News on China's scientific and technological development.

[antiterror13]

What do you mean "Steppers" ?

 

[bladerunner]

im sure this issue was raised , and countered many many posts.

from memory its equipment used as part of the manufaacturing process of intergrated circuits or wafers? something like that anyways i think




But Is it a case of being unable to make steppers or not needing to?

 

[escobar]

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Shanghai scientists have developed China's own genetically modified cotton which has longer fibers and is hoped to help reduce the country's imports of high-end cotton, Fudan University announced today.

Yang Jinshui, life sciences professor at Fudan University and a member of the genetic research team at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, has applied the gene technology in cotton breeding.

The fiber length of the genetically modified cotton averages 33.5mm, at least 3 mm longer than ordinary ones. Most Chinese cotton strains are 27 to 29 millimeters in fiber length. Textile products made of cotton with short fiber length are less competitive in the international market as they are poor in tensile strength, scientists said.

 

[CottageLV]

What do you mean "Steppers" ?

photo-lithographic machines, each costing millions or tens of millions. those machines make the wafers, aka. uncut semiconductors. ASML is the most famous company in this field. Nikon, Canon, and Uncle Sam's Ultratech Inc. are also manufacturers, but not as advanced as ASML. Not sure what other companies are able to make steppers in the range of less than 65 nm. I'm sure when something happens, for whatever reasons, a small embargo of semiconductors and its fabricators to China could push back the country's advancement by 20 years, at least.

Can you imagine what will happen to China without those tiny chips? Everything will come to a halt.

Remember how the mighty USSR lost the cold war? A huge factor was the lack of advancement in the semiconductor industry and its related areas. They even had to buy CNC machines from Toshiba, how pathetic is that for a technologically superior (in most areas, apart from semiconductors and related mechanical automation areas) trying to sneak things from a lesser one?

---------- Post added at 03:21 AM ---------- Previous post was at 03:09 AM ----------

im sure this issue was raised , and countered many many posts.

from memory its equipment used as part of the manufaacturing process of intergrated circuits or wafers? something like that anyways i think




But Is it a case of being unable to make steppers or not needing to?

A stepper, aka. photo-lithographic machines, along with CNC machine and smelting furnace, are the mother of all modern productions. It makes all the chips used inside modern machines. A CPU used inside a PC is only one of millions of its applications. When you start your car, there is a chip inside. When you open your fridge to get milk, you won't notice but there is a chip inside regulating temperature. When you go to a factory, all the machines inside are controlled by chips.

Without those chips, China would go back to its Imperial days. Nothing would be produced or moved or consumed. The whole country will come to a halt.

I know a lot of you say that it is an globalized world in this day and age, no one needs to make everything. I beg it differs, there is not a single thing that Uncle Sam is not able to make, therefore it is also the nation that is least vulnerable to a technological/industrial embargo. They might feel the pinch here and there, eventually would have to produce things at higher prices, but nothing would fundamentally hurt the nation (not even rare earth, they're just reluctant to produce it at higher prices or using up their own reserve).

On the other hand, if China faced an embargo, it would be alright for the first few years. But as those chips wear and tear over time (surprisingly they do, since they operate at high temperature and voltages), China will eventually will run out and will have to come down to its knees for replacement.

 

[Equation]

photo-lithographic machines, each costing millions or tens of millions. those machines make the wafers, aka. uncut semiconductors. ASML is the most famous company in this field. Nikon, Canon, and Uncle Sam's Ultratech Inc. are also manufacturers, but not as advanced as ASML. Not sure what other companies are able to make steppers in the range of less than 65 nm. I'm sure when something happens, for whatever reasons, a small embargo of semiconductors and its fabricators to China could push back the country's advancement by 20 years, at least.

Can you imagine what will happen to China without those tiny chips? Everything will come to a halt.

Remember how the mighty USSR lost the cold war? A huge factor was the lack of advancement in the semiconductor industry and its related areas. They even had to buy CNC machines from Toshiba, how pathetic is that for a technologically superior (in most areas, apart from semiconductors and related mechanical automation areas) trying to sneak things from a lesser one?

---------- Post added at 03:21 AM ---------- Previous post was at 03:09 AM ----------



A stepper, aka. photo-lithographic machines, along with CNC machine and smelting furnace, are the mother of all modern productions. It makes all the chips used inside modern machines. A CPU used inside a PC is only one of millions of its applications. When you start your car, there is a chip inside. When you open your fridge to get milk, you won't notice but there is a chip inside regulating temperature. When you go to a factory, all the machines inside are controlled by chips.

Without those chips, China would go back to its Imperial days. Nothing would be produced or moved or consumed. The whole country will come to a halt.

I know a lot of you say that it is an globalized world in this day and age, no one needs to make everything. I beg it differs, there is not a single thing that Uncle Sam is not able to make, therefore it is also the nation that is least vulnerable to a technological/industrial embargo. They might feel the pinch here and there, eventually would have to produce things at higher prices, but nothing would fundamentally hurt the nation (not even rare earth, they're just reluctant to produce it at higher prices or using up their own reserve).

On the other hand, if China faced an embargo, it would be alright for the first few years. But as those chips wear and tear over time (surprisingly they do, since they operate at high temperature and voltages), China will eventually will run out and will have to come down to its knees for replacement.

Yeah but even then the USSR computers were pretty good considering it uses old fashion equipment, and their scientist are not too far away from the new technology.

 

[CottageLV]

Yeah but even then the USSR computers were pretty good considering it uses old fashion equipment, and their scientist are not too far away from the new technology.

You kidding me? The Soviet blocs were not able to manufacture microscopic size semiconductors, in fact they were still using transistors the size of human nail. Doesn't matter how much money you pour into it, it is fundamentally primitive compared to silicon based chips. It's like the best breeder in the world trying to breed a horse that could rival a sports car on the track, which is ridiculous.

The Toshiba incident would be a great juxtaposition. All CNC machines are controlled by advanced silicon chips and complex arithmetic. If the Soviets were advanced in the semiconductor industry, they wouldn't have needed to go through so much effort to buy those made by Toshiba.

The polar bear is good at everything and anything, apart from semiconductors.

 

[bladerunner]

On the other hand, if China faced an embargo, it would be alright for the first few years. But as those chips wear and tear over time (surprisingly they do, since they operate at high temperature and voltages), China will eventually will run out and will have to come down to its knees for replacement.

Very interesting, but disappointed in that you didn't offer an opinion on whether China was capable of making them should they decide to do so.

 

[escobar]

On the other hand, if China faced an embargo, it would be alright for the first few years. But as those chips wear and tear over time (surprisingly they do, since they operate at high temperature and voltages), China will eventually will run out and will have to come down to its knees for replacement.

An embargo will just force china to research and produce those chip like the military
embargo has done. In fact it will be a good thing.

 

[escobar]

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Construction has started on an integrated test facility for the passive core cooling system for the CAP1400 reactor under development by China's State Nuclear Power Technology Corporation (SNPTC).

A groundbreaking ceremony and the pouring of first concrete for the test facility - known as the Advanced Core-cooling Mechanism Experiment (ACME) - took place on 28 March. It is being built at Tsinghua University, which is involved in the development of the CAP1400, a Chinese derivative of Westinghouse's AP1000 design.

The ACME facility will be used to simulate the operation of the CAP1400's passive core cooling system in the event of a 'small break' loss of coolant accident (LOCA), to validate the engineering design of the system and to collect thermal-hydraulic data for safety code assessment. The experimental program of ACME consists of three parts: firstly, small break LOCA tests, with scenarios using different break sizes and break locations; secondly, for non-LOCA accident tests, such as station blackout; and thirdly, other thermal-hydraulic tests.

The main part of construction of the ACME facility is scheduled to be completed by mid-2012, while the test data analysis and code assessment are planned to be finished at the end of 2013.

SNPTC said the start of construction of the ACME project 'marks a major national milestone and has laid a good foundation for the timely submission of the validation and assessment of critical test data in support of the CAP1400 design.'

In addition to the passive core cooling system testing facility, several other CAP1400 test facilities, including an integrated test facility for the passive containment cooling system, are also being established.

Construction of the first CAP1400, at a site near Weihei in Shandong Province, is officially scheduled to begin in April 2013. SNPTC will take the lead with 55% of the project company. The other stakeholder will be Huaneng Nuclear Power Development Corp, a subsidiary China Huaneng Group, one of China's largest power companies. The partners hope their first CAP1400 will begin operation in December 2017. The pressurized water reactor is a development of a Westinghouse design currently being imported with its generating capacity boosted from 1100 MWe to 1400 MWe.

 

[CottageLV]

An embargo will just force china to research and produce those chip like the military
embargo has done. In fact it will be a good thing.

I'm very surprised that China is actually able to make it. SMEE, Shanghai Micro-Ecletronic Equipment LTD, is actually able to make them. Although only at 90nm, a decade behind western counterpart, it is still impressive.
As a Chinese, I'm happy knowing it.