On June 6, the Frontier Interdisciplinary Forum on “Plasma and Chip Manufacturing,” jointly organized by the Chinese Society for Electrical Engineering and the Beijing Yimo Innovation Institute, and co-hosted by the Department of Electrical Engineering at Tsinghua University and the Beijing Integrated Circuit Industry–Education Integration Base, was successfully held at the Beijing E-Town Integrated Circuit Industry–Education Integration Base. The forum aimed to promote academic exchange and collaborative innovation in the application of plasma technologies in integrated circuit (IC) manufacturing. It focused on fundamental scientific issues and key common technologies of plasma in critical semiconductor equipment processes, including lithography, etching, ion implantation, metrology and inspection, cleaning, and packaging.

Associate Professor Fu Yangyang from the Department of Electrical Engineering served as Chair of the forum, and the opening ceremony was hosted by Zhang Cheng from the Institute of Electrical Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Meng Fanxing, Member of the Party Leadership Group and Vice Chairman of the Beijing Association for Science and Technology, and Shao Tao, Director of the Plasma and Applications Professional Committee of the Chinese Society for Electrical Engineering and Dean of the School of Electrical Engineering and Automation at Wuhan University, delivered opening remarks in sequence. Distinguished guests attending the forum also included Wang Lijun, Executive Vice Dean of the Beijing Yimo Integrated Circuit Excellence Engineer Innovation Institute; Professor Wang Fuzhen of Beijing Union University; Professor Wang Xinxin of Tsinghua University; Professor Wang Haixing of Beihang University; and editorial representatives from Plasma Science and Technology, a leading domestic journal in plasma science.

The forum brought together representatives from academia, industry, and research institutions, attracting participants from 24 universities, including Tsinghua University, Zhejiang University, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Beihang University, and Wuhan University; seven research institutes including the Institute of Electrical Engineering, Institute of Physics, and Institute of Microelectronics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, as well as the Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics and the China Academy of Aerospace Research; and 17 companies including NAURA Technology Group, AMEC, SiCarrier, ACM Research (Shanghai), Xinyidong, and EverWin.

[Opening Ceremony]

At the opening ceremony, Meng Fanxing extended congratulations on behalf of the Beijing Association for Science and Technology on the convening of the forum. In his remarks, he noted that equipment is the foundation of chip manufacturing, and plasma technology is the “heart” of such equipment. He emphasized that the forum’s focus on fundamental plasma science issues and key enabling technologies in critical semiconductor equipment processes represents a key gateway to advanced manufacturing processes.

Meng Fanxing delivers remarks

Shao Tao stated in his speech that plasma technology is rapidly expanding into national strategic fields such as integrated circuit manufacturing. It has important applications in semiconductor equipment, etching processes, light sources, diagnostics, and simulation. He expressed hope that the forum would promote deep integration between fundamental research and industrial demand, and advance plasma science in supporting China’s integrated circuit industry innovation.

Shao Tao delivers remarks

Group photo of participants

[Keynote Reports]

During the keynote session, the forum invited Associate Professor Fu Yangyang of Tsinghua University, Professor Wang Haixing of Beihang University, Researcher Zhu Yifei of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Professor Zheng Bocong of Beijing Institute of Technology, Professor Zhang Quanzhi of Dalian University of Technology, Professor Zhong Linlin of Southeast University, Associate Research Fellow Huang Bangdou of the Institute of Electrical Engineering, CAS, Professor Zhao Yongpeng of Harbin Institute of Technology, Professor Lin Nan of Beihang University, Professor Yu Xia of Beihang University, Professor Xiong Qing of Chongqing University, Professor Zhang Ya of Wuhan University of Technology, Professor Liu Zhongwei of Beijing Institute of Graphic Communication, Senior Engineer Wang Qian of the Institute of Microelectronics, CAS, and Dr. Yin Haiwei, Founder of Shanghai Focuslight Technologies Co., Ltd. They systematically presented the latest research progress of plasma technology in lithography light sources, etching processes, metrology light sources, and domestic simulation software.

The keynote reports were closely aligned with the frontiers of chip manufacturing, generating strong engagement and active discussions among participants.

Q&A and discussion during keynote session

[Featured Activities]

On the afternoon of June 6, the forum organized a special visit to the Tsinghua University exhibition hall at the Beijing Integrated Circuit Industry–Education Integration Base. Participants gained in-depth insight into Tsinghua University’s cooperation with Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area in serving national self-reliance strategies, and its integrated innovation model of “education–industry–talent–science & technology” in the IC sector.

Visit to the Industry–Education Integration Base Exhibition Hall

The forum also invited Dr. Zhang Wenjin, editor of Plasma Science and Technology (PST), to introduce journal publishing concepts, submission procedures, peer review cycles, editorial workflows, and journal promotion strategies, building an efficient bridge between authors and publication channels.

Introduction to PST journal

At the closing ceremony, Forum Chair Fu Yangyang expressed sincere gratitude to all participating experts, scholars, and industry representatives for their active engagement. He emphasized that future efforts will continue to deepen university–industry collaboration, build high-quality platforms for exchange and cooperation, and jointly promote high-quality innovation-driven development in China’s integrated circuit industry.

Closing remarks by Fu Yangyang

Group photo of volunteers

The forum concluded successfully. It significantly promoted exchanges and collaboration among universities, research institutes, and enterprises, and played an important role in advancing the integration of plasma science with integrated circuit manufacturing technologies, as well as fostering coordinated innovation between fundamental research and engineering applications.