Tech startup: I really do make mobile phones!

Chapter 171 The Expedition of CK Micro Motor

Kyoto Precision Machining CNC Center.

Inside the huge factory, the air carried a slight, cool scent characteristic of metal cutting fluid.

A CNC bridge-type gantry five-axis linkage milling and turning composite machine tool, resembling a steel behemoth, is emitting a deep hum.

With Chen Mo's introduction, Academician Zhang accompanied Zhou Mingzhe, the technical director of Orange Technology, to stand in front of the control panel, their eyes fixed on the parameters jumping on the screen.

"Processing complete!" The operator's voice carried a hint of excitement after exhaustion.

The massive protective door slowly opened, and the robotic arm precisely removed 16 precision stators that gleamed with a cold metallic light, carefully placing them on a specially designed anti-static tray.

Each stator has a mirror-like luster and a complex and precise structure.

"Each piece costs 2.2 yuan, so 16 pieces would cost a total of 35.2 yuan!"

The head of the Jingda Precision Machining Center told Zhou Mingzhe, "Our prices are already 20% lower than the international market. This time, we're offering an extra 12% discount because you're processing more than 10 pieces at once!"

Zhou Mingzhe nodded; he was more concerned about precision.

Afterwards, he followed the center's quality inspectors and used ultra-high precision coordinate measuring machines, laser interferometers and other equipment to conduct a rigorous re-inspection of these 16 stators.

Data jumps on the screen
Dimensional accuracy: ±0.0018mm (better than the required ±0.002mm)

Tolerance grade: IT4 (far exceeding the required IT5 grade)
Surface roughness: Ra 0.008μm (better than the required Ra 0.01μm)

"It fully meets the requirements, and even exceeds the standards!" the quality inspector confirmed.

A slight smile finally appeared on Zhou Mingzhe's tense face. He turned to Academician Zhang and solemnly said:

"Academician Zhang, thank you very much for Peking University's strong support. Please rest assured that if Orange Technology can secure the order, we will receive 20% of the profits from the environmental control module technology that Peking University has authorized to us, as promised in the contract!"

To protect the confidentiality of business information, Chen Mo and Zhou Mingzhe did not disclose the parameters of the pre-research alignment system or the specific information of the bidding process to Peking University.

Academician Zhang smiled gently: "Of course, of course! It is our wish to help domestic enterprises go global!"

He looked at those intricate stators with a mixture of curiosity and habitual thinking.

"I still don't know what level of accuracy your gyroscope will ultimately achieve. Since it's valued by foreign companies, it must have already reached international standards, right?"

In Academician Zhang's view, commercially available high-precision gyroscopes that can achieve "thousand-level" accuracy (0.001°/h) with a deviation of ±0.0008°/h are considered quite good.

After all, three zeros (0.001°/h) are basically the limit of current domestic technology. In recent years, the main breakthroughs in domestic technology have been in enhancing stability and reducing deviation values.

Zhou Mingzhe is an engineer who came to the field later in life and lacks a direct comparison of the vague concept of "international standards".

All he knew was that the initial design target for MYT-3.0 set by General Manager Chen was five zeros (0.00001°/h), and that they had achieved it.

So Zhou Mingzhe thought it was just a "not bad" level, and nodded honestly: "Yeah, I guess so!"

His tone was flat, as if he were talking about something very ordinary.

Academician Zhang took it as mere modesty or a misunderstanding and didn't delve into it. He smiled and watched as Zhou Mingzhe carefully placed the 16 valuable stators into a specially made temperature-controlled and shockproof storage box and embarked on his journey back to the mountain city.

Mountain City, Orange Micro Motor Co., Ltd., the renovated cleanroom laboratory.

Zhou Mingzhe brought back the "ultra-precision stator" processed by the Jingda Precision CNC Center, and immediately threw himself into the intense assembly work upon his return.

Together with experienced masters Liu and Wang, he focused intently on assembling and painting these precision stators with other core components (rotors, sensors, circuit boards, etc.) pre-processed by Orange Technology in a Class 1,000 cleanroom environment, with the goal of manufacturing 14 MYT-3.0 gyroscopes.

This is a job that requires a great deal of patience and skill.

Even with top-tier stators provided by Kyoto University, the assembly process remains fraught with challenges.

Ultimately, the 16 stators were successfully assembled into 14 qualified MYT-3.0 gyroscope core units.

The two sets of losses are due to performance deviations caused by extremely small assembly stresses, making it impossible to achieve the stringent five zero precision requirements.

These 14 MYT-3.0 gyroscope cores, gleaming with a cool black luster and embodying top-tier materials and exquisite craftsmanship, are OrangeTech's trump card in its bid for ASMedia supplier qualification.

The next step is to build the complete CK-PAS 1.0 system (Orange-Precision Alignment 1.0 system).

This system adopts a modular design, and its core consists of three parts:

Alignment sensor (high-precision gyroscope array): This is the system's "eyes" and "sensory nerves".

One system requires four MYT-3.0 gyroscopes, each responsible for:
Mask pre-alignment and positioning

Wafer pre-alignment
Alignment of the mask stage and the wafer stage
Final alignment of mask and wafer

This is the core hardware component, which has the highest cost and the deepest technological barriers.

Leveling and focusing system (group calibration algorithm): This is the "brain" of the system.

Chen Mo had already stored the core encryption algorithm in a specially made hardware-encrypted USB drive, and Zhou Mingzhe brought back two USB drives.

One USB drive corresponds to one system activation.

This algorithm acts like a sophisticated brain, capable of processing massive amounts of data from four sets of gyroscopes in real time, performing complex group calibration calculations, and achieving ultra-high precision dynamic leveling and focusing control.

Environmental control module (Kyoto University authorized solution): This is the system's "constant temperature room".

Based on the technology license from Peking University, OrangeTech has made adaptations and optimizations.

It is responsible for precisely controlling the temperature (fluctuation ±0.1℃), humidity (fluctuation ±2%) of the gyroscope's working area, and isolating external vibration interference (attenuating more than 96% of 60Hz mechanical waves), ensuring that the "eyes" and "brain" can perform at their best in the most stable environment.

周明哲团队利用8枚MYT-3.0陀螺仪（4枚x2套），成功组装出了两套完整的CK-PAS 1.0系统。

The remaining 6 MYT-3.0 missiles will be kept as strategic reserves.

Inside Orange Science Park, there is a temperature and humidity control testing laboratory.

Two CK-PAS 1.0 systems were fixed on a specially designed test platform.

Zhou Mingzhe personally operated the system and conducted a high-intensity system-level test for eight consecutive hours.

The test report was generated quickly:

【CK-PAS 1.0 System Test Data Report】

1. Test conditions:
Gyroscope model: MYT-3.0 (0.00001°/h)
Environment: Constant temperature laboratory (23±0.5℃)
Duration: 8 hours of continuous operation
2. Core Indicators:
Static alignment accuracy:
Horizontal attitude angle error: ≤0.003° (1σ) [Better than design specifications]
Azimuth error: ≤0.005° (1σ) [Better than the design specifications, perfectly meeting the optimal solution requirements of the dual-vector attitude determination algorithm under a static base]
Dynamic error characteristics:
Zero-point drift rate: Measured 0.000018°/h *[Nearly 100% better than the nominal value of 0.00001°/h!]*
Random walk coefficient: 0.00048°/√Hz [infinitely close to the lower bound of quantum inertial navigation theory]4
3. Repeatability verification:
Standard deviation of azimuth angle across 10 repeated tests: 0.004° [better than Allan variance predictor of 0.005°]
Long-term stability (24-hour simulation): Azimuth drift 0.00015° [far exceeding military-grade locking requirements]
4. Error source analysis:
The main sources of error have been identified:

The equivalent accelerometer zero-point deviation introduced by installation errors is reduced by >65% after compensation through the built-in calibration program.

The resonator's slight deformation caused by the residual temperature gradient (requires further optimization of the subsequent vacuum packaging process, but has been controlled within an acceptable range)
Looking at this stunning test report, Zhou Mingzhe took a deep breath.

He knew that Orange Science had already unleashed its full potential.

This alignment performance not only fully meets the requirements of ASML's next-generation EUV lithography machine, but even surpasses it in some key indicators!

Meanwhile, several key preparatory tasks led by Feng Guofu have also been completed.

Export License: The HS code of the CK-PAS 1.0 system (commercial type) has been confirmed to be not on the embargo list, and an official export license has been successfully obtained!
Transportation support: A special carbon fiber transport box, commissioned from "Chenguang," a professional company under China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation, at a cost of 60 yuan, has been delivered to Orange Science and Technology.

The transportation and use of mechanical gyroscopes have higher environmental requirements.

这个特种运输箱外尺寸：800mm×660mm×620mm，内尺寸：300mm×200mm×150mm。

It looks similar to a refrigerator, but its actual capacity is only the size of a small drawer, mainly because its interior is extremely precise.

Container: A custom-designed inner support using 3D curved surface modeling, with EVA-PE foam perfectly filling gaps down to 0.1mm.

Protection:

The high-damping honeycomb plate isolation layer can attenuate 98% of external 60Hz mechanical waves.

It has a built-in constant temperature and humidity device to maintain a temperature of 23±2℃ and a humidity of 36%±3%.

An eight-channel active vibration damping system ensures vibration control of <1.5g.

The entire enclosure is treated with anti-static coating (conductive coating + built-in anti-static bag).

72-hour cyclic transformer test, leakage rate ≤0.7Pa/min.

Monitoring: Real-time acquisition of 280,000 sets/second of vibration waveform data, equipped with a high-precision tilt sensor and temperature and humidity recorder.

This custom-made special transport container can hold up to eight CK-PAS 1.0 systems. It was specifically ordered by Chen Mo, which shows his expectations for Orange Science.

This time, only two sets were installed, and there was plenty of space.

In addition to arranging the special transport containers, Director Feng also took care of the logistics, contacting DHL Air Freight, which has the qualification for transporting special cargo for Oulean, to provide a full-service package (including customs declaration, application for Oulean duty-free certificate, etc.).

Because the goods are ultra-precision instruments and large items (the total weight including the special container far exceeds 21KG), the freight is calculated per kilogram: 1168 Gullies per kilogram for flights to Eindhoven, Netherlands!

Cost accounting (breathtaking):

MYT-3.0 stator processing fee: 35.2

Other material, assembly, and testing costs (including losses): Approximately 57.4 RMB/set x 2 sets = 114.8 RMB

Special transport container: 60

International air freight (including container weight): 17.2 Gullies ≈ 140

Total hardware cost (excluding software licensing): (35.2 + 114.8 + 60 + 140) = 350 million

The hardware cost of a single CK-PAS 1.0 system is 350 million / 2 = 175 million.

Adding the licensing cost of the Kyoto University environmental control module technology (20% revenue share): the basic cost of a single system soars to 175 million x 1.2 = 210 million!
(Note: The group calibration algorithm is a core intangible asset of Orange Technology and is not included in the cost accounting of this hardware.)

Upon seeing the final cost figures, both Zhou Mingzhe and Factory Director Feng Guofu gasped in shock.

This means that if OrangeTech loses the bid, it will have to bear a real loss of nearly 420 million. However, based on Asmac's starting bid of 400 million US dollars (approximately 2600 million), OrangeTech still has a huge profit margin.

However, Orange Technology bears a huge risk of sunk costs in the early stages of research and development, testing and production.

However, Chen Mo had already given clear and firm instructions.

"Don't always think about relying on sister companies and the parent company for support. Be bold and go out! Cost is not a problem. This is a key step for Orange Technology to move towards the international supply chain. We must do it!"

Under immense cost pressure and the boss's expectations, Zhou Mingzhe, along with the bidding team meticulously assembled by Orange Technology, including technical experts and business personnel, and the two priceless CK-PAS 1.0 systems housed in those exorbitantly priced "iron coffins," boarded a flight to Eindhoven, Netherlands.

The plane roared into the sky.

Outside the porthole, a sea of ​​clouds rolled in.

Zhou Mingzhe leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and repeatedly replayed the data from the test report in his mind.

He knew that whether Orange Technology could soar to new heights and make a name for itself in the international precision manufacturing field depended on this one move.

What awaits them is Asmark's rigorous testing and fierce competition from top global suppliers.

This high-stakes gamble, costing millions and jeopardizing OrangeTech's technological dignity, has finally begun.

Dutch, Eindhoven, ASMI headquarters testing center.

The huge testing hall was brightly lit and filled with the cold, sophisticated atmosphere characteristic of precision instruments.

Several alignment system solutions from top global suppliers were lined up like soldiers awaiting inspection. They were all modular system solution suppliers who had received Asmark's invitation to bid.

Faced with Asmac's "high price", each company naturally used its own unique methods and presented its most advanced "solution".

Chase in Germany, Terez in the United States, and Honeywell in North America
Their representatives all looked arrogant, exuding the confidence of precision manufacturing giants.

Orange Science's bidding booth was in a corner and was inconspicuous.

The “huge” special carbon fiber transport box looked somewhat clumsy and out of place next to the delicate and small transport boxes around it.

The competitors' eyes swept over the "huge" box, with the prominent logo "Sino-Tech: CK Micro Motor," their faces revealing either disdain or curiosity.
A flower-growing company? Daring to bid for a subsystem supplier for Asma?
Asmay's technical review team, led by supply chain manager Eric van der Linde, began the rigorous on-site testing phase.

The process is exceptionally rigorous: unpacking verification, environmental adaptability calibration, static accuracy calibration, dynamic stability testing, anti-interference capability verification, and long-term drift simulation.
Every test is conducted under the most severe conditions, with data collected in real time and displayed publicly on the central screen.

The Zeiss system was the first to complete the static accuracy test, and the screen displayed: 0.0008°/h.

The German team beamed with satisfaction; this was their "secret weapon"!
Honeywell followed closely behind: 0.0009°/h.

The North American representative nodded slightly, explaining that it wasn't that their company couldn't come up with a better alignment system solution, but rather that the officials on Capitol Hill hadn't been properly persuaded yet!

Terretz: 0.0011°/h.

The Chinese shrugged, seemingly expecting it.

It's finally Orange's turn.

Zhou Mingzhe took a deep breath and personally entered the command to start the CK-PAS 1.0 system.

The system self-test passed, and the constant temperature and humidity module quietly began to operate.

The judges' eyes focused on them, scrutinizing them.

The static accuracy test results of the CK-PAS 1.0 system are displayed at the bottom of the screen.

CK Micro Motor: 0.000018°/h
"What!" Eric van der Linde exclaimed in surprise, instinctively adjusting his glasses and almost pressing his face against the screen.

Eric van der Linde had already heard about the MYT-3.0 gyroscope's accuracy of 0.00001°/h from Paul, and with the MTY-2.0 serving as a technical verification tool, he was prepared and not surprised.

However, when multiple gyroscopes are combined into an alignment system, the accuracy deviation can still be controlled within (±0.000008°/h), which is truly amazing!
The entire judging panel fell silent instantly. Everyone stared intently at the number, quietly counting on their fingers, wondering if they had misread the decimal point!
This level of precision is nearly 50 times higher than the best Zeiss system currently on the market—it's outrageous!

Paul stood at the edge of the jury, his face flushed with excitement and his fists clenched.
He made the right bet; a promotion and a raise are just around the corner!
The engineer from the German company, who had initially been confident of victory, suddenly turned extremely grim and immediately demanded a re-inspection of the equipment.

However, the data is accurate.

Dynamic stability test, anti-interference test
OrangeTech's CK-PAS 1.0 system has consistently achieved outstanding data, leaving its competitors far behind with an overwhelming advantage!

Especially in the accelerated test simulating 24-hour long-term drift, the stability data of the Orange Technology system (equivalent drift of 0.00015°) left the judges speechless.

This stability is approaching the limits of current scientific theories.

Due to the Earth's rotation, there is an equivalent drift of 0.0001° per year, with a polar axis deviation of approximately 10 centimeters.

It's incredible that a company has actually achieved this theoretical limit, and it's a flower-growing company!
The atmosphere in the testing hall became extremely subtle.

The initial contempt and curiosity of the crowd were replaced by shock, disbelief, and even a hint of fear.

The bulky "Sino-Tech: CK Micro Motor" special transport box in the corner now seemed to everyone as a hidden "technological monster".

The final performance summary stage.

Asma's chief technology officer asked the question personally, his tone heavy with shock.

"Mr. Zhou, your company's system performance is impressive. Could you explain how you broke through the limits of existing materials, processes, and algorithms to achieve such incredible precision and stability?"

His gaze swept over the special transport container, hinting at concerns about the cost.

Asmay's chief technology officer was initially worried that the alignment system brought by Orange Technology would be too poor and embarrass Asmay.

What he's actually worried about now is that he might not be able to afford Asma!

All eyes were on Zhou Mingzhe.

This engineer, who came to the field later in life, displayed a calmness that stemmed from his solid technical foundation.

He straightened his habitually hunched back, took a soft breath, and calmly walked to the front of the stage. His gaze swept over the once arrogant faces, finally settling on Asma's technical officer, and he answered in clear and plain English.

"Dear guests, the core of the CK-PAS 1.0 system lies in our independently developed MYT-3.0 gyroscope. Its precision is neither 'thousandths' (0.001) nor 'ten-thousandths' (0.0001)."

Zhou Mingzhe paused, then uttered the number that made everyone's hearts stop.

"It's a 100,000-level classification: 0.00001°/h!"

"Wow~"

The audience immediately went wild!

A tiered system with 100,000 levels?!
This is almost the ceiling that they believe commercial precision gyroscopes can not reach!

The next-generation flagship product in Honeywell's labs: HGX-9000.

This is a North American strategic-grade fiber optic gyroscope that uses quantum entangled photonic interferometry technology. Its zero-bias stability reaches 0.0001°/h (100-second smoothing), which is two orders of magnitude better than traditional FOGs, meeting the needs of extreme scenarios such as deep space exploration and intercontinental ballistic missile guidance.

However, the "ten-thousand-level" precision of the HGX-9000 is completely outclassed by the "hundred-thousand-level" precision of the MYT-3.0!

The Honeywell representative was completely stunned. What happened to the claim that China didn't have high-precision gyroscopes?
You've already commercialized gyroscopes with "100,000-level" precision, do you have anything better?

At this moment, the representative of the French National Terez was the one who was even more confused.

What's wrong with you flower growers?
On one hand, they sent people to talk to us about introducing the complete technology of the TN-0.003 three-axis ring laser gyroscope (accuracy: 0.003°/h), while on the other hand, they used a gyroscope with a accuracy of 0.00001°/h to steal our business.

Zhou Mingzhe ignored the commotion below the stage and continued to explain calmly, as if he were stating something that was perfectly natural.

"As for how it was done? The answer lies in the deep collaborative innovation of materials, processes and algorithms."

We have redefined the application limits of copper alloys in ultra-precision gyroscopes, and solved the historical bottleneck of their structural strength through a unique 'self-cleaning coating' technology (ferrite oil-soluble paint), which allows their perfect elasticity, electrical and thermal conductivity and environmental adaptability to be brought into play.

In terms of processing, thanks to our top domestic ultra-precision manufacturing partners, we have achieved nanometer-level processing precision control.

Finally, there's our unique 'group calibration algorithm,' which acts like the system's brain, sensing, coordinating, and correcting minute deviations from the four gyroscope units in real time, pushing overall performance to its limit.

He concluded by pointing to the prominent special transport container: "This container is simply to ensure that our 'eyes' and 'brains' remain in optimal condition after crossing half the globe."

Zhou Mingzhe was not a rigid person. He saw that his own technical data was clearly in a class of its own, so he took the opportunity to show Asmay the cost, which would make it easier to raise the price of Orange Technology later!

"It is very expensive, but worth the value of the core alignment system it protects."

His words were devoid of flowery language, consisting only of hard-core technical parameters and clear logic.

The whole place was silent.

Those questioning and disdainful glances have now been replaced by utter shock and solemnity.

Eric van der Linde took a deep breath, exchanged a glance with the chief technology officer, and saw excitement and determination in each other's eyes.

The overwhelming performance advantage is enough to cover any cost concerns.

It's important to know that the alignment system of a lithography machine directly affects the yield rate, and that's where ASML's lithography machines come in!

The same 12-inch wafer, with a stable alignment system, can produce 85 first-level chips worth 100 yuan each and 15 second-level chips worth 80 yuan each, thus creating a value of 9700 yuan.

If the alignment system is unstable and the lithography machine has a low yield rate, the same wafer may only produce 40 primary chips and 60 secondary chips, creating a value of only 5200 yuan.

The profit margin for chips has reached an astonishing 86.5%. If you are a chip foundry, you will definitely choose a lithography machine with a more stable alignment system!
Finally, it was time for ASMI's Chief Technology Officer to announce the shortlisted suppliers. He stepped onto the stage, picked up the microphone, and his voice carried a hint of barely perceptible excitement.

"Thank you to the Orange Technology team for their amazing technical demonstration. ASMI's next-generation alignment system solution bidding will enter the final evaluation stage, and the shortlist of bidders will be announced tomorrow!"

At this moment, the aerospace group's negotiation team, which was negotiating technology transfer with China National Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASIC), was once again caught in the predicament of being overcharged by the other party using outdated technology.

Their original goal in arriving at Westwell was to find a supplier of ultra-high precision gyroscopes with an accuracy of 0.001°/h to 0.0001°/h, but unfortunately, the supplier simply refused to sell them.

Therefore, the aerospace group's negotiation team had to settle for second best and hoped to obtain the complete technology transfer of the previous generation product of the TN-0.003 three-axis ring laser gyroscope (accuracy: 0.003°/h) from the Guotai Rezi, so as to obtain some new breakthrough ideas.

In fact, the aerospace group's negotiation team was unaware that, just across the strait from China, a group of foreign suppliers they had been desperately seeking were being deeply impressed by the high-precision gyroscope technology from China.

(End of this chapter)