Tian Hongtao moved closer, standing behind Zhang Zhipeng as he watched him compile a list.
The list was quite long, comprising at least one to two hundred items.
Zhang Zhipeng had listed everything in detail, covering all the equipment and components needed for manually assembling chips.
He wrote down all the materials, tools, equipment, and components that he could think of and might use in the chip-making process.
Everything he listed was generally available on the market.
As long as these items could be procured, Zhang Zhipeng could start working on the project step by step.
His goal was to manually go through the entire chip manufacturing process.
Through this hands-on process, he aimed to enhance his skills and eventually establish standards for the entire chip production process, even developing the necessary production equipment. This might solve the long-standing problem of chip production once and for all.
After writing for several pages, Zhang Zhipeng finally finished the list.
He then carefully reviewed it.
Only after double-checking did he cautiously hand the list to Tian Hongtao.
"Dr. Tian, I’m sorry, but I need quite a few things. It will probably cost a lot of money."
Tian Hongtao flipped through the list, feeling a bit overwhelmed.
"You need this many items?"
"And a separate lab of no less than 50 square meters?"
Zhang Zhipeng scratched his head with a smile and said, "My small office is really too cramped."
"I need a lot of space for the instruments and equipment I want to build. I’m afraid there’s just no room here."
"So, I’ll need a bigger lab."
"If it’s really hard to find, I can manage in my office, but it’s not ideal."
Zhang Zhipeng’s current office was only about ten square meters.
There really wasn’t enough space for the experimental equipment he had in mind.
After reading through Zhang Zhipeng’s list, Tian Hongtao said, "A lot of the items on your list should be available in other departments’ labs at our university."
"I think we might be able to borrow them through the university."
"Zhipeng, what exactly are you planning to do with all this?"
Zhang Zhipeng replied honestly, "I just want to make more advanced chips by hand."
Tian Hongtao shook his head with a smile and said, "I’ll pass this list on to the professor and see if he’ll approve it."
"Our budget is quite tight, you know."
Zhang Zhipeng quickly expressed his gratitude, "Thank you, Dr. Tian."
"Please explain to the professor that everything on this list is essential."
"If my request is met, I’m confident I can produce a high-end, self-developed CPU within a month, one that can be directly used in our avionics system."
With that, Tian Hongtao took Zhang Zhipeng’s list and went to see Zheng Jingzhi.
Zheng Jingzhi was also busy in the lab at the time.
When Tian Hongtao handed the list to Zheng Jingzhi, he reviewed it and said, "Get everything on this list as soon as possible."
Tian Hongtao was a bit surprised. The professor didn’t question anything at all?
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"Professor, don’t you think this list is a bit too much?"
"It’s going to cost a lot."
Zheng Jingzhi smiled and said, "Trust in your team, or don’t use them at all!"
"Since we’ve chosen to rely on Zhipeng as our breakthrough point, we should meet all his requirements!"
"What I want is to get the avionics system for the third-generation aircraft completed as soon as possible, so our fighters can achieve beyond-visual-range combat capability quickly!"
As he spoke, he wrote "Purchase everything on this list with guaranteed quality" on the list and signed his name.
With the approved list in hand, Tian Hongtao went to the department’s equipment office.
The equipment office needed to estimate the cost before the finance office could release the funds.
It took the equipment office staff two to three hours just to estimate the cost of the items on the list.
Finally, they estimated a total cost of around 110,000 yuan!
Tian Hongtao was taken aback.
That much money?
Currently, state funding is tight, and even for national-level projects, the budget is insufficient.
For instance, the total budget for Zheng Jingzhi's project on integrating avionics systems for the third-generation fighter is only 10 million yuan.
Although 10 million may seem like a lot, this large project is a money-guzzler—it requires new equipment and the import of expensive instruments.
The funds are simply not enough!
Tian Hongtao took the equipment department's cost estimate to show Zheng Jingzhi.
Zheng Jingzhi smiled and said, "Starting with such a grand scale, huh? We must spend every penny where it counts most..."
Zheng Jingzhi paused for a moment.
Tian Hongtao said, "Professor, how about I have another good talk with Zhang Zhipeng? If he can't achieve much with this amount of money, then maybe we shouldn't spend it at all!"
Zheng Jingzhi gently shook his head, finally making up his mind: "Zhipeng isn't wrong! The chip is the fundamental technological foundation of the avionics system!"
"If we can develop a completely independent high-end process chip, it would be of great help to the integration of our third-generation fighter's avionics system!"
"Although 110,000 yuan is a bit much, we can still manage it!"
"Go ahead and purchase according to the list!"
Zheng Jingzhi indeed thought that 110,000 yuan was a bit much, but he believed that he had just promised Zhang Zhipeng to support him in developing the chip and independent CPU at all costs.
He couldn't go back on his word!
Zhang Zhipeng had already proven that he was quite reliable in his work.
So, it's worth the gamble!
Tian Hongtao smiled and shook his head, saying, "Professor, you really trust Junior Brother Zhang too much."
"It's making me a little jealous."
Zheng Jingzhi playfully scolded, "Do I have any other choice but to trust him? Our project has already hit a dead end. We can only let him take a shot at it! What if he succeeds?!"
Over the next two days, the equipment department and Tian Hongtao were running around to complete Zhang Zhipeng's procurement list.
At the same time, the department also cleared out a 70-square-meter laboratory for Zhang Zhipeng and set it up with a few workbenches according to his requirements.
The purchased materials were delivered to the laboratory.
Zhang Zhipeng was also busy, drawing up his entire plan for handcrafting the CPU chip.
To ensure that his plan could proceed smoothly and quickly, Zhang Zhipeng requested several assistants.
Moreover, all these assistants were Ph.D. students under Zheng Jingzhi.
Once all the items on the list were purchased, Zhang Zhipeng directed Tian Hongtao and a few others to start setting up the laboratory.
It took more than a day to set up the lab, and then they began the intense process of handcrafting the chip.
Zhang Zhipeng had to start from manufacturing silicon ingots, then use a photolithography machine and an etching machine to create the ×86 CPU chip he designed, and finally carry out packaging and testing. He had to go through the entire process.
He was in charge of all the work in the lab.
For each experiment, he directed everyone to work together.
Of course, he also had to get hands-on.
On the first day, Tian Hongtao and a junior brother started by using the crucible refining method to purify quartz into single-crystal silicon and then melt it into silicon ingots.
Poor Tian Hongtao had never done such an experiment before.
He was extremely busy and made quite a few mistakes.
Zhang Zhipeng stood by, offering guidance and personally demonstrating.
Tian Hongtao felt very embarrassed. He never expected that Zhang Zhipeng was so skilled in refining single-crystal silicon using a crucible.
How on earth did this guy learn all this?
What Tian Hongtao didn't know was that Zhang Zhipeng was actually learning on the spot.
As Zhang Zhipeng observed and guided Tian Hongtao and the others in refining single-crystal silicon, his experience level was rapidly increasing.
Moreover, when his experience reached a certain level, it would transform, allowing him to develop more scientific, reasonable, efficient, and cost-effective skills for purifying single-crystal silicon and manufacturing silicon wafers.