104. Wafer(1)
It takes a lot of effort to make a semiconductor.
Semiconductors come out only through as many as eight processes, which are often referred to as the eight major processes of semiconductor manufacturing.
To put it in more detail, you have to go through the photo process, wafer process, oxidation process, thin film deposition, metal process, etching process, EDS process, and packaging process, and a huge amount of manpower and technology are required for each process.
None of the processes are insignificant, but what Hoyoung paid attention to was the second stage, the wafer process.
The wafer was the most basic substrate for making semiconductors, and the larger the size of the wafer, the more semiconductor chips can be made from one wafer.
“hello. My name is Yu Kyung-hwan, general manager of the Semiconductor Development Department of Myungsung Electronics. Nice to meet you.”
“yes. I am Park Byung-jin, vice president of Anam Industries.”
Park Byeong-jin, who received a call from Myeongseong Electronics a few days ago, was at a coffee shop in Gangnam.
Gyeonghwan Yoo said he would go to Anam Industrial, but Byeongjin Park asked to meet here, so the two met here.
“You are younger than I thought. In fact, since you said you were vice president, I thought you were a little older.”
“Actually, it wasn’t long before I became vice president. I am ashamed of my lack of ability compared to my position.”
While meeting Ho-young and conducting wafer research, Byung-jin Park was promoted to vice president.
In fact, the biggest reason he originally stayed at the general manager was his father’s consideration to come up step by step from the bottom until he was fully prepared to run the company.
For that reason, it was not strange that he, who was trying to work for the company in earnest, was rapidly promoted to vice president.
“no. It is a great achievement even if it is just the 8-inch wafer developed this time.”
“I feel like I got caught because I tried so hard.”
Yoo Kyung-hwan smiled in front of Park Byung-jin, but on the inside, he was close to Park Byung-jin, who was trembling with humility.
Myungsung Electronics was also continuing research on wafer development, and the development was nearing completion.
However, press releases that Anam Semiconductor, which had been completely ignored, succeeded in developing an 8-inch wafer for the first time in the world, began pouring out, and the reputation was bitter and I had no choice but to contact Anam Industry.
“haha. Humility is too much. By the way, can we continue talking here?”
Yoo Kyung-hwan shook his head and said.
Park Byung-jin immediately realized what he was talking about.
The coffee shop where the two of them were sitting was not a room type, but an open place.
“I am okay. Actually, I can’t stand being stuffy. We could have taken her to our company’s reception room, but we didn’t. There aren’t many people around, so why don’t you keep talking here? If you feel uncomfortable, I will change seats.”
Kyung-Hwan Yoo looked around and, as Byeong-Jin Park said, there was only one man sitting at a table a short distance away from the coffee shop.
“no. Despite being in Gangnam, this coffee shop is really empty. I’m fortunate enough.”
“haha. That’s why I brought you here.”
“All right. Then, let’s have a serious conversation.”
“yes. I’m curious too. Why did you ask to see me?”
Yoo Kyung-hwan didn’t like Park Byung-jin, who said he didn’t know anything, but he never showed it.
“We want to use the 8-inch wafer developed and patented this time.”
“Hmm···. That’s a little embarrassing.”
“please.”
Yoo Kyung-hwan lowered his head and said.
“sorry. If that’s the case, I don’t think there’s anything more to say. sorry. If you’re going to keep talking about this, I’ll get up.”
Park Byung-jin said firmly and tried to stand up.
“Sleep, wait a minute!”
Yu Gyeong-hwan urgently caught him.
‘What, are you saying you came here without knowing if you were going to talk about wafers?’
He couldn’t hide his absurd mind.
Shortly after the successful development of the 8-inch wafer, Myungsung Electronics contacted me, because I thought it was natural to assume that they would talk about this wafer.
“Could you please listen to me for a moment?”
Yu Kyung-hwan had a really desperate expression.
“Hmm···. All right.”
Park Byung-jin sat back in his seat as if he had no choice.
“Did you really not know I would bring up the wafer?”
“sure. How did you know to bring up the wafer story? I just randomly ask for time to meet.”
“Then, did you assume that we called for a reason and came here?”
Park Byung-jin narrowed his eyes and said.
“I thought that Myungsung Electronics asked us to meet about what he proposed to us the other day.”
“What are we suggesting… ah!”
Yoo Kyung-hwan’s face instantly turned red.
It is because I realized that the last proposal that Park Byung-jin refers to is the proposal to Anam Industrial to become a subcontractor of Myeongseong Electronics.
“I never thought I would ask to be allowed to use wafers for work at the time.”
“I really apologize for what happened then.”
Yu Kyung-hwan lowered his head so that his head touched the table.
“Well, I didn’t mean to ask for an apology. It’s already a thing of the past. Raise your head.”
“thank you. Then, would you like to hear our condition to use 8-inch wafers? please.”
“All right. Let’s listen.”
Yu Kyung-hwan had a somewhat relieved expression.
He was only a general manager at Myeongseong Electronics.
And this wafer use case was because Cho Nam-sik repeatedly emphasized that he must make the contract, so if he couldn’t even talk like this, there was a good chance he would be kicked out.
“As a royalty for the 8-inch wafer technology, we will give you 50% of the cost savings compared to using 6-inch wafers. In simple terms, we are talking about halving the extra revenue from using 8-inch wafers.”
The conditions suggested by Kyunghwan Yoo were quite good.
When wafers were switched from 6 inches to 8 inches, production did not simply increase by 20%.
Semiconductors are mostly made in the shape of a rectangle.
However, wafers are circular.
A semiconductor circuit is drawn on a circular wafer, and the semiconductor is removed by cutting it into pieces.
At that time, the edges that could not make a square shape had to be discarded, but the larger the size of the wafer, the smaller the discarded part became.
“Is this a story for all production?”
“of course. I am talking about all semiconductors that contain 8-inch wafers.”
“Hmm···.”
Park Byung-jin was lost in thought for a moment.
And Yoo Kyung-hwan closed his mouth tightly and waited for Park Byung-jin’s answer so that he could think quietly.
Park Byung-jin, who had been thinking about it for a long time, finally opened his mouth.
“I can’t.”
“yes?”
“The benefits of using wafers are incalculable. There is no way to tell us in detail how much profit there is from Myungsung Electronics, and above all, we did not develop 8-inch wafers at the risk of life and death to receive only that amount of royalties.”
Yoo Gyeong-hwan could not answer Park Byung-jin’s words.
In fact, the limit of the profit he could distribute to the company was up to 80% of the profit he would get from using 8-inch wafers.
So he initially called 50% to leave room for negotiation.
However, since Park Byung-jin denied the royalties of profit itself, it was only natural that he was embarrassed because he was not prepared for this situation.
“that···. So, what level of royalty do you want?”
“I will give you 5% of Myungsung Electronics’ semiconductor sales.”
“yes?!”
“Are you deaf?”
Yoo Gyeong-hwan could not easily answer Park Byung-jin’s sarcastic remarks.
‘Is this person ignorant of the world? Or do you really think so? Oh, what if it’s not like that?’
He had an idea that passed through his mind for a moment.
“Are you deliberately putting unreasonable conditions in order to reject our offer?”
“Nothing like that.”
“Do you know what Myungsung Electronics’ sales were last year? It is a whopping 5 trillion won. 5 trillion won. Among them, semiconductor sales amount to 2.5 trillion won. If it’s 5% there, it’s a whopping 125 billion! That’s based on last year’s sales, and this year’s Myungsung Electronics’ sales will increase even more. Are you asking for that much money as royalties?”
“That’s right.”
Park Byung-jin quenched his thirst with the already cold coffee and continued.
“I guess you didn’t know exactly where we were right now. We are now contacting GS Group and Daehyun Group in Korea for wafer usage rights, and even leading overseas companies are all interested in 8-inch wafers. In such a situation, they covet our technology with a small royalty. There seems to be nothing more to talk about. Just get up.”
After speaking, Park Byung-jin jumped up from his seat.
“Now, wait a minute…”
“A little while ago, he grabbed me by saying, “Wait a minute, but nothing has happened. Any more would be a waste of time.”
Yoo Gyeong-hwan didn’t even think of catching Park Byung-jin again and only opened his mouth.
“If you want to talk more about wafers with me, please contact our company and set up a meeting date. Don’t tell me that we have to meet in such a hurry.”
“All right···.”
Park Byung-jin left one more word as he left the leisurely coffee shop.
“And, from now on, if you want to talk to me, someone higher than you will have to come.”
Yoo Kyung-hwan could not answer him.
He had no thoughts other than that he was screwed.
There was no time to worry about the man sitting in the coffee shop other than him and Park Byeong-jin leaving the coffee shop following Park Byeong-jin.
.
.
.
“Brother. How about my acting?”
“You did very well. Brother, can you be an actor?”
“ha ha ha! okay? Even if I was ten years younger, I would give it a try.”
Hoyoung was sitting at another table in the coffee shop when Park Byungjin and Yoo Kyunghwan were talking.
“By the way, no one really came into the coffee shop. What did you do?”
“yes. I rented that coffee shop for the day.”
“I see.”
Park Byeong-jin, who was well aware of how much money Ho-yeong had, naturally understood.
Park Byung-jin and Ho-young were talking in Ho-young’s office in the Hermes building.
Hoyoung deliberately set the meeting place for today to a nearby place.
“Then what should I do next?”
“I have to wait.”
“Can I just wait?”
“yes.”
Hoyoung said with a confident face.
Park Byung-jin asked again with a puzzled face.
“How long should I wait?”
“You won’t have to wait that long. Myungsung Electronics right now, or to be more precise, the person in charge of semiconductors at Myungsung Electronics must be on a shit line right now.”
Watching Hoyoung smile, Park Byeongjin had a strong feeling that everything would go as Hoyoung said.
