1. Basic information of the project
This project will draw on the experience of international semiconductor equipment leading enterprises in setting up their own process test test lines, and use the company's existing process test clean room to simulate the production environment of the wafer manufacturing plant, and configure the necessaryR&D of testing instruments, lithography machines, CMPs, ion implantersand other purchased equipment, combined with a variety of self-made process equipment, to create an integrated circuit equipment research and development and process testing platform, in order to improve the company's R & D and testing link of the industrial layout, enhance the R & D testing capabilities, for the company's products from R & D to finalization to provide more complete testing services.
The implementation of this project will effectively shorten the R&D verification cycle of the company's products, improve R&D efficiency, help the company continue to launch more to meet the needs of various customers for integrated circuit manufacturing process equipment, continuously consolidate and improve its core competitiveness, and accelerate the implementation of the company's platform-based and globalization strategic goals.
2. The necessity of project implementation
(1) Improve the industrial layout and help the implementation of the platform strategy
In recent years, with the gradual expansion of China's semiconductor equipment market, leading semiconductor equipment companies have begun to rely on their original core advantages and process development capabilities, from key breakthroughs to platform development, to create a diversified growth route for their own development, and enhance their comprehensive competitiveness.
For example, on the basis of silicon etching, PVD and furnace tube equipment, NAURA has gradually expanded to the fields of dielectric etching and CVD, and finally developed into a platform-based leading enterprise in the field of semiconductor equipment in China. Since its establishment, the company has always adhered to the development strategy of "technological differentiation", and with the continuous expansion of the covered process of cleaning equipment, it has also begun to develop towards the strategic goal of "product platform".
After years of continuous R&D investment and technology accumulation, the company has successfully developed front-end semiconductor process equipment, back-end advanced packaging process equipment and silicon material substrate manufacturing process equipment. With the gradual implementation of the "product platform" strategy, the company's R&D strength and industrial supporting capabilities have also put forward higher requirements, and the company urgently needs to build a complete R&D and process testing platform to meet the R&D and testing needs of diversified products and improve R&D efficiency.
For example, AppliedMaterials, a foreign platform-based semiconductor equipment company, took the lead in setting up its own process testing test line many years ago. Through this project, the company will learn from the experience of international semiconductor equipment leading enterprises in setting up their own process testing and testing lines, introduce necessary R&D testing instruments, lithography machines, CMP, ion implantation equipment, etc., and combine a variety of self-made process equipment to build its own R&D and process testing platform, so as to improve the industrial layout of the company's R&D and testing links, enhance R&D strength, and accelerate the implementation of the company's platform-based strategic goals.
(2) Shorten the R&D verification cycle and improve the efficiency of product R&D
Semiconductor equipment is the cornerstone of the semiconductor industry. Chip design, wafer fabrication, and packaging and testing all need to be designed and manufactured within the scope of the device technology. Semiconductor equipment has the characteristics of complex structure, large volume and high integration, and its yield and stability determine the development prospects of the semiconductor industry to a large extent.
At the same time, with the development of semiconductor manufacturing processes, more stringent specifications have been put forward for semiconductor equipment. Therefore, the R&D of semiconductor equipment has the characteristics of high technical difficulty, large capital investment, and long R&D cycle, and each R&D link plays a vital role in the successful R&D and industrial application of products.
At present, the company's semiconductor equipment R&D process is mainly divided into five stages: project initiation, planning, design, manufacturing and verification. Among them, the work in the project start-up, planning, design and manufacturing stages is mainly completed by relying on the company's internal R&D resources, with high independent controllability, while product verification needs to be completed with the help of the production line and production environment of integrated circuit manufacturers, and at the same time involves communication and coordination of production line scheduling of integrated circuit manufacturers, feedback on installation problems, process test data collection, etc., with low independent controllability, cumbersome process, long verification cycle, and even affect the industrialization progress of the company's products.
This project will use the complete process and environment of simulated chip production such as clean rooms, software and hardware equipment, etc., to provide a perfect verification platform for the R&D and innovation of various process equipment of the company, facilitate the collection and discussion of installation problems and process test data, and the development of design adjustment, which can effectively shorten the R&D verification cycle of products and improve R&D efficiency.
(3) Improve R&D and testing capabilities and maintain technological innovation advantages
The semiconductor equipment industry in which the company is located is a technology-intensive industry, and the production technology involves the comprehensive application of multidisciplinary and multi-field knowledge such as microelectronics, electrical, mechanical, materials, chemical engineering, fluid mechanics, automation, image recognition, communication, and software systems, so technological innovation ability is one of the core competitiveness of enterprises in the industry.
Since its establishment, the company has been committed to providing technology-leading equipment and process solutions for the global integrated circuit industry, with differentiated technology and rich product lines, has developed into one of the few semiconductor equipment manufacturers with certain international competitiveness in Chinese mainland. However, with the advancement of semiconductor process technology, the company still needs to continuously improve its R&D strength, continue R&D and innovation, and consolidate its core competitiveness.
This project will build an independent R&D and process testing platform, comprehensively improve R&D and testing capabilities, and provide full-process testing services for the company's products from R&D and design to product finalization. Therefore, the implementation of this project, on the one hand, will provide more favorable hardware support for the smooth development of the company's R&D work and the transformation of achievements, and help the company continue to launch equipment for the chip manufacturing process to meet the needs of more domestic and foreign customers, so as to continuously consolidate and improve technological differentiation and consolidate the market competitive position with technological innovation; On the other hand, it also helps the company to seize the rapid development opportunities of China's semiconductor industry and continuously explore the global market through technological innovation and differentiation.
3. Feasibility of project implementation
(1) The project has a good industrial policy environment
Shanghai has the most complete integrated circuit industry layout in Chinese mainland, and Pudong's integrated circuit industry has covered all aspects of design, manufacturing, packaging and testing, equipment, materials, etc., forming a number of China's leading enterprises and unicorn enterprises.
In recent years, Shanghai has successively issued a series of industrial plans and policies such as the "Outline of the 14th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development of Shanghai and the Long-term Objectives for the Second and Third Five-Year Plans" and "Several Policies for Promoting the High-quality Development of Shanghai's Integrated Circuit Industry and Software Industry in the New Era", which provide a series of support in the fields of integrated circuit production, equipment and materials from the aspects of talents, enterprise cultivation, investment and financing, R&D and application, industry management, etching, etching machines, cleaning machines, etching machines, etching machines, cleaning machines, etching machines, etching Semiconductor equipment such as ion implanters are among the development priorities, and major technological breakthroughs in the field of integrated circuits are expected to be achieved by 2025.
The field of this project is the R&D and manufacturing of semiconductor equipment, which is in line with the industrial policy orientation. Therefore, the implementation of this project has a good industrial policy environment.
(2) The company has the research and development foundation for project implementation
In addition to the R&D and process testing platform for the construction of this project, which requires the purchase of test equipment, lithography machines, ion implantation and other equipment, it also involves the construction of some of the company's self-made equipment, test environment and technology platform, which has high requirements for technology, equipment, technology and environment, and the company's strong R&D and technical strength can provide guarantee for the smooth implementation of the project.
In terms of R&D hardware environment, the company has established a headquarters R&D center in Zhangjiang, Shanghai, with Class 1 and Class 1,000 ultra-clean rooms and electron microscope laboratories for R&D, production and testing, equipped with dual-beam electron microscopes, ion beam cutting instruments, optical microscopes, four-probe film thickness meters, defect detection equipment and other testing instruments, and has accumulated rich experience in laboratory management and operation and maintenance. In terms of technical level, the company is a leading semiconductor equipment company in China.
Through continuous R&D investment and long-term technology and process accumulation, a series of scientific and technological achievements have been formed in new product development and production process improvement, and a mature core key process technology, manufacturing capacity and original innovation R&D capabilities have been formed, and semiconductor cleaning equipment and semiconductor electroplating equipment have been formed to compete with the world's first echelon semiconductor equipment manufacturers. The vertical furnace series equipment has entered the production lines of many customers in batches, the gluing and developing track equipment has also entered the customer and is being verified, and the plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition PECVD equipment is under development.
The company's products have been recognized by many mainstream semiconductor manufacturers at home and abroad, and have achieved a good market reputation. In addition, the company has also been successfully selected as the first batch of enterprise key laboratories issued by the Shanghai Municipal Science and Technology Commission, and has been rated as one of the "Top Five Semiconductor Equipment Enterprises in China" for many consecutive years, and the SAP megasonic cleaning technology won the first prize of Shanghai Science and Technology Progress Award in 2020.
(3) The company has a talent base for project implementation
Innovation-driven is essentially talent-driven, and talent is the foundation and core element of innovation and R&D. This project aims to improve the company's R&D testing capabilities and improve R&D efficiency.
Since its establishment, the company has attached great importance to the cultivation of talents and the construction of R&D team, established a perfect talent training mechanism, and formed a core technical team with international competitiveness. As of September 30, 2023, the number of R&D personnel in the company was 724, accounting for 46 of the company's total number of employees89%。
From the perspective of the educational structure of R&D personnel, there are 8 people with doctoral degrees, 335 people with master's degrees, and 324 people with bachelor's degrees, accounting for the proportion of the total number of R&D personnel27% and 4475%, with a higher overall educational level. In terms of clean room operation and maintenance talents, the company has set up a R&D clean room since 2007, and the EHS department is responsible for operation and maintenance.
4. Project investment and financing budget estimation and schedule
The estimated construction period of this project is 4 years, with a total planned investment of 94,034$850,000.
The main body of the project is Shengwei Shanghai, and the implementation location is No. 388, Xinyuan South Road, Dongfang Xingang, Lingang New Area, Shanghai. As of the announcement date of this report, the filing and EIA procedures of the project are in the process of being processed.