party, we have seen the resilience and courage to face challenges without fear of competition in the founding team, which is also the reason why the Six Party Technology team can overcome various gaps.
We also look forward to the Six Party Technology team continuing to focus on research and breakthroughs, using high-quality domestic material product solutions to interpret the true value of "materials changing the future".
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