critical

just completed a critical test before delivery

by

Spain is in a moment of weapons renewal. A few days ago we said that the country has been selling his old submarines for scrapa movement conditioned by something very specific: the new generation of S-80 submarines is beginning to gain traction. Or impulse, rather. And the ignition of engines S-82 Narciso Monturiol It is one more step towards delivery to the Navy. And it has cost… Milestone. It was last February 28 when S-82, the second submarine of the S-80 Plus series, started its diesel engines for the first time. The Ministry of Defense has become again echo of the achievement achieved a few weeks ago, and it is no wonder. The ignition is one more step in the commissioning of the submarine after the electrical ignition, the boarding of the batteries and the launching. Overcoming these phases brings the ship closer to its delivery. The S-82. The Narciso Monturiol measures about 80 meters in length, has about seven meters in diameter and is capable of moving about 3,000 tons while submerged. It has capacity for more than 30 crew members and can last submerged for three weeks. Regarding weapons, account with a system developed by Navantia and Lockheed Martin that allows launching ground attack missilesbeing the only of the European Union’s conventional submarines that have that capability. It can also arm DM2A4 heavy torpedoes with a range of up to 50 kilometers. Issues. And if the ignition of the engines is announced as a milestone, it is because the S-80 program has not had it easy. These are the first submarines of Spanish design, and since 2004 they have been suffering delays. The first in the class, the S-81 Isaac Peralshould have been delivered in the early 2010s, but design errors and a budget that went from 1.8 billion euros to 3,900, ended up being delivered in 2023. The biggest problem was weight, something crucial in a submarine. It had between 70 and 100 tons of overweightsomething that was discovered just when it was due to be delivered and that compromised the entire project because it is something that would cause buoyancy problems. There were also other problems in the propulsion system and disputes between the Spanish Navantia and the French Naval Group. Next steps. And, again, completing these tests is the step prior to delivery at some point this year. It also shows that there is someone doing the calculations somewhat regularly because the S-82 was scheduled to be delivered at the end of 2024, generating a delay in the plans. This delay is what caused the very veteran S-71 to have to be revised so that Spain could keep two submarines operational at the same time, giving itself the situation of having a new generation one alongside the aforementioned S-71. The next steps for the S-82 are to continue testing systems before delivery, and then the S-83 and S-84 will arrive, which were dated for 2026 and 2028 respectively and will arrive with a novelty: the BEST AIP system to improve immersion capability and long duration missions. Both the S-81 and S-82 will also be upgraded with the BEST AIP at some technical stop between 2029 and 3031, respectively. After that ignition of the S-82 engines, they start the most critical tests, such as those of acoustic signature and immersion, key steps before it can be launched into the sea to definitively retire the S-71. Photos | Ministry of Defense In Xataka | In the 19th century, Spain designed the first “torpedo launcher” to defend itself against the United States: the Sanjurjo Badía submarine

does not produce 13 minerals critical for economic security

by

For years, the so-called critical minerals have remained out of the focus of public debate, despite the fact that entire industries and a good part of the economic security of countries depend on them. Its relevance does not respond only to a technological issue, but also to geopolitical tensions, fragile supply chains and strategic decisions that today condition industrial development. In that context, Mexico has begun to put figuresnames and concrete limits to their own exposure, opening a conversation that goes far beyond mining and reaches directly to their productive future. What exactly is considered a critical mineral. These are elements present in nature whose demand is high while their availability is limited, either due to geological restrictions inherent to finite resources or due to external factors such as geopolitical tensions and trade blockades. That combination of scarcity and dependence makes them sensitive pieces for contemporary industry. They not only intervene in everyday electronic devices, they also determine energy efficiency, component durability and thermal stability in multiple technologies. Image shared by the Government of Mexico The concrete photography of Mexico. The Mexican Geological Service has defined which materials are scarce or directly non-existent in the national territory, or without technical and economic conditions today to produce them viably, a diagnosis that allows foreign dependence to be measured with sufficient precision. The list is not small and concentrates a good part of the inputs associated with electronics, energy and various advanced industrial chains. These are the 13 minerals classified as scarce or non-existent resources in the country: Aluminum Cadmium Cobalt Chrome Germanium Iridium Lithium Nickel Palladium Platinum Tantalum Titanium Vanadium The reverse of the diagnosis. Mexico has a relevant mining base in certain materials where there are not only reserves, but also extraction and processing capacity, which allows it to sustain its own industrial chains and participate in international markets. This dimension is key to avoiding a reading solely focused on external dependence and understanding that the resource map combines shortcomings with operational strengths. According to the Mexican Geological Service, the minerals that the country concentrates or processes are the following: Baryta Copper Fluorite Graphite Magnesium Manganese Silver Lead Zinc The diplomatic channel and the geopolitical board. The diagnosis of available resources has not remained internal. Mexico has brought the issue of critical minerals to the field of international politics with a specific goal: to ensure access to materials that are necessary for its present and future industry. This is how Marcelo Ebrard explained itSecretary of Economy, when detailing the country’s participation in different forums and coordination spaces, including areas linked to the United Nations. The strategy, as he stressed, does not seek to offer its own reserves, but rather to be part of the decisions that will determine how these supplies are guaranteed in an increasingly competitive environment. Coordination with the northern neighbor. The United States Trade Office (USTR) announced that Its ambassador, Jamieson Greer, and Marcelo Ebrard agreed on an action plan aimed at building a preferential trade scheme for critical minerals, which includes everything from the identification of priority materials to the exploration of adjusted minimum border prices for imports and consultation on how to incorporate these minimum prices into a binding plurilateral agreement. The cooperation seeks to respond to global market distortions that have left North American critical mineral supply chains vulnerable to disruption. The initial calendar, it should be noted, establishes a work horizon of two months to analyze measures before defining subsequent steps. Lithium. State ownership and pending viability. Among the minerals that explain the Mexican position, lithium occupies a unique place. The Constitution establishes that only the State can exploit it, a decision that reinforces its strategic nature but, at the same time, coexists with technical and economic limits. As President Claudia Sheinbaum notedthere is already a technology developed at the Mexican Petroleum Institute to obtain lithium in clays, although “today it is not economically viable, it is very expensive.” This combination of state control and production difficulty illustrates why guaranteeing access to critical materials remains an open question for the national industry. In conclusion. The image that emerges is not that of a country without resources, but of an economy that must precisely manage its material dependencies in an increasingly demanding international environment. Mexico has relevant mining capabilities and, at the same time, faces clear limits on essential inputs for the technology and energy industry. Between both extremes is a strategy that combines internal diagnosis, diplomatic action and technological development still in process. The result does not close the debate, but it does define the context in which the country must work. Images | Dominic Vanyi + Nano Banana In Xataka | What are rare earths, the elements that move the technological world and separate China from the West

Critical dress rehearsal leak forces NASA to delay Artemis II

by

If we learned something with Artemis I in 2022 is that liquid hydrogen is possibly the biggest enemy of NASA’s patience in its missions. And in the last few hours the US space agency has confirmed what many of us feared after a difficult weekend: the launch of Artemis IIthe mission that must take astronauts around the Moon, officially delayed until March. An accumulation of errors. These days NASA had on its agenda to do a ‘general rehearsal’ for the launch of this new mission that aims to test its equipment to take the final leap: put man on Mars in the future. And everything seemed to be ready, with the astronauts in strict quarantine since January 23. But in the end, Florida’s weather reminded us again that it reigns supreme with freezing temperatures and strong winds that forced these plans to stop. Some specific limits. A priori, these adverse conditions should not be a problem for cutting-edge operation, but the reality is that the SLS rocket has very strict operating limits: it cannot safely load fuel if the temperature drops below 4.4ºC for more than 30 minutes. Something that eliminated the launch window that It was scheduled between February 6 and 7moving hope to February 8. The coup de grace. But if the weather was already a big problem, in the last few hours the last major inconvenience has arrived while retrying to refuel under more favorable conditions. It was none other than a leak of liquid hydrogen that was detected at the umbilical interface of the rear service mast while the test was being carried out. Something that has forced everything that was being done to stop, and logically to make decisions that are very hard. Safety first. Although the agency managed to complete many of the test objectives, the hydrogen concentration exceeded safety limits, forcing the rocket to be drained. Administrator Jared Isaacman has been blunt– Crew and vehicle safety is the top priority, so no launch window will be forced. A ‘dejà vu’. For fans of the Artemis show, this sounds painfully familiar. The situation is almost a carbon copy of what was experienced with Artemis I in 2022and although at that time it was not the weather, there were recurring technical failures such as propellant leaks and problems with the pressure fans that caused multiple cancellations of the general rehearsal. Because of those technical problems, they were forced to return the rocket to the Vehicle Assembly Building for much more thorough checks, pushing the April launch to the end of August. Now the similarity lies in the complexity of liquid hydrogen, an ultracold and extremely difficult to contain fuel that remains the Achilles heel of these missions. What will happen now? For now, with all these problems behind us, the launch window that lasted until February 11 has been completely ruled out. This forces us to look for a new date that NASA aims for sometime in March 2026although without specifying a specific day. To do this, they must still analyze data and above all have a successful general rehearsal to validate the safety of the operation. As far as the astronauts are concerned, it no longer makes sense for them to remain quarantined at the Kennedy Space Center, so they will return to Houston until there is a new firm launch date. Images | POT In Xataka | Claude begins to seem unstoppable: NASA has already used him to plan routes for the Perseverance rover on Mars

The great covered in the War of Critical Minerals is Tungsten. The US needs it and 83% have it China

by

On April 4, just 24 hours after Donald Trump announced the taxes that he was going to apply to the importation of most products from abroad, The administration led by Xi Jinping responded. And he did it with forcefulness. In early December 2024 He chose to prohibit The export of some critical minerals to the US, among which were three essential metals for the chips industry: Gallium, Germanio and Antimony. Shortly after the Chinese government added two more critical metals to its list of export restrictions: the Scandio and the Disposio. These chemical elements are probably less known than metals prohibited by China previously, such as Gallium or Germanio, but are at least as important as the latter because they have a fundamental role in the industries of integrated circuits, telecommunications and the manufacture of storage devices. The ability to put pressure from China had not yet been extinguished. Just ten days later, on April 14, the Administration did not hesitate take another step forward With the purpose of putting in check, in addition to the industries that I just mentioned, those of electric cars, aeronautics and advanced armament. To achieve this, it effectively suspended, in addition to the export of the most valuable rare earths, that of high -power magnets that have a critical role in the industries that I have cited in this same paragraph. Tungsten hunting and capture Tungsten or Wolframium (W) is a relatively scarce metal in the earth’s crust. It is very dense and extremely hard (understanding hardness as its resistance to being scratched), but its most exotic physicochemical property is that it has the second highest melting point of all the chemical elements that we can find in the periodic table only behind the carbon (nothing less than 3,422 ° C). It has a very wide range of applications, but, curiously, from World War II it is much appreciated for its suitability when intervening in the tuning of the armor of some vehicles and in the manufacture of ammunition. In February China announced that I was going to respond to US sanctions by enabling export controls of the strictest tungsten China currently controls 83% of the world’s tungsten, which has placed this country in a very comfortable position that allows it to drastically limit the amount of this metal that reaches rival powers, among which is USA. It is just what you are doing. In February, the Chinese administration announced that I was going to respond to US sanctions and its allies enabling export controls of the strictest tungsten. From that moment on, the price of this mineral has progressively increased to its historical maximum. Today Wolframio is 55% more expensive that in February. Beyond China, the main producers of Tungsten are Vietnam, Russia and some countries in Central Africa and South America. Anyway, Europe, Japan and South Korea are trying to ensure their supply of this metal by implementing political measures that seek to promote local production with the purpose of reducing China’s dependence. The US is even considering the possibility of replenishing its strategic tungsten reserve after selling it for many years. Image | Generated by Xataka with Google Gemini More information | Volt Rush In Xataka | The US will not be able to contain the technological development of China. Experts from the chips industry forecast it

The Critical Mineral Companies of the West are trapped between the US and its best client: China

by

Western companies that are dedicated to the extraction and processing of critical minerals are between the sword and the wall. These raw materials They are fundamental for many strategic industriessuch as those of semiconductors, telecommunications, advanced weapons or electric car, so USA and China are using them as a resource to exert pressure on the other. This situation represents a very serious problem for Western mining companies because Donald Trump’s government has imposed very strict controls to China of these minerals, as well as High tariffs. Rio Tinto and BHP are the world’s largest western miners, and its best client is China. In fact, According to Volt Rush In 2024, 57% of Rio Tinto’s income came from China compared to 16.7% of the US. Losing the Chinese market is not an option for these companies, so the managers of the two companies I just mentioned have met with President Donald Trump in the White House with the purpose of defending their interests and protecting their position in China. However, they also have something to offer to the Administration: the possibility of reinforcing the US supply chain by opening new deposits in the country, such as the “Resolution Copper” project of Arizona, delayed for years due to the opposition of the Apache tribe of San Carlos. China dominates an essential market for the US and its allies: that of rare earths On April 4, just 24 hours after Donald Trump announced the taxes that he was going to apply to the importation of most products from abroad, The administration led by Xi Jinping responded. And he did it forcefully. In early December 2024 He chose to prohibit The export of some critical minerals to the US, among which were three essential metals for the chips industry: Gallium, Germanio and Antimony. Shortly after the Chinese government added two more critical metals to its list of export restrictions: the Scandio and the Disposio. These chemical elements are probably less known than metals prohibited by China previously, such as Gallium or Germanio, but They are at least so important Like the latter because they have a fundamental role in the industries of integrated circuits, telecommunications and the manufacture of storage devices. Many companies have high -power magnet reservations made with rare earths, but possibly they will only allow them to subsist a few months The ability to put pressure from China had not yet been extinguished. Just ten days later, on April 14, the Administration did not hesitate take another step forward With the purpose of putting in check, in addition to the industries that I just mentioned, those of electric cars, aeronautics and advanced armament. To achieve this, it effectively suspended, in addition to the export of the most valuable rare earths, that of high -power magnets that have a critical role in the industries that I have cited in this same paragraph. Chinese authorities are retaining in ports throughout the country not only rare earths, but also high -power magnets acquired by electric cars manufacturers throughout the planet, aerospace companies, chip factories and armament companies. Many of these organizations They have high -power magnet reservations Made with rare earths, but possibly they will only allow them to subsist a few months. Europe in particular is in an extremely delicate position. China’s export controls are directed mainly to the US, but the old continent It does not remain unscathed. At least for the moment. In fact, in Germany, which as we all know is the heart of the European car industry, There are already experts who assure that if China continues to retain rare earths and electric motors some essential parts of the electric cars production chain will stop in a few weeks. For the European car industry this blow would be very difficult to fit. European companies that are dedicated to the manufacture of semiconductors are also in a very compromised situation. According to Reuters Many European chip production lines They will stop very soon Due to the shortage of crucial supplies, which has led the European Chamber of Commerce to meet with officials of the Ministry of Commerce of China to ask them to allow rare earth supply to European companies that are dedicated to the production of integrated circuits. Image | Volker Braun | Gage Skidmore More information | Volt Rush In Xataka | The US will not be able to contain the technological development of China. Experts from the chips industry forecast it

Plan to remove 2,000 million from the chips and give them to critical minerals

by

Donald Trump has criticized on many occasions The Chips Law approved in July 2022 by the government of Joe Biden. At the end of last January and just a week after returning to the White House, the US president He made this statement: “In the very close future we will impose tariffs on foreign production of computer chips, semiconductors and pharmaceutical products to return the manufacture of these essential goods to the US (…) went to Taiwan; now we want them to return. We do not want to give them billions of dollars in The ridiculous Biden program. They already have billions of dollars. “ “The ridiculous Biden program.” It is evident that Donald Trump doesn’t like Chips law at all. Three months before, in October 2024, I had already charged ferocity against this program of the previous administration In Joe Rogan’s podcast: “We put millions of dollars on the table so that rich companies came, they borrow the money and build chip companies here. And they will not give us the best companies.” At that time the possibility that Donald Trump dismantled the Chips program if he arrived at the government was on the table, which caused semiconductor manufacturers They were hurry to collect subsidies Before his return. The partial dismantling of the Chips Law is on the table Presumably Intel, TSMC, Globalfoundries and other designers and manufacturers of integrated circuits have already charged the subsidies of the Chips program assigned to them during the mandate of Joe Biden. Or part of these funds. A priori the money that has already been delivered will not be returned to the administration, but a part of the funds remains in the hands of the Department of Commerce, which is currently led by Howard Lutnick. AND, According to Reutersthe government is considering reallocating at least 2,000 million dollars. China is restricting the export of many of these minerals in response to US sanctions and their allies If this measure thrives those funds initially reserved for semiconductor research and the construction of chips factories will be used to finance projects dedicated to obtaining and the processing of critical minerals. At the moment China controls extraction, processing and the distribution chain of a good part of this crucial strategic resource for many industries, such as integrated circuits, telecommunications, batteries or the electric car, among others. And the country led by Xi Jinping is restricting export of many of these minerals in response to the US sanctions and their allies. The US needs to drastically reduce its dependence on critical minerals controlled by China, and the decisions that Donald Trump has made during recent months reflect clearly that he is much more worried about reinforce the American land industry to deliver subsidies to chips manufacturers. However, the reallocation of these 2,000 million dollars will have an additional effect, if it thrives, it is worth not overlooking: Howard Lutnick will expand its influence to the critical mineral sector. And this manager has the total confidence of Donald Trump. Image | TSMC | Gage Skidmore More information | Reuters In Xataka | The US will not be able to contain the technological development of China. Experts from the chips industry forecast it

There are two suspicious companies of the theft of critical data of TSMC and none of them is China: the two are Japanese

by

TSMC leadership has a price. This Taiwanese company is The largest semiconductor manufacturer on the planet and has built its success on the tuning of Extremely competitive integration technologies. Your most advanced photolithography is currently The 2 Nm; In fact, it is about to start the large -scale manufacture of chips of this class. All probability of their competitors, they could know their most sophisticated processes, especially those that are linked to their 2 nm node. And, apparently, some of them are trying to get this information. As We explain three days agothe Taiwanese authorities have arrested three TSMC employees because they have allegedly stole commercial secrets of this company. As we can expect, behind this detention is TSMC itself, as He has revealed The Taiwan Superior Prosecutor’s Office in a statement. According to Nikkei Asiathose responsible for this company have realized that two employees and a former employee have been made with critical information about their photolithography of 2 Nm. This information is very valuable. In fact, it could be used by a competitor to optimize its own semiconductor manufacturing processes. Two unexpected suspects: Tokyo electron and rapidus corporation The research has not yet determined if this stolen information has reached another company, but United Daily News ensures that researchers have registered the offices of the Japanese company Tokyo Electron. The latter is specialized in the design and manufacture of wafering processing equipment, and currently its most ambitious project is the tuning of wafering engraving machines by plasma. These equipment are involved in the definition of the pattern that will later be transferred to the wafer. Rapidus is making a chip manufacturing plant in northern Japan in which it plans to produce 2 Nm semiconductors According to SCMPTokyo Electron has confirmed that he has fired an employee of his Taipéi subsidiary (Taiwan) for being involved in the theft of TSMC’s critical information. This Japanese company also ensures that He is collaborating with the Taiwanese authorities They are carrying out the investigation. “That Tokyo Electron is located in the center of attention for this incident is an unfortunate accident,” has declared ASUSHI OSANAIProfessor at the University of Waseda (Japan). However, this company is not the only Japanese company that has been involved in this conflict. And is that Money.udn.com maintains that some of the TSMC employees who have been arrested have delivered to Rapidus corporation Hundreds of photographs and data linked to their most advanced process integration techniques. This company is intended to compete from you to you with TSMC, Intel or Samsung in the chip production market. Interestingly, it is very young: it was founded on August 10, 2022 by the Japanese government with an initial capital of 7,346 million yen (just under 46 million euros) contributed by, and here comes the interesting, Sony, Toyota, Nec, Softbank, Kioxia, Denso, Nippon Telegraph and Mufg Bank. Rapidus is currently putting a circuit manufacturing plant integrated in northern Japan, in the city of Chitose (Hokkaido), in which it plans to produce 2 Nm semiconductor. The first prototypes of these chips are already ready, but large -scale manufacturing It will not arrive at best until 2027. Anyway, as in relation to Tokyo Electron, the possible implication of Rapidus in the theft of data to TSMC has not been officially confirmed. In fact, it is possible that the authors of this crime have acted on their own and have offered the stolen information to Rapidus without this last company having requested or accepted. Those responsible for the investigation will have to settle. More information | Money.udn.com | SCMP In Xataka | South Korea fears US reprisals. To avoid their old lithography equipment, they take dust on a warehouse

Samsung is playing his future with the Galaxy S26 processor. Exynos 2600 is in critical phase

by

Samsung needs a plan to make its chips cast competitive again. Korean sources They point out that the smartphone industry giant is working on its new Exynos 2600 processor, with the aim of installing it in the Galaxy S26 series next year. It will be your first processor manufactured in the process of two nanometers, something that translates quickly: risk. The race for the two nanometers. We know Samsung It has been drawing a plan for years Not to be the last in the career of the two nanometers. Kye Hyun Kyung, general director of the Samsung semiconductor division, predicted in 2023 that his company would exceed TSMC and its other competitors (Intel) over the next five years. It is something that They also predicted in Intel. But, except geopolitical crisis in Taiwan and While China works on its own UVE lithography teamsTSMC seems simply unbeatable for now. Samsung, Intel and TSMC will begin this 2025 the massive production of chips with 2NM lithographic process, but the starting points are very different. Samsung keeps moving forward, but slowly. Korean sources point out that Samsung Foundry has started mass production of exynos 2600 chip TSMC 2nm lithography. In Europe it is key to be a leader (or at least, be up to it) in semiconductors for smartphones. Samsung has not taken long to give up its own processors when the performance has not been enough, and has even made artificial distinctions between members of their family S: in 2023 the S24 arrived with exynos, The ultra model, with Qualcomm. It is not being easy. Samsung has reached a 50% wafer performance for its 2 nm lithography. They remain far from the minimum necessary (70%) to make it viable to produce it on a large scale, but there is still more than half a year for the end of 2025. On the other hand, both Intel and TSMC They have shown confidence in which their nodes have enough maturity to enter mass production. In fact, TSMC already has its eyes on its 1.4 nm lithographyscheduled for 2028. Samsung will have to demonstrate that your They cannot afford to lose. Samsung He is losing money with his semiconductor division. Business Post Korea sources They collected a rumored complete restructuring of the samealready 2024 we knew that Samsung Electronics had delayed reception of some of the key ASML teams for its new chips plant in Taylor Texas. This plant is Samsung’s trick to attract US clients who do not want to depend on Taiwan or Korea. The sources pointed out that their facilities were not yet prepared to house EUV systems, fundamental to manufacture under advanced lithographic processes. Both this new factory and the lithography of 2 Nm will be key for the Samsung division to face the current situation. At a time when China drives its own nodes with SMIC and ASML faces restrictions to sell your most advanced machinesthe global industrial balance in chips depends on how many players can manufacture in this process. Future steps are already given. At the end of 2024, Samsung made the greatest change ever made in its dome. It is a movement that talked about Samsung’s position both in semiconductors and in key components to fight with giants such as SK Hynix (DRAM memories, NAND, HBM, etc.), One of the main HBM memories suppliers for NVIDIA. To lead, Samsung needs customers, and to attract them you need to recover your competitiveness. This is no longer only technical or economic: it is also geopolitical. Samsung not only competes for buyers, but for being a strategic partner for the West, a reliable alternative to TSMC. With Google betting on TSMC and abandoning exynosThe company needs to give a blunt message: launch its S26 family with its own processor. Image | Xataka In Xataka | Best Samsung mobiles: which buy and recommended models based on budget, tastes and quality price

The critical metal that China has become its new strategic weapon

by

First it was Lithiumthen The cobalt. China has decided to play its letter with another essential metal for advanced technology: Gallium. Although just 760 metric tons are produced per yearprices have shot and Chinese restrictions are suffocating the global industry, what is happening with element number 31? Short. China maintains its dominance over the gallium for the third year, controlling 98.8% of the market. A year ago it hardened restrictions, alleging national securitywhich has doubled prices up to $ 725 per kilogram, affecting the technological and military industry. The utility of the Gallium. Although annual production is small and its nominal value in the global market does not exceed 550 million dollars, its strategic role is disproportionate to its market size. According to He explained For Reuters, the journalist specialized in critical industrial and mineral metals, Andy Home, Gallium is essential to manufacture compounds such as Gallium Arseniuro and Gallium Nitruro, both used In high performance semiconductors. These materials allow to develop faster and more efficient chips, essential for mobile devices, electric vehicles and defense systems. The never ending story. The geopolitical war that the United States and China libes is nothing new And it is not the first time that China has used gallium as a strategic pressure gun against the United States on next generation semiconductor chips. As He has collected Reuters, the China Ministry of Commerce is closely monitoring any attempt for physical arbitration that tries to divert Gallic to the international market, maintaining relatively stable internal prices while the external market faces an explosive increase. It has more size. The importance of the Gallium is not limited to the civil sector, but in the military world it has become a critical material. In fact, who started was the United States through the Agency for Advanced Defense Research Projects (DARPA), which promoted the development of Gallium Arseniuro for radars and guided weapons. However, China He has consolidated Its leadership with the manufacture of gallium nitride chips for advanced weapons, consolidating its position as a leader in the production of strategic semiconductors. In addition, the Asian country has invested significantly in manufacturing plants dedicated to these components, which would allow it not only to dominate the civil market, but also expand its production capacity for advanced defense systems. This strategy not only threatens the United States position in military technology, but also reinforces the global dependence of the Chinese supply of Gallium and other critical metals something that something that something that something that Japan already saw coming. The rest of the countries. In the long term, the West could reactivate the production of Gaul, but that will take time. According to ReutersRio Tinto has begun to extract pure Galician in his vaudreuil alumina refinery, in Quebec, from industrial waste. The objective is a pilot plant with a capacity of 3.5 tons per year. For its part, in Greece, producer Metlen plans to reach an annual production of 50 tons by 2028, as part of a project to increase the processing capacity of bauxite and alumina. However, the challenge is technical: Western companies stopped producing Gaul years ago, when China flooded the market with cheap product. Now, they must recover the experience and the know-how To refine and process metal. Forecasts The battle for Gaul is only the prelude to a broader technological war. China has shown that it is willing to use critical metals as strategic weapons, and the West faces the challenge of finding alternatives or risking to be exposed to future interruptions, such as He has sentenced Andy Home for Reuters. While investments in new projects are promising, time runs. Until the West does not manage to diversify its supply of Gallium and other critical metals, it will remain vulnerable to Beijing pressure strategy. Image | Thomas Nguyen and Pexels Xataka | Anuuu is thrown over another problem: China prepares to lead the manufacture of chips for advanced weapons

A critical component of current chips manufacturing machines

by

The teams of extreme ultraviolet photolithography (UVE) that manufactures the Dutch company ASML are extraordinarily sophisticated. In fact, they are those currently using TSMC, Samsung, Intel, Sy Hynix and Micron Technology for produce integrated avant -garde circuits. They are so complex that during the first phases of their design in the early 90s of the last century, ASML engineers They believed it was impossible. However, everything changed in 1997. That year Jos Benschop, the leader of the research department, reassess whether UNVE technology was a viable option. After the first tests he realized that The German company Zeiss He was able to develop extraordinarily sophisticated mirrors that would be necessary to transport ultraviolet light. And he was not wrong. That was the real starting point of technology that has made it possible for our mobile phones and computers to have such advanced chips. Zeiss’s feat arrived in the 90s One of the most complex elements of UVE lithography machines is The ultraviolet light source. The company of American origin Cymer, although since 2013 it is not an independent company. That year ASML executives decided to buy it to accelerate the development of the technologies involved in UVE lithography. An interesting note: the ultraviolet light is responsible for transporting the geometric pattern described by the mask so that it can be transferred with a lot of precision to the surface of the silicon wafer. Understanding what is the mask is simple: it is nothing other than a physical template that contains the design of the integrated circuit that is necessary to transfer to the Silicon wafer. In any case, there is another component without whose intervention It is not possible to carry out this crucial task. Other components, in plural, in reality, although all of them are of the same type. It is precisely the mirrors that Jos Benschop suspected in 1997 that Zeiss could produce. The light of 11.4 nm was discarded because it forced to use beryllium in the mirrors and is a toxic chemical element The role of the optical elements of this company in these lithography equipment is crucial. And it is because they are responsible for moving the UVE light with a wavelength of 13.5 nm from the source that is responsible for its emission to the mask contained in the geometric pattern that is necessary to translate into the silicon wafer. If the mirrors involved in the propagation of the UVE light are not manufactured with enormous precision the geometric pattern defined by the mask will be altered, and the chips will be damaged. Interestingly, the choice of the wavelength of the UVE light used by these machines was a very delicate decision. Initially the engineers involved in their tuning had four possible options: 13.5 nm, 11.4 nm, 6.6 nm and 4.8 nm. These last two wavelengths were finally ruled out due to the limitations they imposed Organic photorestoning materials. The light of 11.4 Nm was also discarded because it forced to use beryllium in the mirrors, and is a toxic chemical element. The wavelength of 13.5 Nm required to introduce molybdenum and silicon mirrors, but these elements do not pose any problem. This is the reason why UVE machines work with this light. In any case, this data clearly reflects the extraordinary level of precision with which it is necessary to manufacture the mirrors: Zeiss uses argon ions and other elements to polish layer per layer at the atomic level the mirrors, and then identifies and corrects the defects using a subnustric analysis technique. This last tool is capable of detecting defects with a lower precision than a nanometer (less than a millmillonieth part of a meter). * Some price may have changed from the last review Image | Zeiss BIBLIOGRAPHY | ‘Focus: The Asml Way’by Marc Hijink More information | Zeiss | Asianometry In Xataka | 2024 has been a year full of uncertainty for chip designers. So much that the market has changed leader

Log In

Forgot password?

Forgot password?

Enter your account data and we will send you a link to reset your password.

Your password reset link appears to be invalid or expired.

Log in

Privacy Policy

Add to Collection

No Collections

Here you'll find all collections you've created before.