Siheyuan: I eat melons while doing scientific research

Chapter 1316 of the latest issue of "Laser" (4k)

Time flies, and more than half of June has already passed.

"Chief Engineer Gao, we've completed the trial production task you assigned last time." The colleagues from the semiconductor laboratory of the Third Plant came to Gao Zhendong with a box of EPROMs.

"Is it all set up? Where's the matching erasing/writing device?"

"The eraser/write device is even earlier; it's simpler than EPROM," a colleague from the semiconductor lab laughed.

There's nothing new about the eraser/write device; as long as the ultraviolet light power is sufficient and the control logic and timing of the eraser/write device are correct, it's fine.

For the colleagues in the semiconductor lab, this was not exactly easy, but it was certainly not difficult either.

"Have you tried them all?"

"I've tested it; the erase, read, and write tests all came back without any problems. By the way, this is the user manual we prepared."

Although this system wasn't large, it involved quite a few units. Even though the semiconductor process itself was mainly handled by the semiconductor laboratory at Plant 3, other parts still involved some sister units, such as the Northeast Institute of Optics, which provides optical glass windows. For Plant 3, high ultraviolet transmittance optical glass was essentially an export-to-domestic product, flowing from Gao Zhendong to the Northeast Institute of Optics, and now back from the Northeast Institute of Optics.

"Okay, put the things here." Gao Zhendong was very satisfied. This was a small bonus in the Children's Day gift package, but it could solve many practical problems.

With this, writing control system programs for many devices becomes much easier; it's not just a change in storage format.

Gao Zhendong picked up the phone and called the Third Factory Office: "Draft a meeting notice, inviting the following units to our factory to attend the launch and introduction meeting for the ultraviolet eraser-write non-volatile semiconductor memory chip. The General Engineering Office of the Twelfth Ministry of Machine Building, the Computing Institute of the Twelfth Ministry of Machine Building, Factory 1274 of the Twelfth Ministry of Machine Building, all missile research institutes of the National Defense Industry Commission, the General Engineering Office of the Eleventh Ministry of Machine Building..."

Finally, Gao Zhendong didn't forget to add, "Oh, right, and there's also our 17th Ministry of Machine Building's Chief Engineer's Office."

When the comrades of the Twelfth Ministry of Machine Building received the notice, they were all overjoyed.

What could possibly prompt Comrade Gao Zhendong to issue such a wide-ranging invitation must be something very interesting.

"Could it be a major theoretical breakthrough?" Director Chi and the chief engineer of the computational institute chuckled.

"Probably not. He wouldn't make such a big fuss about major theoretical projects. There aren't many people who can understand that kind of stuff, and he doesn't like to be so high-profile. I think it's an applied achievement, but this application should be very extensive and very important. Look at the organizations he mentioned, they're all applied ones."

"Ah, I see, UV erase non-volatile semiconductor memory chip... I roughly know what it is, but I didn't expect that he has never stopped working here. Where does he find so much time?"

Starting with DJS-59, Director Chi, who was then serving as the chief engineer of the Institute of Computing Technology, was very familiar with Gao Zhendong, so he was quite knowledgeable about Gao Zhendong's work.

As one of the top figures in the computer field, second only to Gao Zhendong, he was well aware that the current development of computers had temporarily reached a level that was sufficient or even slightly exceeded. It was perfectly normal for Committee Member Gao to turn his attention and energy to new operating systems, Internet transmission protocols, and other directions. As for hardware, other comrades could simply follow the path he had set. However, he did not expect that he himself would continue to exert effort on hardware.

I guess it was something he did "in his spare time" again.

Thinking of Gao Zhendong's habitually cryptic phrases used in meetings, Director Chi couldn't help but laugh.

"Okay, you'll come with me. Oh, and bring one more key person with you, um... someone who's good at hardware."

"Okay, I'll make arrangements right away."

Looking at the meeting notice in his hand, Director Chi felt a little regretful. It was a pity that the meeting would not be held for several days to accommodate some comrades from remote and isolated areas of the Defense Committee.
-
When a colleague from the Postal and Telecommunications Commission and the Communications Design Institute passed by the gatehouse, he eagerly stuck his head into the window.

"Uncle Wang, has that 'Laser' journal arrived yet?" Based on past experience, the next few days are when this month's "Laser" journal is delivered. As someone who works in communications, he is becoming increasingly interested in lasers.

All the properties of lasers are very suitable for communication, but there is currently no communication medium that is truly suitable for lasers.

At this point, the idea of ​​using lasers for long-distance communication is like using yellow-green lasers for underwater communication—theoretically wonderful, but practical applications are still far off and simply cannot keep up.

We can't just use air, can we? Atmospheric scattering would ruin it, and direct laser beams are very limiting for communication. Ideally, it should flow like electricity or water, flow flexibly, and preferably be able to bend.

Therefore, for him, the journal "Laser," which is considered the most authoritative professional journal on lasers both domestically and internationally, is something he must follow at all times.

"Ah, it's Engineer Liu. He's here, but the librarians have already taken it," Grandpa Wang said with a smile.

Arriving late, even in the library's specialized resource room—a relatively specialized space—it's hard to say when you'll actually get your hands on these things.

It's true that it's highly specialized and has few borrowers, but this is the Communications Design Institute of the China Post and Telecommunications Commission. How many people here aren't highly specialized?

It's not that he's unwilling to subscribe to a copy himself; he can afford it, and in fact, he'd love to. The key issue is that he doesn't even qualify for a subscription yet—his professional level isn't high enough.

"Okay, thanks!" He took off running, not forgetting to offer Grandpa Wang a cigarette before leaving.

We need to get to the professional resource room quickly; there might still be time.

When he finally arrived at the professional resource room, panting, he realized he didn't need to ask anything before he even opened his mouth.

He was very familiar with the cover of "Laser". These days, the covers of our journals have hardly changed since their inception, because we are unwilling to spend resources to design the cover of each issue. Given our current resource conditions, adding an extra color page is a waste of resources.

Why bother with all that fancy stuff? What matters is the content, especially in professional journals like this. If you want to know the gist, just look at the table of contents.

At this moment, this familiar red cover is being held in the hands of a comrade. Because the first laser beam was red, the cover of "Laser" has been red since its inception. This is very symbolic, from various angles.

The comrade was beaming with delight, his eyes glued to the journal in his hands. Clearly, he had borrowed this journal first.

This has potential! That was Engineer Liu's first thought.

As colleagues in the same unit, if someone can make others look happy and stare intently, it's highly likely that it's related to you.

"Comrade, could I take a look at this book first? Just the table of contents." The telecommunications design institute is a large organization; it's impossible to know everyone. This comrade who acted first looked familiar to Engineer Liu, but he couldn't quite place his name.

"Okay, but you can only look at the catalog, I need it urgently." We're all in the same boat... no, colleagues from the same unit, so the other party was very agreeable.

However, as straightforward as it may seem, there's absolutely no way they'd try to steal it from them.

It was clear from the other person's actions that he did not hand the journal directly to Engineer Liu, but instead flipped to the table of contents and presented it to Engineer Liu.

What's this all about? You can't be too careful when borrowing books, right?
However, when he understood the contents of the catalog, he realized why the other party was so wary; he would have been just as wary himself.

— Research and preparation of optical fibers in long-distance communication.

The writing style of academic papers is different from other writings, and this title is no exception. The content is extremely rich and captivating at first glance.

This is similar to the "golden three chapters" that became popular in online novels decades later, aiming to allow readers to judge at a glance whether they are interested in it or whether it will be helpful to them, thus saving readers' time to the greatest extent.

Of course, there is another principle that also applies here, which is "good writing can overcome any problem". As long as the content is good enough, there is not much of a problem.

This article must possess both qualities. As Liu looked at the table of contents, he suddenly gripped half of the journal tightly, refusing to let go.

What allowed him to judge the quality of this article was a few small print in the table of contents.

—Gao Zhendong.

Anyone who works with lasers will be familiar with this person. Similarly, even those in the communications design institute who don't work with lasers will recognize his name.

Our first-generation program-controlled switch was developed under his guidance. It was used domestically and exported in large quantities. Now, our colleagues at the Communication Design Institute are developing the second-generation program-controlled switch under his guidance and assistance.

With his expertise in both lasers and communications, how could his articles in "Laser" be anything less than outstanding?
Coincidentally, that's what he was thinking, and that's what the comrade who wanted to strike first was thinking too.

"Comrade, you've looked at the table of contents, shouldn't you return the book to me now? Don't worry, I'll let you know when I'm done, and we'll come over together. I'll return it to you right away, that shouldn't be a problem, right?"

These publicly distributed journals are not classified, so they can be borrowed. However, some materials cannot be borrowed at all.

To be honest, this comrade's suggestion is, under normal circumstances, extremely kind and considerate.

Unfortunately, Engineer Liu is not quite normal now.

"No, no, no, comrade, how about this, let me read it first, or let me make a copy of this article first, okay?" Engineer Liu didn't even want to wait a moment longer.

Having a photocopier is great; it has greatly improved everyone's learning efficiency. At least when they see something interesting, they don't have to copy it down bit by bit by hand, which has greatly improved the efficiency of knowledge transfer.

Before photocopiers existed, some people would go to great lengths to borrow a book indefinitely, such as using two or three library cards in rotation to exploit loopholes in the borrowing regulations.

"You're also interested in this article?" The word "also" says it all. Just think about it, they're all monks from the same temple, how different could they be?
Liu was a little dumbfounded, and even a little worried: "You too?"

"Of course, you know what Gao's article about lasers and communications represents." Perhaps this is a completely new direction.

Moreover, the title of this article says it all: applied research and preparation. It covers everything from how to use it to how to manufacture it. If the content goes a little deeper, it can be said to have directly opened the door to laser long-distance communication.

However, they are destined to be somewhat disappointed. Regarding the preparation, there is only one result: it proves that we have successfully prepared it. More specific details will only be available after the colleagues in the International Division of the National Bureau of Standardization have completed their work.

"Shall we watch it together?" Engineer Liu asked nervously, clinging to his last shred of hope.

The other person smiled, a smile with a hint of heroism: "Alright! Let's study it together."

Indeed, this woman was about the same age as him, and only then did Engineer Liu realize this.

If colleagues at the Institute of Communications Technology were able to recognize the value of this article immediately, then colleagues elsewhere, such as those at the Institute of Military Communications Technology, would do the same.

The comrades at the Military Communications Institute jumped up the moment they received the article.

"Information capacity of 1 GHz?"

This alone left them speechless and deeply shocked.

They had no doubt about the authenticity of the article. Just look at who the corresponding author and the first author are! It's Comrade Zhendong! All the advanced communication equipment that the Military Communications Institute has equipped itself with or is developing now comes from his hands. Moreover, he is currently leading colleagues from the Military Communications Institute and Beijing University of Technology on a major research project.

The pioneer of lasers, the leader in laser applications, and a master in the field of communications would never joke about an article.

Although we don't know how to use it or whether it's even possible, this 1GHz has already struck a chord with the comrades at the Military Communications Institute.

Let alone long-distance communication, imagine how many previously unrealizable ideas could be realized on an airplane or a ship with this information capacity and communication speed?

"Let's go, let's go find the National Defense Committee!" This was the first thought of the comrades from the Military Communications Institute.

Some colleagues at the original research institute shared the same idea. They felt that this thing seemed useful, but they hadn't grasped the core of the problem. The answer seemed to be hidden behind a thin mist, playing hide-and-seek with them.

For them, things were quite simple: the original research institute was a subordinate institution of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Committee Member Gao was a member of the Science Committee of the Department of Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. What a coincidence!

This issue of "Laser" is still in China, but this soft, thin beam of glass has already begun to illuminate the path forward for many fields.
-
Gao Zhendong was unaware that a large group of comrades were heading towards him because of the latest issue of "Laser". He was currently in the large, confidential conference room of the Third Branch Factory, watching the comrades from the Third Branch Factory's technical department introduce the latest treasures to comrades from related industries.

What the comrades saw before them was a somewhat unusual chip. On top of the chip was a circular transparent window, through which they could see the silicon wafer inside and the gold wires extending from around it.

(End of this chapter)