Optical chips are the core components of the optical communication industry chain, which need to be packaged into optical transceiver components and further processed into optical modules to achieve the final function. Globally, among the manufacturers engaged in the R&D and production of optical chips, leading companies in Europe, the United States and Japan can cover the entire industrial chain from optical chips to optical modules, and realize the vertical integration of the optical chip industry chain; The participating manufacturers in China's optical chip industry mainly include wafer enterprises, professional optical chip companies and large module manufacturers.
The company is one of the few companies in the domestic optical chip industry that has mastered the IDM full-process business system of chip design, wafer manufacturing, chip processing and testing, and has a number of independent and controllable production lines covering the whole process of MOCVD epitaxial growth, grating process, optical waveguide production, metallization process, end coating, automated chip testing, chip high-frequency testing, reliability testing and verification, etc.
In the optical chip industry, compared with the fabless mode, the IDM mode is the mainstream direction of the industry, and it is also the best production mode for Chinese enterprises to solve the bottleneck of high-end optical chip technology and mass production. In the integrated circuit industry, due to the increasingly clear division of labor in the industry, in order to reduce large-scale capital investment and concentrate resources on R&D, new entrants mostly adopt the fabless model.
In the optical chip industry, compared with logic chips, laser chips need to realize the characteristic functions of optical devices through the process platform, and pay more attention to the maturity and stability of the process; In addition, the optical chip production process requires mutual feedback and verification between chip design and wafer manufacturing to achieve high performance indicators and high reliability of products. The optical chip production line with fully independent intellectual property rights enables the company to improve the chip design structure and optimize the manufacturing process according to the test feedback from the wafer manufacturing process, and is conducive to the independent and controllable production process of the whole production process, which is not affected by the international environment such as friction.
The IDM model enables the company to quickly combine R&D technology with production experience, improve new technologies faster, launch new products, ensure the reliability and stability of products, and do not need to entrust international advanced wafer manufacturers to manufacture and process wafers, so as to realize the independent and controllable operation of all aspects of the whole process of optical chip production. At the same time, the IDM model allows the company to better control the production line capacity, arrange the construction period according to customer needs, and achieve faster service response speed, which is extremely important to solve the problem of China's high-end optical chip stuck neck. The company carries out the R&D, design, production and sales of optical chips through the IDM model, and the investment in key equipment is limited by space and funds, which further limits the company's production capacity.
In 2020, the company adjusted the capacity allocation of high-end products and low-end products to meet the market demand of high-end products, especially the growth of market share of low-end and low-speed products was limited by insufficient production capacity. Therefore, in order to expand the scale of sales, increase market share, and enhance the company's competitiveness, the company needs to further expand its production capacity.
1. Project overview
After years of accumulation, the company has relied on continuous R&D investment to enter the forefront of the domestic optical chip industry. In order to further consolidate the R&D strength, the company plans to carry out the R&D center construction project. The total planned investment of the project is 14,313700,000 yuan, will continue to strengthen R&D efforts in the field of optical chips to ensure that the company's R&D technology is at the leading level in the industry.
At the same time, the company will increase product extension on the basis of existing technologies, conduct research on forward-looking topics such as high-power silicon photonic lasers, lidar light sources, and lidar receivers, and help develop higher-rate optical chips and optical chips for silicon photonicsetc., to expand the application field of products.
2. The necessity of project implementation
(1) Realize technological upgrading and extend product application fields
The development of digital application technology has continuously put forward new requirements for the bandwidth, delay and reliability of data transmission, and it is difficult to meet the demand by increasing the number of ports, so the development of optical chips with higher bandwidth performance is necessary. Due to the upgrade of network bandwidth, 400G, 800G and photoelectric packaging have been gradually put into production, and the high integration and low-cost characteristics of silicon photonics technology have gradually emerged, and the matching high-power silicon photonics light source has been valued by optical chip manufacturers as a new product category.
In addition, silicon photonics technology has become a breakthrough point in the future due to its high integration and low cost advantages, and is expected to broaden the application fields of optical chips, such as automotive radar and consumer electronics. Only by maintaining a high sensitivity to technological development and increasing investment in technology research and development can the company continue to achieve technological upgrading, open up new development areas and promote rapid growth in performance.
(2) Improve R&D efficiency and R&D quality
Continuous innovation is the core competitiveness of the company's products, and improving product design and testing capabilities is the key point of technological innovation. With the development and upgrading of product categories and the rapid development of business, the company's need to improve R&D efficiency and quality has become more and more intense. The company plans to purchase advanced electron beam systems, metal-organic vapor phase epitaxy furnaces, high-precision lithography machines and other production equipment, chip photoelectric test systems, high-frequency test systems and other testing equipment and design and development software, improve the level of software and hardware facilities for research and development, establish a standardized research and development platform, and enhance core competitiveness.
(3) Improve the company's R&D environment and attract high-quality talents
The optical chip industry is a typical high-tech industry, which has extremely high requirements for the quality of employees. A good R&D environment and the accumulation of technical processes are of great significance for attracting and cultivating high-quality professionals. The company plans to purchase advanced production and testing equipment and design and development software through this project, improve the company's R&D environment, attract and cultivate high-end talents, so as to seize the opportunity of the development of the domestic optical chip industry, actively develop high-speed optical chips and silicon photonics and other products, and focus on extending the company's optical chip application field, strive to catch up with the first echelon of the world, and realize the vision of becoming a world-class optical chip company.
3. Feasibility of project implementation
(1) Rich industry experience to provide strong support for project implementation
The company is committed to providing high-quality, high-performance laser chips for domestic and foreign customers, after years of development, has accumulated rich industry experience, and has a number of independent and controllable production lines covering the whole process of MOCVD epitaxial growth, grating process, optical waveguide production, metallization process, end coating, automatic chip testing, chip high-frequency testing, reliability testing and verification, etc.
The grasp of customer needs and a clear development and design direction help the R&D center to grasp the market hotspots more quickly and accurately, effectively use manpower and material resources to quickly carry out R&D work, improve the company's new products and new technologies, and ensure that the project can achieve the expected goals.
(2) Scientific talent echelon construction and long-term incentive mechanism to provide talent guarantee for project implementation
In the process of development, the company always adheres to the management concept of "people-oriented", attaches great importance to the cultivation and introduction of management, technical and scientific research talents, and builds a platform for all kinds of talents in the innovation mechanism, so as to form a good atmosphere for making the best use of their talents and talents. Through open recruitment, fair competition, quantitative assessment and other management methods, the company continuously improves the internal talent flow mechanism and dynamic management mechanism, and optimizes the human resource structure;
In addition, the company adheres to the training of all employees as the basis and focuses on hierarchical training, and strives to cultivate all kinds of talents suitable for the development of the company by carrying out pre-job training, internal training, and selecting personnel to go out for training. At present, the company has a R&D team with rich industry experience, strong innovation ability and diverse disciplinary background, and the technical direction of R&D personnel covers semiconductor physics, machinery, microelectronics and other fields, and a strong R&D team provides the necessary talent guarantee for the construction project of R&D center.
(3) Efficient R&D management system to lay a solid foundation for project implementation
The company attaches great importance to R&D organization and management, and has established a sound organizational structure, with wafer engineering, technology R&D, NPIE, chip testing and other institutions under the R&D department, with clear responsibilities and smooth and effective R&D organization. In addition, the company has established and improved standardized management systems such as "Design and Development Control Procedures" and "R&D Quality Control Process". The company's perfect R&D management system has laid a solid foundation for the implementation of the R&D center project.
4. Overview of project investment
The total investment budget of this project is 14,313700,000 yuan, including 2,280 yuan for construction work600,000 yuan, equipment purchase cost 8,5000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 yuan, other construction costs 600650,000 yuan, basic preparation fee 182450,000 yuan, R&D expenses of 1,700000,000 yuan.
5. Project implementation schedule
The construction period of this project is 2 years. According to the plan, the project mainly includes six stages: scheme design, construction and decoration of R&D center, hardware and software procurement, equipment installation, personnel recruitment and training, trial operation and acceptance.