20 years ago, He Maodong, who had just graduated from college, began a career dealing with temperature. In the past 20 years, he and his colleagues have established an intelligent temperature control system for silicon monocrystalline furnaces and overcome the temperature control difficulties of the integrated circuit etching process. He Maodong also won the honors of "Yi Qilin" Scientific and Technological Innovation Leading Talent and 2020 Beijing Model Worker. This year, he received the National May Day Labor Medal.
After 20 years of dealing with temperature, in the gorgeous microscopic world, in the laboratory that has remained unchanged for many years, He Maodong is immersed in it. He said, "Even a little progress in technology will bring a great sense of accomplishment, and in front of us is an infinitely vast world." ”
He Maodong, winner of the 2022 National May Day Labor Medal. Courtesy of respondents
Conquer core technologies and continue to move closer to the world level
In the city, solar street lights can be seen everywhere, a small piece of black silicon, can ensure the electricity of a street lamp. In the countryside, photovoltaic solar panels are scattered on the roofs of villages and on hillsides in the wild. If you don't have the heart to understand, few people know that these black panels are not made by pouring, pressing and other conventional methods, but cutting the silicon rod and making it through subsequent processes.
Silicon rod is made artificially, is a single crystal, the raw material into a special furnace, with the appropriate conditions, will automatically "grow" into a single crystal silicon rod, this furnace is called "silicon single crystal furnace".
He Maodong's first job is to control the temperature in the silicon single crystal furnace and the growth rate of the silicon rod through the intelligent control program, which is the two most critical factors in the production of the silicon rod. He Maodong is facing a situation that starts almost from scratch.
"To control the temperature in the furnace through the intelligent system and control the speed of silicon rod growth, a suitable mathematical model is needed, but this is precisely the core technology of the equipment manufacturing enterprise, it is impossible to take it, and it is all up to you to grope a little." He Maodong said.
The situation in the furnace is extremely complicated, the temperature of the silicon rod when growing exceeds 1400 ° C, and the burden on the human eye is too heavy for a long time to rely on the human eye observation. It was not until He Maodong's team developed an image vision system that could monitor the situation inside the furnace that people were freed from the high load of human eye observation.
After more than two years of exploration, He Maodong and his colleagues have realized the intelligent control of the temperature in the furnace. "Solved the problem of 'yes or no', followed by the question of 'good or bad'." Until 2014, he said, they are still constantly improving the technology, moving closer to the world level, and in more than 10 years, the diameter of the silicon rod is getting larger and larger, which can provide materials for more products, and the quality is getting better and better, which can play a more important role. "Technology goes nowhere, let alone, we're just getting started." He Maodong said.
The intelligent temperature control system allows the operator to sit in front of a computer and control the subtle temperature changes in large devices. Courtesy of respondents
Break through the monopoly of foreign technology in the field of chips
In 2014, He Maodong was transferred to the Beijing Institute of Automation Technology and began to contact the intelligent temperature control of integrated circuits.
Another term for integrated circuits, "chips", has been widely known in recent years. He Maodong tackled a very small link in chip manufacturing - etch temperature control.
Etching is one of the key processes of chip manufacturing, through the reaction of plasma and silicon wafer, etching circuit on the silicon wafer, etching, etching, will produce a lot of heat, the need for timely heat dissipation and cooling, to ensure the accuracy of etching. At the time, this was also a technology that we didn't have.
Compared with the temperature control and speed control in the silicon single crystal furnace, the temperature control of etching is more complicated. He Maodong introduced that at that time, this technology not only did not have a mathematical model, but also cooperated with countless process links in the entire chip manufacturing. "There are too many variables, other links will affect the temperature control situation when etching, and even the process of etching itself has many small links, and each link has countless variables, which is the most difficult thing." He Maodong said.
The rows of honorary certificates in the office are the records of He Maodong's 20 years of "dry sitting" laboratory and technical research. Courtesy of respondents
Although it is not all of the chip research, the key to etch temperature control technology is closely related to the entire chip research, and it can also become a separate technology, and the equipment introduced abroad to support the cost of the introduced equipment.
"It can be said that in this small field, we have broken through the monopoly of foreign technology," He Maodong said, "which does not mean that we can make a world-leading chip, but at least, in one of the small links, the original state has been changed, and the breakthrough of the entire chip technology has been gradually accumulated through countless such changes." ”
Gain a sense of accomplishment in the world of science
From 2014 to the present, He Maodong has been doing the same research, from overcoming technical problems, achieving effective temperature control, to continuously improving accuracy, every detail affects the final result.
Most of the time, he has to stay in the laboratory, engaged in highly professional scientific research work, this process, it is almost difficult to find a topic with ordinary people, more often, only his colleagues and teachers can communicate.
"To do this job, you really have to be able to calm down and find a chance to succeed in countless attempts and countless failures." He Maodong feels that this is an extremely challenging job, because they are always at the forefront of scientific and technological development, always trying to break through the field that they have never been involved in in the unknown, which is easier to achieve a sense of accomplishment than most jobs.
The instrument, which seems complicated and difficult for outsiders, is familiar to He Maodong like his own child. Courtesy of respondents
"People who do technology actually have some technical feelings, for us, the sense of achievement is not from the affirmation of others, but from the progress of technology little by little, even if it is the smallest achievement, it is also the greatest motivation and motivation." He Maodong said.
The sense of achievement is not easy to come by, especially when catching up with others, He Maodong said, "The most difficult time, after we developed an intelligent control system, we found that we also had to match the basic equipment imported abroad and adapt to the needs of the imported equipment." ”
It is not to achieve intelligent temperature control, it can be seamlessly docked to any equipment, He Maodong introduced, "different equipment, the control technology, logic requirements are different." For example, our system can achieve the effect of controlling the temperature, but if you want to introduce equipment, the process of temperature control should also be consistent with them, because temperature control is a part of the entire chip production system, to cooperate with other links, so we can not only pursue the effect, but also pursue the consistency of the process, which is the most difficult and painful for us. ”
Fortunately, with the development of various technologies in various fields in the country, such pain may be avoided. "When our main process equipment reaches the advanced level of foreign countries, we no longer have to catch up with others and bear such pain." He Maodong said that it is a future worth looking forward to, and now countless people are working hard for it, "I believe that in the near future, it will be realized."
Biography
He Maodong, technical director of the product department of Beijing Jingyi Automation Equipment Technology Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Beijing Enterprises Group, is a senior engineer. He has won the honorary titles of "Yi Qilin" Scientific and Technological Innovation Leading Talent, Beijing Outstanding Young Engineer, 2020 Beijing Model Worker, Outstanding Automation Engineer of China Automation Society, etc., and has won provincial and ministerial science and technology awards for many times. In 2022, he won the National May Day Labor Medal.
background
In the past 20 years, He Maodong has participated in many work on temperature control technology. In 2002, it began to participate in the development of intelligent temperature control system for silicon monocrystalline furnaces, which is a technology monopolized by a few large foreign enterprises, and is one of the important foundations for the performance improvement and technological upgrading of solar energy equipment. In 2014, he also participated in the research of temperature control technology in chip etching. After 8 years, the intelligent technology they independently developed has achieved an industrial layout, although it is only a small part of the many links of chip technology, but it is also precious.
Character golden sentence
To do scientific and technological research, we must indeed be able to calm down, and find a glimmer of success in countless attempts and countless failures. For us, the sense of accomplishment does not come from the affirmation of others, but from the progress of technology little by little, even the smallest achievement, but also the greatest motivation and motivation. --He Maodong
Beijing News reporter Zhou Huaizong
Edited by Zhang Lei, Proofreader Wu Xingfa