From top student in college to scientific research powerhouse

Chapter 81 Agreement Reached! Signing Ceremony: All Traditional...

After arriving at the Applied Electromagnetism Laboratory, the company team's first step was to tour the laboratory and gain a preliminary understanding of the preparation process of multilayer tinene thin film materials.

The company representatives and accompanying experts walked together, accompanied by personnel from the university and the provincial science and technology department.

As the head of the laboratory and an important participant in the research, Zhu Bingkun took the lead and once again served as a professional explainer, explaining the material preparation process.

He has already explained it many times.

The entire material production process was explained with great skill and professionalism.

The only technical issue that cannot be discussed is the substrate manufacturing process, which is also the core of STN-01 manufacturing technology.

There's nothing else I can't say.

The preparation process of tinene thin films is similar across different laboratories, and the procedures are the same in other laboratories.

During his presentation, Zhu Bingkun spoke about the difficulties in the technology research and development process, the continuous improvement of the substrate, and the research investment and the effort put in by the researchers.

Those who walked ahead listening to the explanation were, of course, very interested in substrate technology.

Yu Jianlun, manager of Dongda Materials Industry Group, suddenly asked, "Director Zhu, was this substrate developed by Zhang Minghao?"

Zhu Bingkun was stunned.

Liu Guobo, deputy general manager of the Northern Materials Research Institute, was walking beside him. He immediately asked in confusion, "General Manager Yu, who developed the substrate? Does it make a difference?"

"It's not about the difference, I'm just curious."

"Oh?" Liu Guobo was a little confused, and the others also listened attentively.

Yu Jianlun laughed and said, "You know New Creation Technology, right? They've recently made a breakthrough in research. They've supposedly created a semiconductor model that can directly calculate the properties of semiconductor substrates."

"That is, to calculate the suitable substrate based on the characteristics of the required semiconductor device."

"Just think about how amazing this is?"

"Hula~~~"

The people around were very surprised; it was the first time they had ever heard this news.

"If we calculate the substrate based on the characteristics of semiconductor devices, future research and development will be much easier?"

Liu Guobo pondered and deduced, "Can we avoid taking detours?"

"Save a lot of detours!"

Yu Jianlun said, "This matter has spread throughout the semiconductor industry, and the semiconductor model of Xinchuang Technology was developed in cooperation with Zhang Minghao."

"So, when Director Zhu mentioned substrate research and said that it was based on data analysis and calculation, that's when I thought of it. And I saw in the report that Zhang Minghao made the biggest contribution to the results."

After he finished speaking, he emphasized, "I don't know the specifics, I'm just asking out of curiosity."

Everyone immediately looked at Zhu Bingkun.

Zhu Bingkun was taken aback for a moment, but then realized it was nothing. He nodded slightly and said with a smile, "President Yu, you are truly amazing. You were able to guess that."

"Haha~~~"

This compliment made Yu Jianlun very proud.

Others couldn't help but mention Zhang Minghao, who was able to lead the development of high-value semiconductor models and design substrate solutions that allowed for the stable growth of multilayer tinene films.

In the field of research on substrate-driven device growth, the other party is undoubtedly a true genius.

……

After visiting the laboratory, the accompanying experts from both companies evaluated the materials and manufacturing technologies.

The materials include not only STN-01, but also STN-02, a byproduct of the manufacturing process.

STN-01 is a multilayer metal olefin material with extremely high conductivity at room temperature. Its greatest value lies in its near-superconductivity at room temperature.

The atomic layer arrangement of STN-02 is not regular, and defects occurred during the growth of the tinene film, affecting the overall properties and preventing it from having near-superconducting properties at room temperature.

However, the STN-02 also has its advantages.

STN-02 has the highest thermoelectric figure of merit among metals. Although it is far from being commercially viable, its high thermal conductivity and Ising superconducting properties give it potential for applications in some niche areas.

Both companies had already completed their evaluations of the STN-01 and STN-02 materials.

STN-02 is a byproduct, so we won't discuss it for now.

The STN-01 has clear advantages, but its disadvantages are also very obvious. The biggest disadvantage is that the manufacturing cost is too high.

After understanding the entire preparation process, the expert team discovered another drawback—the room for technological improvement was very limited.

The high manufacturing cost can be significantly reduced by improving technology and processes, conducting research and development, and large-scale manufacturing.

The situation is different for STN-01.

STN-01 is manufactured using a stable substrate catalysis method. The manufacturing process is both simple and complex. Without changing the substrate, there is very limited room for technological improvement.

In other words, it will be difficult to significantly increase the yield rate through research and development in the future.

In addition, STN-01 is not a conventional chemical or alloy material, but a technological material that requires a stable atomic arrangement to exhibit its properties.

This material cannot be bumped or knocked, and the material is very complicated to cut; it cannot be used simply by cutting off a small piece.

Of course, there are also good aspects.

For example, substrate materials can be reused, and damaged substrates can be melted and reprocessed.

Once large-scale investment in research and development and standardized production is implemented, the substrate, which has the highest cost in laboratory preparation, will no longer be a problem. The main costs will be concentrated on specially manufactured tin powder, activators, maintaining the growth environment, and high-precision material extraction operations in the later stages.

In terms of commercial value, the company's team's assessment is not optimistic, mainly due to the high manufacturing costs.

The cost is too high, so it cannot be used in most fields.

……

In the morning, we visited the laboratory, reviewed research and development materials, examined material samples, and so on.

The formal negotiation phase began in the afternoon.

The laboratory doesn't need to be directly involved; the university has a dedicated team to discuss the commercialization of research results.

Officials from the Provincial Department of Science and Technology also came.

Both the university and the provincial science and technology department are on the side of the laboratory. For the university, they also have a certain proportion of ownership, which is equivalent to negotiating cooperation with themselves.

The group from the laboratory listened in.

Zhang Minghao, Zhu Bingkun, and Chen Shuai all came, while Xue Kun and Fang Huimin were excluded, mainly due to their personalities.

Xue Kun's honest and reserved nature made him ill-suited to this kind of occasion.

Fang Huimin sometimes gets easily startled, so it's better to just go back to the lab and wait for news.

The two companies came together to discuss the transfer of materials technology. They are not in competition with each other; rather, they are like a team, and they will jointly acquire the materials-related technologies.

This was a decision made by the higher authorities.

If only one company comes to discuss cooperation and acquires the technology, it is equivalent to achieving a monopoly. While a monopoly can generate huge profits, it can also hinder technological progress.

If two companies acquire the technology together, they will inevitably become competitors.

Competition in research and development, competition in manufacturing costs, competition in expanding market space, and so on.

Competition drives progress.

Both companies were designated by the Ministry of Science and Technology, and their negotiations with the university were not purely commercial. However, their offers could not be too outrageous, otherwise the university, the provincial science and technology department, and even the provincial government would be dissatisfied.

Negotiations can still involve heated debates.

The corporate team emphasized that high manufacturing costs and limited room for technological improvement severely restrict commercial value.

"The cost is high and there is very little room for technological improvement. Even with large-scale production, STN-01 can only be manufactured by luck and probability."

"Moreover, the STN-01 is very expensive to cut and use. It's like a porcelain doll; it can't withstand any bumps or knocks."

"Given the current manufacturing costs, the only conceivable applications are in a very limited number of high-tech fields."

"For example, aerospace."

"But would NASA buy materials at a premium? Unless policy allows it, we can't possibly sell materials to NASA, right?" "As for STN-02, it's a byproduct; the international thermoelectric metal materials market is pitifully small, and most of it is still in the lab..."

"Are you hoping to create a watch that can be charged by temperature difference?"

When a company team is looking for issues with materials, manufacturing costs, and directions for process improvement, they can say a lot.

The school delegation's counter-arguments were rather simplistic.

The phrase they repeated most often was, "This is a room-temperature superconducting material!"

"Nearly 100% electrical conductivity at room temperature—the first material in human technological history to definitively approach room-temperature superconductivity!"

"This material will be recorded in the history of science and technology!"

A single sentence can be phrased in various ways, but the meaning remains the same, yet it is always very persuasive.

Regardless of any issues the company team raised in finding materials, the school always responded with this one sentence.

Regarding market prospects, the university also "kindly" pointed out the "scientific research value" to the company.

“It can be sold to foreign research institutions; they will definitely be interested in STN-01.”

When discussing research prospects, the company team worried that other research institutions might develop the same technology.

The manufacturing process of tinene thin films is not complicated.

The manufacture of STN-01 has also pointed the way for other research institutions, enabling them to improve bismuth telluride substrates and develop technologies that allow for the stable growth of tinene thin layers.

This is the benefit of having a clear direction.

So another question arises: how long will it take for other research teams to develop and manufacture STN-01?

Everyone in the room immediately turned to look at Zhang Minghao.

Zhang Minghao stood up, extended one hand, and said seriously, "Even with the investment of a large team regardless of cost, it would take at least three years to complete such a substrate solution."

"This is the most conservative estimate."

"Once you get the technology, you'll see."

Zhang Minghao's words are still worth considering.

When a technology is more than three years ahead of the international level, its advantages are already very clear.

During the negotiations, the topic of catching up in technology was put aside, and what followed was still a war of words.

Ultimately, both sides reached an agreement.

……

On that day, media outlets in Dongchuan Province received a notification from Jiangzhou University inviting them to conduct interviews.

The invitation to interview only stated that Jiangzhou University would hold a signing ceremony for technology transfer cooperation with the company at 10:00 a.m. the following day.

Technology transfer cooperation?
Signing ceremony!

The two pieces of information together are quite extraordinary.

Ordinary technology transfer collaborations involve relatively little capital and do not require a 'signing ceremony'.

If a signing ceremony is to be held, it is undoubtedly a transfer of significant technological achievements.

What are the major technological achievements of Jiangzhou University?
STN-01!

Many media outlets have thought of STN-01, but they are hesitant to confirm it due to a lack of clear information.

Major media outlets outside of Dongchuan Province also received the news and simply sent reporters to fly there overnight for interviews.

The next day came quickly.

At seven o'clock in the morning, there were already quite a few people in the auditorium of Jiangzhou University.

Staff members are busy setting up the site.

Reporters who arrived early noticed a huge banner on the stage as soon as they entered, with a line of large characters written on it—

STN-01 and STN-02 Material Technology Transfer Signing Ceremony!
"It really is STN-01!"

The reporter was immediately very surprised.

After a short while, more and more people arrived, and they all started talking together, "When we heard the news yesterday, we guessed it was this material; we couldn't have imagined anything else!"

“The materials from Jiangzhou University are simply not good enough; they can only be STN-01.”

"So, when you say technology transfer, you mean STN-01 is indeed a room-temperature superconducting material?"

"It is most likely..."

As the reporters discussed the event, more and more people arrived at the auditorium.

After 9:40, everyone who was supposed to arrive had arrived, and the staff arranged for them to take their seats.

The people involved in the signing were already on stage. There were many people who needed to sign, including representatives from the two companies, the school, the applied electromagnetics laboratory, and Zhang Minghao himself, who owned 60% of the achievement and represented the research team.

Zhu Bingkun is the representative of the Applied Electromagnetism Laboratory.

The school representative was Vice Principal Xu Peijun; the two company representatives were General Manager Yu Jianlun and Director Zhou Hai.

The signatories stood in a row.

After the staff handed them the contract, they signed their names from left to right. In fact, the contract had already been signed, and the ceremony was just a formality.

Therefore, the signing process went very smoothly.

After everyone signed their names, the host announced, "Congratulations to Jiangzhou University, Dongda Materials Industry Group, and Northern Materials Research Institute Co., Ltd. on reaching a cooperation agreement on the transfer of STN-01 material manufacturing technology!"

The people present immediately burst into enthusiastic applause.

After the signing ceremony, the people on stage took group photos, and other relevant personnel also went up on stage.

Zhang Minghao, Zhu Bingkun, Xue Kun, Fang Huimin, and Chen Shuai were arranged to stand in a row, holding up a large sign with the names of the school, laboratory, and company written in small print.

The large characters in the middle are a string of numbers—

100000000 yuan!
When the sign was raised, the people attending the ceremony applauded.

Transfer fee, a small goal!

This figure sets a new record for the highest transfer fee for research and development achievements since the founding of Jiangzhou University.

Many people in the audience started discussing, "Compared to room-temperature superconducting materials, a transfer fee of 100 million is not much."

"The main problem with STN-01 is its high manufacturing cost and limited room for technological improvement. If it were truly a stable superconductor made of conventional materials, even a billion yuan wouldn't be too much!"

"One hundred million is fine!"

"It's said that Zhang Minghao owns most of the rights to this achievement. He'll get tens of millions out of a hundred million, which will make him financially independent!"

"He's still pursuing his doctorate..."

At this moment, the reporters all crowded below the stage, raising their cameras to take close-up photos of each other's faces.

Despite the glory of the occasion, the people on stage did not feel good about it.

Zhang Minghao stood on the far left, forcing a smile at the camera, and muttered stiffly, "Why did the school insist on arranging this segment?"

"How tacky!"

Zhu Bingkun said, "It's all tradition, there's nothing I can do about it. I feel like I've won the lottery..."

Next up is Xue Kun. "Just do whatever you're told, it's only once anyway."

"I've finally shown my face!"

Chen Shuai was the only one with a smile on his face; his joy was genuine.

Finally, there's Fang Huimin.

She was covering half her face with her hand, her mind racing. "Oh no, I didn't put on makeup!"

(End of this chapter)