Walking into Jinan Jingzheng Electronic Technology Co., Ltd., hereinafter referred to as "Jingzheng Electronics"), in the roar of the machine, the production line with an annual output of 100,000 pieces of lithium niobate single crystal thin film material is accelerating the construction. "At present, the construction of the project is very smooth, and it was expected to be put into operation in the second half of next year, but now it is expected to be put into operation in advance in the middle of next year. Recently, Hu Wen, president of the company, told reporters that after the completion of the new project, the production capacity will be expanded by 5 to 6 times compared with the current one.
When it comes to lithium niobate single crystal films, many people feel unfamiliar. In fact, this new type of semiconductor material has long been widely used in 5G mobile phones, televisions, etc., and plays an important role in quantum communication, aerospace and other fields.
However, due to the extremely high technical requirements for the production of this material, there are only a handful of manufacturers in the world that can produce this new material, which is known as "optical silicon". Jingzheng Electronics has not only successfully developed large-size, nano-thick lithium niobate thin-film chip materials, mastered completely independent intellectual property rights, but also the first to achieve industrial scale, making China in the world's leading position in this field.
Hu Wen compares lithium niobate monocrystalline thin film materials to "flour" and himself to "flour makers". "The finer the flour is ground, the more and better you can use it to make a fine product. "In recent years, crystal materials have been developing in the direction of thin-film to achieve the purpose of reducing the volume of optoelectronic devices, reducing energy consumption and improving performance. The large-size nano-thickness lithium niobate single crystal film developed by Jingzheng Electronics can make the electro-optical modulator have better performance, less power consumption, and higher integration, and is suitable for optical modules above 800G, which can greatly improve the speed of optical fiber communication and reduce energy consumption.
However, the "flour" produced by Jingzheng Electronics is not easy to make. From the thickness is 0A single crystal thin film with a thickness of only a few hundred nanometers is stripped from the 5 mm lithium niobate material, which is equivalent to 01,000 pieces of 5mm lithium niobate single crystal were cut in parallel, and the technical difficulty can be imagined.
In 2014, the R&D team of Jingzheng Electronics took the lead in starting from 05 mm lithium niobate single crystal film is stripped from 500 nm to 700 nm, filling the gap in the industryIn 2015, it was the first in the world to develop a nano-scale lithium niobate single crystal film with a diameter of 3 inchesFrom 2018 to 2019, the product began to be produced in small batchesIn 2020, a single crystal film with a thickness of 300 nm was producedIn 2023, it has successfully made breakthroughs in key technologies such as ion implantation and direct bonding, and developed an 8-inch high-quality lithium niobate single crystal film with a thickness of 300 nm to 900 nm, leading the world in terms of technology and costNot long ago, the company was recognized as a national-level specialized and new "little giant" enterprise.
On December 6, Hu Wen went to Hong Kong to participate in the lithium niobate thin film global industry forum, which gave him stronger confidence in the development of the industry. With the advent of the 5G era, the industry's demand for high-speed communication is more and more demanding than before. Now we have a breakthrough in materials, and the best opportunity is to "supplement the chain" and "strengthen the chain". Hu Wen said that Jingzheng Electronics will continue to increase R&D investment in the future, not only to provide support from the research and development of materials, but also to provide all-round support from the improvement and development of the entire industrial chain, and gradually form a cluster effect to help industrial upgrading and development.
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