NCCnovel Chapter 183 Aftershocks
Chapter 183 Aftershocks
Monday, December 11th.
Shenzhen, the headquarters of Vilan Microsystems, Lin Wei's office.
A sheet of A3 paper was spread out in front of Lin Wei, on which was the draft of the Weilan Microsystem's 2021 strategy that she had compiled over the weekend.
Two parallel lines were drawn on the paper, labeled "Product Line" and "Academic Line" respectively.
Several key milestones are marked on the product line's timeline:
December: The alliance expands to 29 members → A tiered cooperation system is launched → Supply chain diversification is completed.
January: Hongyuan Precision Equipment arrives → CR Micro's yield rate target changes from 92% to 95%.
February-March: Construction of self-built packaging line → Production ramp-up period.
April: The impact of minimally invasive sensing was completely eliminated → The alliance entered a stable operation period.
May: Self-built packaging line goes into production → Annual capacity target achieved.
Another set of nodes is marked on the academic timeline:
Late December: The final draft of the paper was completed.
Early January: Submitted to Nature Materials.
February-March: Review period (estimated 6-8 weeks).
April-May: Paper publication (if it passes the first round of peer review).
She drew several connecting lines between the two lines to indicate their relationship:
Paper publication → 300mm data made public → Industry shake-up → Alliance value further enhanced.
Alliance stability → Supply chain security → No worries about publishing papers.
She circled "Early January: Submission to Nature Materials" in red pen and wrote a note: "Confirming Su Chen's considerations regarding journal selection. NM vs JMEMS: Differences in review cycles?"
She picked up her phone and sent a message to Su Chen:
"How long is the review process for a paper submitted to Nature Materials?"
Su Chen's reply came slowly, about ten minutes later: "The average review period for NM is six to eight weeks. If the reviewers request additional experiments, it will take even longer. But our data is complete enough that we shouldn't need additional experiments. In the best-case scenario, we pass the first round of review, and it will take about two months from submission to acceptance."
Lin Wei: "So, if I submit in January, it could be published as early as March?"
Su Chen: "Yes. But I suggest preparing for publication in April. The reviewers may have some minor comments to make."
Lin Wei looked at the draft strategy on the table. It was to be published in April. That would be exactly the time when the effects of the minimally invasive sensor would be completely eliminated. By then, the supply chain would be stable, the paper would be published, and the two lines of thought would converge in April.
"The timing is perfect," she replied. "April is also a crucial month for the product line. We'll have both in place by then."
Su Chen did not reply.
Lin Wei knew he didn't care about the product line's timeline. What he cared about was whether the paper was well-written, whether the data was solid enough, and whether the theoretical framework was complete enough.
That's enough. She'll handle the product line.
She closed her notebook, picked up the phone, and dialed Zhao Guoping:
"Mr. Zhao, is there any news from Zhou Haidong?"
Zhao Guoping's voice came from the other end of the phone: "This morning we received an official letter from MicroPort Sensors. They announced that starting in January, they will resume normal supply levels, four million units, and will no longer implement the supply reduction plan."
Lin Wei showed no surprise. She nodded, though Zhao Guoping didn't understand: "What's the reason?"
"The letter stated, 'After comprehensive evaluation, it has been decided to restore normal cooperative relations.' It made no mention of reducing supplies, as if the previous supply reduction plan had never existed."
"As expected," Lin Wei said. "They're resuming supply not because they want to cooperate, but because if they didn't, they wouldn't even be able to maintain their current market share."
"So, do we accept it?"
"Accept," Lin Wei said decisively, "but without adjusting the tiered system. Minimally Invasive Sensing will be treated as standard members, without granting core members any privileges. If they want to regain their previous status, they need to reapply and pass the evaluation."
"clear."
"Furthermore," Lin Wei added, "the contracts with the three new packaging companies should be signed this week. Don't slow down the cooperation with these new companies just because MicroPort has resumed supply. MicroPort's supply is an addition, not a replacement."
"clear."
After hanging up the phone, Lin Wei added a line to the strategy draft:
December 11: MicroPort Sensors resumes supply. Alliance packaging capacity enters a redundant state.
December 11th, 2 PM.
Stuttgart, Germany.
In Stein's office, he was organizing the analytical data packages for Professors Albrecht and Günther.
The whiteboard hasn't been erased yet; the technical roadmap and the red question mark are still there. The words "400mm" are written on the far right, with an arrow pointing to the blank space.
He scanned all the analytical materials he had compiled over the past three weeks—Su Chen's publicly available papers with annotations, screenshots of the technical roadmap from Vilan's official website, notes on the reverse engineering attempt of the third-order correction model, and the agenda change record of the technical sharing session on December 5—into electronic format and sent them to Albrecht.
The email body contained only three sentences:
"Professor Albrecht, the attached file contains all the analytical materials I've compiled. Pay special attention to the third folder, 'Third-Order Model Backpropagation.' My conclusion is that without obtaining Su Chen's unpublished complete derivation process, we cannot reconstruct his third-order modified model."
After sending the email, he leaned back in his chair and looked at the whiteboard.
Eight days have passed since the agenda was changed on December 3rd. In these eight days, he has witnessed several things:
First, the Vilan Alliance is expanding. It has grown from 23 to 29 members, and three of them are packaging companies.
Secondly, rumors are increasing within the industry. Although there is no official confirmation, the "success of 300mm" has almost become a consensus in the industry.
Third, the relocation plan for the Suzhou base has been approved by headquarters. Production will begin earlier than planned, from the end of Q2 to the end of Q1, meaning before the end of March next year.
But Stein knew very well that the Suzhou base was producing 250mm.
250mm.
Su Chen is already at 300mm. And if his model is correct, 400mm is only a matter of time.
Stein added a line of smaller text below "400mm" on the whiteboard: "When will Su Chen's paper be published?"
This is a crucial question. After the paper is published, the theoretical framework of the third-order correction model will be made public. At that time, researchers all over the world will try to verify this model in their own fields.
If the model is indeed universal—
Stein dared not think any further.
He picked up a marker and wrote a line in the lower right corner of the whiteboard:
"Differentiation strategy: Materials (new silicon-based materials). Advantage: Bosch has thirty years of experience in the materials field, while Su Chen does not."
This was the only route he could find that didn't require him to chase after Su Chen.
Instead of chasing his theories or his processes, Bosch is building its own barriers in materials fields that he has not yet ventured into.
As for whether this path will be successful, Stein didn't know.
But he knew that this was the only way at the moment.
Tuesday, December 12th.
An office building in Beijing.
In He Zhiqiang's office, three people from the TianShu chip MEMS project team sat in front of him.
Project leader Liu Feng is reporting: "President He, the design verification of the MEMS gyroscope is currently 70% complete. If it proceeds as planned, all design verification will be completed by the end of January next year, mask fabrication will begin in February, and tape-out will be in May."
He Zhiqiang didn't answer immediately. He opened the notebook on the table—it contained the line he had written three days ago: "Pay attention to the publication time of Wei Lan's paper. If it's published in Q1, reassess the project's feasibility."
"Liu Feng," he began, "have you seen the recent rumors online about the Vilan 300mm?"
Liu Feng nodded: "I've seen it. But it's just a rumor right now; there's no paper, no data."
What if the rumors are true?
Liu Feng paused for a few seconds: "If it's true... our ±0.04 degrees is no match for 300mm's ±0.018 degrees. It's not just a little bit worse, it's more than half worse."
"Moreover," added Zhao Lei, the engineer standing nearby, "if Vilan's 300mm size goes into mass production, the market for 250mm will be rapidly compressed. Even if we manage to produce our product then, we might not be able to sell it."
He Zhiqiang looked at the three people: "So what's your suggestion?"
Liu Feng thought for a moment and said, "My suggestion is—don't cancel the project, but lower its priority. Reduce the core team to three people to maintain progress, and reassign the rest to work on the automotive-grade MCU project. After Wei Lan's paper is published, we can decide whether to continue pushing forward with full force based on the specific data."
When will the paper be released?
"If they were writing now," Liu Feng estimated, "the earliest they could finish writing and proofread would be March or April of next year."
He Zhiqiang wrote a line in his notebook:
MEMS project: Downgraded in priority. The core 3 members will remain. Awaiting Wei Lan's paper (expected late Q1 - early Q2).
"We'll do it your way." He closed his notebook. "But one thing—the project won't be canceled. If the data from Wei Lan's paper isn't as good as rumored, or if they encounter difficulties with mass production, we can resume full-speed progress at any time."
"clear."
The three men stood up, ready to leave. He Zhiqiang called out to Liu Feng:
"Liu Feng, do you think Wei Lan's 300mm measurement is accurate?"
Liu Feng turned around and thought for a moment: "Judging from the reactions of the alliance companies, it's 90% true. If the data weren't accurate, there would be no need to sign a confidentiality agreement. Besides—"
He paused for a moment.
"Furthermore, if the 300mm accuracy is accurate, it means that Su Chen's third-order correction model can be extrapolated. The accuracy improved from 250mm to 300mm, and theoretically, it should also improve from 300mm to 400mm. This isn't an engineering improvement; it's a theoretical framework."
He Zhiqiang was silent for a few seconds, then said, "Go."
After Liu Feng left, He Zhiqiang sat alone in his office.
Outside the window is the gray sky of Beijing in December.
He did the math in his head. TianShu Chip invested 12 million in the MEMS project this year. If the priority was lowered, the investment next year could be reduced to around 3 million. The saved 9 million could be invested entirely in automotive-grade MCUs—an area where TianShu Chip truly has an advantage, and one that WeiLan has not yet ventured into.
Sometimes recognizing the gap is more important than blindly chasing after it.
He turned on his computer and began revising the project budget for 2021.
December 12th, 4 PM.
Shenzhen, Su Chen's laboratory.
On the computer screen in front of Su Chen, the third part of the paper, "Mathematical Derivation of the Third-Order Extension," had reached page twenty-three.
This is the most crucial and longest part of the entire paper. The complete mathematical derivation of the third-order correction model, from the basic assumptions to the final closed-form analytical expression, must be rigorous and clear at every step.
He added a note next to an integral formula on page seventeen:
"此处的积分上限取决于晶圆的有效加工直径而非标称直径。对于300mm晶圆，有效加工直径约为280mm（边缘10mm为夹持区域）。这一区分在250mm尺度上影响不大（误差＜0.1%），但在400mm以上尺度时需要严格区分。"
This detail has not appeared in any previously published documents.
Su Chen knew that the reviewers would have a question when they saw this passage: How do you know about the scale above 400mm?
Part VI of the paper will answer this question—through theoretical extrapolation.
However, he did not hint at the calculated result for 400mm in Part Three. The mathematical derivation is purely theoretical and does not involve specific scales. Discussion of specific scales is left to Parts Four, Five, and Six.
He saved the draft of the third part and sent it to Zhou Zhiyuan:
"Part Three Draft. Pay special attention to the handling of the points cap on page seventeen."
Zhou Zhiyuan's reply came quickly: "Received. I'll read it tonight. I've finished writing the second part; I'll send it to you tomorrow."
Su Chen: "Okay. At this pace, we can finish the manuscript by the 22nd."
Zhou Zhiyuan: "No problem."
Su Chen closed QQ and glanced out the window. The mid-December sun in Shenzhen was still warm, but the days were getting shorter. It started getting dark around five o'clock.
He marked a date on the calendar: December 22 – Compilation.
Then a second date was marked: early January – submitted to Nature Materials.
Then a third date was marked: March-April – the paper was published.
The three dates are connected by a line. The endpoint of that line is 12.07 degrees at 300mm and ±0.015 degrees at 400mm, which appeared for the first time in an academic journal worldwide.
By then, all the rumors, speculations, and doubts will have a definitive answer.
Su Chen looked away and faced the screen again.
He began examining a matrix transformation step on page twelve of Part Three. That step involved a shrinking operation of a third-order tensor, and he needed to confirm that the notation conventions were consistent with those in Part Two written by Zhou Zhiyuan.
The paper is still being written.
Time keeps moving forward.
But the direction has already been determined.