Rebirth: Controlled Nuclear Fusion

Part 131：Silicon Wafer Department

At last, after much insistence from Jiang Fan, Old Qiao reluctantly agreed. However, concerned for Jiang Fan's well-being after his continuous days of work, Old Qiao insisted that he take the entire morning off, only to announce the results at the meeting scheduled for 2:00 PM.

Jiang Fan had no choice but to comply. He returned to the dormitory that had been prepared for him at the research institute, but instead of resting, he began to organize the blueprints for the silicon wafer equipment that the system had rewarded him with.

Meanwhile, Old Qiao also returned to his quarters to rest. Truth be told, he was exhausted—after the grueling high-intensity work, his age was beginning to show, and he found himself struggling to keep up. The previous 28 hours of continuous work, before the breakthrough with the 7-nanometer photolithography machine, had left him feeling drained. Yet, as he lay in bed, his mind kept racing with thoughts of Jiang Fan, wondering how he had managed to lead the team to develop the world-class machine in just 11 days. He wondered, if Jiang Fan were to oversee the silicon wafer project, would they also break through the technology in a mere 11 days?

Without realizing it, Old Qiao drifted into a restless sleep, dreaming that Jiang Fan had invented a 7-nanometer chip.

At 1:30 PM, Ding Haibo, the supervisor of the Silicon Wafer Department, gathered all of his team for a meeting. Originally, they had been scheduled to meet at 2:00 PM per Old Qiao's instructions, but Ding had decided to start the meeting early, hoping to hold a department-specific session beforehand.

The researchers from the Silicon Wafer Department quickly gathered in the meeting room, their faces bright with excitement. After their research the previous day, they had narrowed down six proposed solutions to one feasible option. Even more encouraging, their efforts had pushed the purity of the silicon wafers to an impressive 99.26%. At this pace, they were confident that in three months, they could reach a purity of 99.50%—a major breakthrough, considering the increasing technical challenges as they approached perfection.

Once the plan was set, everyone was buzzing with enthusiasm.

"Supervisor Ding, when Old Qiao hears our report, he'll be stunned! Haha..."
"Yes, even though the photolithography team has successfully developed a 17-nanometer machine, we'll soon have silicon wafers with 99.50% purity. With this, we'll easily be able to make 17-nanometer chips!"
"We owe this success to our champion, Old Gao. Haha... he'll present the report to Old Qiao!"

Gao Jiang, praised by the team, couldn't help but smile, though he remained humble.
"How can I take the credit? This is still a team effort. These solutions were devised by everyone!"

Ding Haibo chuckled and urged Gao Jiang, "Come on, Old Gao, stop being modest. You'll be the one presenting!"
"Yes, Old Gao, don't be shy!"

With some coaxing, Gao Jiang agreed, though his heart swelled with pride at the thought of reporting to Old Qiao. He was sure Old Qiao would give him a well-deserved compliment—and maybe even a reward!

By the time 2:00 PM arrived, Old Qiao walked into the meeting room, smiling as everyone applauded his leadership in guiding the photolithography team to develop the 17-nanometer machine.

"Thank you, everyone, but let's settle down," Old Qiao gestured for silence, then grinned, "I'm sure you've all heard the news about the breakthrough in the photolithography team?"
"Yes!" everyone responded cheerfully.
"We'll certainly celebrate the photolithography team's success, but they've been working hard, so I've given them three days off to rest. Once they return..."
"I hear the Silicon Wafer Department has also made a breakthrough?"

Ding Haibo stood proudly and responded, "Of course! If the photolithography team can make breakthroughs, then we, the Silicon Wafer Department, won't fall behind. Right, everyone?"
"Yes!" came the enthusiastic reply.

Old Qiao was pleased by the energy in the room. "It seems your breakthrough is significant! Ding Haibo, come forward and report."
Ding Haibo, with a smile, turned to Old Qiao and said, "Old Qiao, today's report will be presented by our hero, Gao Jiang!"
"Alright, let's all give him a round of applause!"

Gao Jiang walked to the front, clearly excited, and bowed to Old Qiao.
"Old... Old Qiao, I'm Gao Jiang," he stammered, a little embarrassed.

The room burst into laughter, and Old Qiao reassured him, "No need to be nervous. We're all family here!"

Gao Jiang composed himself and began explaining the process of their breakthrough. Afterward, he presented their technical plan, which, upon hearing, Old Qiao wholeheartedly approved. He led the room in a round of applause, and the team beamed with pride.

As Gao Jiang stepped down from the podium, he could feel the envy and admiration of his colleagues. The feeling was intoxicating, and he was elated.

A short while later, Ding Haibo rose to continue, "Old Qiao, with our new plan, we expect to achieve 99.50% purity in silicon wafers in three months..."
"Three months?" Old Qiao's brow furrowed.

Three months would have been excellent in the past, but with the urgency of the situation and the recent announcement from Director Zhang, time was no longer on their side. The nation was facing a severe crisis due to chip sanctions from the US, and they could not afford to delay for three months.

Ding Haibo, sensing Old Qiao's disapproval of the timeline, quickly promised, "Old Qiao, if we work overtime, we can shorten the time to two months!"
"Two months is still too long. The task is urgent," Old Qiao replied.

After a moment of thought, Ding Haibo suggested, "If we implement a closed-door research method, we could complete it in one and a half months!"
"You have a maximum of half a month," Old Qiao said decisively.

"Half a month?" The team gasped in shock.

That was an almost impossible task. It had taken them six months to increase the purity of silicon wafers from 89.98% to 99%. Achieving 99.50% in just one and a half months seemed beyond reach.

Just then, the door to the meeting room opened, and a young man stepped inside. He addressed Old Qiao with confidence:
"I only need five days!"