sinovels Chapter 163 It wasn't that he was wrong, it's that the entire industry hadn't reached
Chapter 163 It wasn't that he was wrong, it's that the entire industry hadn't reached
Beijing, Institute of Microelectronics, Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Academician Wang Deming's office was packed with people at the moment.
Wang Deming, 67, is a leading figure in China's MEMS field, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and one of the earliest scholars in China to engage in microelectromechanical systems research. He began basic research on MEMS sensors in the late 1980s and personally trained the first batch of MEMS engineers in China.
At this moment, the elderly academician with gray hair is sitting at his desk, staring intently at the live broadcast on his computer screen.
He had been watching for forty minutes.
Behind him stood three doctoral students and two young associate researchers, all of them silent, their eyes fixed on the mathematical derivation on page 113 of Su Chen's notebook on the screen.
"Professor," a doctoral student whispered, "this dimensionality reduction transformation... I've never seen this kind of processing before."
Wang Deming did not answer.
His gaze swept back and forth across that page of derivations, his fingers unconsciously tapping lightly on the table.
The core of page 113 is a mapping from a three-dimensional thermal stress tensor to a quasi-two-dimensional plane stress. Su Chen utilized the anisotropic characteristics of silicon single crystal materials in specific crystal directions to construct a set of orthogonal basis functions, simplifying the complex three-dimensional problem into a one-dimensional integral that can be expanded using the Bessel function.
The brilliance of this method lies in the fact that it is not a simple dimensionality reduction approximation, but rather it finds a physically consistent equivalent description. In other words, under specific conditions, the analytical solution and the results of the three-dimensional finite element simulation should theoretically converge.
"How did he come up with this orthogonal basis function..." Wang Deming finally spoke, his voice low, as if he were talking to himself.
Associate researcher Zhang Yanbin leaned over and asked, "Professor Wang, do you think this method is reliable?"
Wang Deming was silent for a few seconds, then slowly said, "It's not a matter of whether it's reliable or not."
"What is it?"
"Yes..." Wang Deming took off his glasses, rubbed his eyes, "I've worked in MEMS for thirty years, and I've never thought of this direction before."
He put his glasses back on and his gaze fell on the line of red text handwritten by Su Chen on the screen: "When the depth-to-width ratio of the cavity is <0.3, the deviation between the analytical solution and the finite element method is <0.5%".
"If the measured error of 200mm is really only 0.02 degrees," Wang Deming's voice began to tremble slightly, "then this condition can probably be relaxed to an aspect ratio of 0.4 or even 0.5. That is to say—"
He stopped.
"What do you mean?" Zhang Yanbin pressed.
"In other words, the design of large-size DRIE cavities may not require finite element simulation at all."
These words exploded in the room like a bomb.
The three doctoral students exchanged bewildered glances. Each of them used finite element simulation software—ANSYS, COMSOL—and each simulation took hours or even days. If Su Chen's method was feasible, then their workflow of the past few years needed a complete overhaul.
Wang Deming's phone rang.
He glanced at the caller ID—it was the editorial department of YuChen.com.
Wang Deming hesitated for a moment before answering the phone.
"Hello Academician Wang, this is Zhao Mingyuan, editor-in-chief of YuChen.com. We are currently conducting a live technical Q&A session. Would it be convenient for you to join us...?"
"I know," Wang Deming interrupted him, "I've been watching."
Zhao Mingyuan on the other end of the phone paused for a moment, then said, "Then..."
"Let's connect."
Wang Deming only said two words.
……
In the live stream, Zhao Mingyuan's voice was filled with barely suppressed excitement.
"Dear viewers, we are very honored to have connected with Academician Wang Deming of the Institute of Microelectronics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Academician Wang is a leading scholar in the field of MEMS in China, having engaged in microelectromechanical systems research for over thirty years and mentoring the first generation of MEMS engineers in China."
The screen was flooded with comments in an instant.
"academician!!!"
"An academician from the Chinese Academy of Sciences has arrived!"
"This live stream is becoming increasingly important."
"I know Academician Wang Deming! He's my mentor's mentor!"
The number of online users jumped from 131 million to 142 million in just 30 seconds.
The moment Fang Jianhua saw the words "Academician Wang Deming," his face turned deathly pale.
He certainly knew who Wang Deming was. In China's MEMS field, Wang Deming's status was equivalent to Zhou Zhiyuan's in the drone field—or even higher. If Zhou Zhiyuan was an industry pioneer, then Wang Deming was an academic authority.
Furthermore, when Fang Jianhua was pursuing his doctorate, he attended an academic seminar hosted by Wang Deming. At that time, Fang Jianhua was still an idealistic young scholar, and he still remembers a sentence Wang Deming said at the seminar:
"For researchers, the biggest fear is not making mistakes, but using the right methods to reject the right answers."
At that moment, those words were like a thorn stuck in Fang Jianhua's heart.
"Academician Wang," Zhao Mingyuan's voice rang out in the live broadcast room, "could you comment on Su Chen's 'equivalent thermoelastic approximation method'?"
Wang Deming's steady and powerful voice came from the other end of the phone.
"I watched the derivation process shown in the live stream. Although a complete mathematical proof requires a more detailed paper, from what has been shown—"
He paused.
"This method is correct."
The barrage of comments exploded.
But Wang Deming hadn't finished speaking.
"It's not only correct, but also a very ingenious method. Su Chen used the anisotropic characteristics of silicon single crystals in specific crystal directions for dimensionality reduction. I've been working in MEMS for thirty years, and I've never thought of this approach before."
The audience was silent.
"If the verification experiment with a 250mm cavity can also achieve similar precision—"
Wang Deming's voice became extremely solemn:
"It's not that Su Chen is wrong. It's that the entire industry hasn't reached that point yet."
This statement was like a thunderclap.
Within 0.3 seconds, the screen was completely flooded with comments—not ordinary comments, but the same sentence:
"It's not that he's wrong, it's that the industry as a whole hasn't reached that point yet."
"It's not that he's wrong, it's that the industry as a whole hasn't reached that point yet."
"It's not that he's wrong, it's that the industry as a whole hasn't reached that point yet."
The number of online users has exceeded 150 million.
In the WeChat group, aviator Lao Chen sent a message with only two words:
"I give up."
Xiao Wang from Shenzhen: "I got goosebumps."
The usually composed analyst posted a rare long message: "Everyone, I retract all my previous 'calm analysis.' Some people don't need your calm analysis; you just need to shut up and watch them change the world."
Drone A-Jie: "Even the most composed analysts are losing their composure, hahaha!"
Fang Jianhua sat motionless in front of the live broadcast camera.
His phone vibrated on the table—it was Akira Ishikawa calling.
He didn't answer.
My phone vibrated again.
It's still Akira Ishikawa.
Fang Jianhua slowly picked up his phone, glanced at the name on the screen, and then answered the call.
Akira Ishikawa's voice was cold and urgent: "End the live stream. Now."
"It's too late." Fang Jianhua's voice was very calm, as calm as a stagnant pool.
He hung up the phone.
Seeing Fang Jianhua's expression, Lin Wei did not pursue the matter further.
In the past fifty minutes, she has accomplished everything she was supposed to do—showing the notebook date, connecting with Zhou Zhiyuan, presenting the equivalent thermoelastic approximation method, and obtaining the endorsement of Academician Wang Deming.
Now, she has one last thing to do.
"Editor-in-Chief Zhao," Lin Wei turned to Zhao Mingyuan, "I have one last thing to say to all the viewers."
Zhao Mingyuan nodded.
Lin Wei looked at the camera, her gaze calm and firm.
"The first DRIE verification experiment for the 250mm cavity will be conducted within a week. At that time, all experimental data—including the complete derivation of the equivalent thermoelastic approximation method—will be publicly released to the entire industry."
She paused for a moment.
"Su Chen once said something that I think is very suitable as the closing remark for today's live broadcast."
He said, "Technology is the only language that doesn't need explanation."
The live stream remained silent for three seconds after that statement.
Then the comments section completely went out of control.
Technology is the only language that doesn't need explanation!!!
"Su Chen! Su Chen! Su Chen!"
See you in a week!
"250mm verification! We're waiting for you!"
"Sister Lin Wei is so cool!"
"Where's Fang Jianhua? Why isn't he saying anything?"
When the live stream ended, the number of viewers online reached 153 million—a figure that broke all previous records for online live streaming in China's technology industry.
On Weibo, three topics simultaneously surged into the top ten of the trending topics list:
#Equivalent Thermoelastic Approximation Method# — Second on the trending searches
#It's not that he's wrong, it's that the industry hasn't reached this point yet# —Top trending topic
#SuChen250mmVerificationCountdown# — Seventh on the trending topics list
……
11 p.m. that evening.
Fang Jianhua's office at the School of Microelectronics, Beihang University.
The light is still on.
Fang Jianhua sat alone in his office chair, the computer screen in front of him still showing the end of the live stream. The chat had disappeared, leaving only the gray "Live Stream Ended" indicator.
His phone had 37 missed calls, nine of which were from Akira Ishikawa, and the rest were from colleagues, students, and reporters.
He didn't answer any of them.
A cup of tea that had gone completely cold was on the table.
Fang Jianhua picked up his teacup and took a sip. It was cold.
He put down his teacup and his gaze fell on a photograph in the bookshelf—a group photo from 1993, the graduation photo of the Class of '89 from the Department of Microelectronics at Tsinghua University. The photo showed a group of spirited young people standing in front of the Tsinghua University Auditorium.
Fang Jianhua stood in the fifth position from the left in the second row, while Zhou Zhiyuan stood in the middle of the first row.
At that time, they were graduates of the same year. Fang Jianhua ranked third in the entire grade—only behind Zhou Zhiyuan and another classmate who later went to the United States.
At that time, Fang Jianhua also had ideals.
He wants to make the best MEMS sensors in China and free China's microelectronics from dependence on others.
But later on, I don't know when, things went astray.
Perhaps it was the winter of 2008 when he failed his professional title evaluation. Perhaps it was the spring of 2012 when he first accepted Bosch's "cooperation funding." Perhaps it was the summer of 2018 when Akira Ishikawa first invited him to dinner.
He doesn't remember.
All he remembers is that every time he compromised, he told himself, "This is the last time."
But there is never a last time.
The words Academician Wang Deming said during today's live broadcast echoed in his ears again—
"For researchers, the biggest fear is not making mistakes, but using the right methods to reject the right answers."
Fang Jianhua closed his eyes.
He knew that starting tomorrow, his academic career would come to an end. The open letter, the joint challenge, the defeat on the live stream—these things wouldn't disappear; they would be nailed to his resume like thorns.
He didn't know if Ishikawa Akira would still protect him.
But he knew one thing—he had already lost. Not to Lin Wei, not to Su Chen, but to what he had lost twenty-seven years ago.
……
At the same time.
Shenzhen, Nanshan District, Hongyuan Feiniao Headquarters Building, B3 Floor, DRIE Laboratory.
Su Chen had no idea what had happened tonight.
His phone had been switched off since 4 PM—not because it was out of battery, but because he turned it off intentionally. Before Lin Wei left for her live stream, Su Chen said something to her:
"You go and speak for me, and I'll stay and do your work."
At this moment, Su Chen stood in front of the 250mm DRIE cavity, with the newly installed thermal expansion pre-compensation component in front of him.
陈国栋比承诺的7天提前了1天——第6天，250mm腔体就从精密加工厂运到了实验室。腔体的表面光洁度达到了Ra0.2，完全符合苏辰的设计要求。
Shen Zhiming walked over from the measuring platform, holding a data sheet in his hand.
"Mr. Su, the installation accuracy of the pre-compensation components has been confirmed—angle deviation within ±0.01 degrees, position deviation within ±5 micrometers."
Su Chen took the data sheet, glanced at it, and nodded slightly.
"What about the calibration procedure?"
"Li Ming is currently writing it and expects to finish it by tomorrow afternoon."
"Have him finish it by tomorrow morning."
Shen Zhiming paused for a moment: "President Su, the calibration process still needs to undergo three sets of cross-validation—"
"Two sets are enough." Su Chen's tone was calm but undeniable. "The third set will be replaced with the analytical values from the equivalent thermoelastic approximation method, which will be verified together during actual measurements. Two birds with one stone."
Shen Zhiming thought for a moment and nodded.
Su Chen glanced at the calendar on the laboratory wall—November 16th.
He picked up a marker, circled November 19th in the box, and then wrote three words next to it:
"First Test Day"
3 days to go.
Su Chen wrote the last entry of the day in his work notebook:
November 16st
The 250mm cavity is in place. The pre-compensation component is installed.
The calibration process will be completed tomorrow morning.
System integration testing will be conducted the day after tomorrow, followed by the first test the day after that.
Estimated value for 250mm using the equivalent thermoelastic approximation method: 12.05°
We'll see in three days.
He closed his laptop, turned off the lab lights, and walked to the cot in the corner.
The moment he lay down, his phone—which had been switched off for six hours—was placed next to his pillow.
He was unaware that 153 million people were watching a live stream about him tonight.
He didn't know that Academician Wang Deming had said something that would later become known throughout the country.
He was unaware that the name "equivalent thermoelastic approximation method" had become one of the most hotly debated technical topics on Zhihu overnight.
He only knew one thing—
Three days later, the first DRIE test of the 250mm cavity was conducted.
12.05 degrees.
If we are right, all doubts will vanish into thin air.
If I'm wrong—
Su Chen closed his eyes.
It can't be wrong.