筆者曾經在24小時之內分別與Facebook CEO扎克伯格(Mark Zuckerberg)，以及一位我稱之為“EUV先生(Mr. EUV)”的半導體業(yè)界人士短暫相遇；他們在科技產業(yè)界所從事的工作領域可說是南轅北轍，但與他們的對談都讓我有一些收獲。 近日我受邀參加Facebook為了感謝媒體報導其開放運算計劃(Open Compute Project)──也就是該公司推動大型資料中心架構標準化的行動──而舉辦的一場聚會，在那里很高興地遇到了開放運算計劃的推手Frank Frankovsky。 Frankovsky 在最近英特爾(Intel)的Centerton處理器發(fā)表會上客串現身；Facebook打算測試該款Atom核心芯片，但缺乏Facebook所需的、能以8~16核心在2.5GHz運作的性能，因此他表示，該款芯片的下一代──預計2013年問世的Avoton──可能會是較佳選擇。 這位Facebook高層是ARM核心處理器供貨商時常探詢的對象，積極想知道他對他們下一代芯片的看法；因此Frankovsky表示，他認為一點也不需要自己開發(fā)處理器。而針對Facebook將于明年1月份召開的開放運算高峰會(Open Compute Summit)，Frankovsky透露將會有一些“大消息”；據我猜測，那要不是eBay等其它大型運算中心經營者將加入其開放運算計劃，就是該計劃將在交換器之類的新技術領域展開新行動。 于是我開始分心；正當我準備吃點壽司的時候，我注意到扎克伯格一身他的標志黑色帽T打扮，出現在會場。我發(fā)現有一小群記者跟我一樣圍了過去開始問他問題，主要是關于Facebook與對手Twitter在線上個人相簿市場的競爭。 做 為一個明顯感受到市場競爭熱度的年輕人，扎克伯格很優(yōu)秀地保持了冷靜；他響應，兩家公司的實力相當(此時他的額頭上冒出了一點汗珠)。這讓我想起比爾蓋茲 (Bill Gates)年輕時試圖走在Windows與IBM的OS/2平臺兩大支持陣營的中間線上，應該就是這個樣子。 大多數問題都是圍繞著手機；扎克伯格表示，他正在試用Facebook的Android應用程序，而他幾乎已經都不用計算機，所有的時間就是分給一支iPhone 5以及一支三星(Samsung)的Galaxy S III智能手機。 本文授權編譯自EE Times，版權所有，謝絕轉載 本文下一頁：混亂中，用iPhone拍到扎克伯格的照片

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{pagination} 這時他的公關人員Elliot跑過來提醒我們，這是場假日派對而不是媒體發(fā)問時間，所以我丟出了一個軟性的閑聊話題，問他的中文程度如何；他說，學語言對他 來說很不容易，但他還是很努力嘗試，而最輝煌的時刻就是他對岳母用中文說要娶她的女兒(也就是Priscilla Chan)那時，他看到她的臉上有一滴淚。 接著他又透露了更多八卦秘辛，他說他告訴朋友想為Priscilla開一個驚喜派對慶祝她從醫(yī)學院畢業(yè)，但其實他是想辦一場婚禮，用那樣的借口以確保只有真正的親密友人受邀參加(但一位億萬富翁真的只有少數幾個親密友人嗎？)。 那場驚喜派對暨婚禮只花了六個月的時間準備，他到最后一刻才發(fā)現那個時間跟Facebook首次公開發(fā)行(IPO)在同一周；而人們對于這對新婚夫婦的祝福當然會大過于對股價的注意。 在 一陣爽朗大笑之后，扎克伯格被Elliot催促趕往下一個行程；我們留下來自己閑聊，繼續(xù)享受美酒與美食。在混亂中，我是用手里的iPhone拍到扎克伯格的 照片(如下)，完全忘記后口袋里有一臺比較好的NiKon數字相機；而盡管畫質不佳，被我同時拍到的那兩個年輕記者還是要我把照片用電子郵件寄給她們。

扎克伯格
OjResmc

對媒體圈的行家來說，像這樣的Facebook活動只是眾家網絡業(yè)巨擘舉辦的聚會之一；據說Yahoo新任執(zhí)行長Marissa Mayer曾現身稍早之前的一場該公司主辦聚會，Google在舊金山也舉辦類似的派對，而我想該公司創(chuàng)辦人Sergey與Larry也許會現身。 不同于上述有如影視明星的科技產業(yè)核心人物，我也曾遇過幾乎沒有名氣，但有著強壯肩膀的科技人，就像是我稱之為“EUV先生”的Kurt Ronse。 本文授權編譯自EE Times，版權所有，謝絕轉載 本文下一頁：與Facebook派對氣氛完全相反的嚴肅會議

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{pagination} 最近于舊金山舉行的國際電子組件大會(IEDM) 場合，氣氛可說與Facebook的派對完全相反；與會工程師們穿著深色西裝，聆聽冗長而詳盡的、通常牽涉到高深數學的一場場報告。這是一種我喜愛的莊嚴，過去也曾在其它頂尖工程性會議上感受到；這樣一個多樣化、全球性的社群維持著民間對話與相互尊重，是這些日子以來在今日的美國很少見的。 他們在會議上分享對物理、化學、材料科學的深刻了解，以及這些知識對未來的半導體技術之影響，那些能讓iPhone以及社群網絡應用的資料中心運轉，供全球 數十億人所用。這些專家們總是能容忍來自原本主修英文、后來變成記者的人之和善提問；其中我特別想介紹的就是來自歐洲研究機構IMEC，率領微影技術研究 團隊的Ronse。 在我認為，Ronse是核心人物中的核心，因為他所率領的團隊是深紫外光微影(extreme ultraviolet lithography，EUV)技術的先驅，而該技術被視為最后幾代CMOS芯片制程的關鍵。 眾所周知，EUV技術已經延遲了許多年，甚至有人說該技術無法成真。Ronse的老板，也就是IMEC CEO Luc van den Hove在IEDM的專題演說中表示，EUV并沒有理論基礎上的問題，僅面臨工程上的挑戰(zhàn)；但Ronse表示，他聽到那樣的形容時忍不住打了個冷顫，因為 那感覺是讓他的工作聽起來比實際上簡單許多。 EUV系統(tǒng)需要達到每小時100片晶圓的產出量，才能真正有用；但目前的產能還 不到每小時20片晶圓。包括Intel、Samsung與臺積電等公司，分別拿出數十億美元投資EUV設備業(yè)者ASML；ASML收購了Cymer以開發(fā) 出更新、性能更佳的微影光源?，F在熱度是夠了，但是否能成功產出所需的光源，還有待觀察。 而Ronse表示，就算ASML成功了，產業(yè)界可能還得投資EUV所需的光罩，但在光罩領域沒有像ASML那么大的廠商；他指出，在該領域有幾家規(guī)模較小的業(yè)者還在掙扎求生以及抱怨，那些業(yè)者一年僅能產出少數的EUV光罩，也找不到資金解決所面臨的EUV光罩缺陷問題。 也許Ronse在前往機場飛回歐洲的路上，該在Facebook總部Menlo Park暫停一下；在那兒有個億萬富翁八成不知道，他是下了多大的賭注認為EUV一定會成功。 本文授權編譯自EE Times，版權所有，謝絕轉載 編譯：Judith Cheng 參考英文原文：Meeting Zuckerberg and Mr. EUV，by Rick Merritt

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{pagination} Meeting Zuckerberg and Mr. EUV Rick Merritt I learned a little something in brief encounters this week with Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg and the man I think of as Mr. EUV—two very unique men in black. Within 24 hours of each other, I had the chance to meet Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg and the guy I think of as Mr. EUV. These two men in black, polar opposites on the electronics spectrum, each taught me something in our brief encounters. I was invited to Facebook’s holiday reception for the media thanks to my interest in the Open Compute Project, Facebook’s effort to drive industry standards for the gear that goes into their mega data centers. So I was delighted to see Frank Frankovsky there, the guy who drives the Open Compute effort. Frankovsky made a guest appearance at the recent Intel press conference launching its Centerton SoC. The Atom-based chip is cool and Facebook plans to test it, but it lacks the umph for use in Facebook’s high volume Web tier which demands 8 to 16 cores running at 2.5 GHz or better, he said. Intel’s follow-on, the Avoton chip coming in 2013, has a better shot, he said. The Facebook director has plenty of ARM SoC makers knocking on his door to find out exactly what he would like them to put in their next-generation chips. So Frankovsky says he feels no need to start his own SoC design project. Facebook has some “big news” for the Open Compute Summit coming in January, Frankovsky said. I am guessing it is either a new mega data center such as eBay joining the project or an initiative in a new area like switching—after all switch guru and Arista founder Andy Bechtolsheim is on the Open Compute board. So I figured I had my fill of networking and was just tucking into a little sushi when I notice Mark Zuckerberg had arrived in his signature black hoodie. The Zuckerberg files I hung out in a small group of reporters like me who started peppering Zuckerberg with questions, mainly about competition with Twitter over dominance of the market for online personal photos. For a young man clearly feeling the heat of competition, Zuckerberg did a good job keeping his cool. His response about how the two companies are well aligned (as a little sweat gathered on his brow) reminded me of what it must have been like for a young Bill Gates trying to walk the line between support for Windows and IBM’s OS/2. Most questions revolved around mobile. Zuckerberg said he has been testing Facebook’s Android app. He said he never uses a computer (meaning PC) anymore and splits his time between an iPhone 5 and Galaxy S III. His PR handler Elliot reminded us this was a holiday party, not a press Q&A, so I tossed him a softball, asking about his Mandarin. He said languages came hard for him but he gave it a try. His peak moment was when he described in Mandarin how told his mother-in-law he wanted to marry her daughter, Priscilla Chan, and saw a single tear run down her cheek. More People magazine fodder followed. Zuckerberg told friends he was planning a surprise party to celebrate Priscilla’s graduation from medical school as a way to keep under wraps their plans for a wedding--and as a way to ensure only really close friends would choose to come. (Can a billionaire have just a few close friends?) The party/wedding was in the works for six months. At the last moment he found out it would be the same week as the IPO. One can only hope the couple fares better than the stock offering. After a hearty laugh, Elliot ferried Zuckerberg away and we were left to talk among ourselves and enjoy the sushi, chardonnay and company of celebrity media folk such as Walt Mossberg and the Scobleizer. Amid all the commotion, I snapped one picture with my iPhone (below), completely forgetting I had my Nikon DSC in my back pocket. The poor quality of the pix didn’t stop two young Bloomberg TV reporters I captured on camera from asking me to e-mail and text them copies. For such media mavens the Facebook outing was just another stop on the road of holiday Web 2.0 outings. Apparently Marissa Mayer made an appearance at the Yahoo event earlier in the week, and Google is having its bash in San Francisco. I wonder if Sergey and Larry will be there. All this tech glamour stands on nearly anonymous but very strong shoulders of folks like Kurt Ronse who I call Mr. EUV. Mr. EUV The atmosphere at the International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM) in San Francisco was quite a contrast to the Facebook bash at its Menlo Park headquarters. Engineers in black suits listened intently to long, detailed presentations that typically involved advanced math. There was a gravitas about the event that I liked and have felt before at top notch engineering gatherings. This diverse, global community maintains a civil dialog and respectfulness rarely seen in America these days. They share a deep understanding of physics, chemistry, materials science and what it all means for the future of the semiconductors that give us iPhones and data centers that can run social networks for a billion people. They tolerate with kindness questions from former English majors turned reporters. So I was glad to single out Kurt Ronse who leads the lithography group at the IMEC research center in Belgium. To my thinking, he is at the core of the core because he leads a team pioneering extreme ultraviolet lithography, the technology for making what could be the last few generations of CMOS chips. EUV is famous for being delayed for years. Some say it may never work. Ronse’s boss, ILuc van den Hove, said in an IEDM keynote that there are no fundamental problems with EUV, it is just an engineering challenge. Ronse said he winced to hear that characterization because he thought it made the work ahead sound easier than it is. EUV systems need to turn out more than 100 wafers an hour to be useful. Today they turn out less than 20. Intel, Samsung and TSMC threw billions of dollars at the sole EUV systems maker, ASML, to acquire Cymer and create a new and better light source. Now the heat is on, but whether it produces the needed light is still an open question. Even if it does, Ronse suggested, the industry may need to invest in EUV masks, too. There is no one big ASML in the mask world. A handful of smaller companies are struggling and complaining, Ronse said. Each one makes only a few EUV masks a year and sees no way to invest what’s needed to solve the EUV mask defect problems they face. Maybe on his way to the airport, Ronse should have made a stop in Menlo Park. There’s a billionaire down there who probably doesn’t know how much he is betting this whole EUV thing will succeed.