Vacuum deposition machine, in short, is an important instrument used for manufacturing screen panels, especially playing an indispensable role in the production of OLED screens. After it is started, the device can accurately heat the coating material in a vacuum environment, thereby improving the color performance and accuracy of the screen, ensuring a significant improvement in the overall quality of the screen panel.

OLED screens have become the mainstream choice for today's display screens, mobile phone screens, and computer screens. According to statistics, the demand for OLED screens in China has surged from 290 million pieces to 450 million pieces from 2019 to 2022. As a result, there is a huge demand for vacuum deposition equipment, which is indispensable for the production of OLED screens.

However, for a long time, we have been at the mercy of others in the field of vacuum deposition machines. This is mainly because the vacuum evaporation machine has extremely strict technical requirements, with a single vacuum production line stretching nearly a hundred meters. In addition, every production process must ensure the precision and accuracy of the products, which has become a technological bottleneck that China has not been able to overcome, leading us to rely on imports for a long time.

The core technology of vacuum deposition machines is mostly controlled by Canon in Japan, who often export their high-end vacuum deposition machines to countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and South Korea. This often means that even if China is willing to pay a high price, it can only purchase one or two machines in the end, which undoubtedly has a significant impact on Chinese companies such as Huawei and Xiaomi that have a large demand for OLED screens. In order to break through this technological bottleneck, China has begun to increase investment and research and development efforts in this field, in order to achieve independent technological breakthroughs.

Through the continuous efforts of all researchers, the Xinyihua team in China has finally broken through the key technologies of vacuum deposition machines such as alignment systems and evaporation sources, and successfully developed this equipment. Subsequently, companies such as Zhongshan Kaixuan and Hefei Laide also made significant progress, achieving large-scale production of vacuum deposition machines, thereby ensuring sufficient supply of OLED screens from domestic manufacturers. Prior to this, Japan's vacuum deposition machines had long dominated the global market, with high-end models even experiencing a shortage of supply and waiting in line.

Since the 1980s, Japan has been shifting its research focus to the field of liquid crystal displays, although at that time they were still beginners and lacked experience in this area. However, Japan's strength in research and innovation should not be underestimated. By learning LCD display technology from the United States and combining it with its own technological strength, Japan quickly conquered the core technology of OLED screens and even successfully developed a vacuum deposition machine capable of producing OLED screens.

Moreover, Japan has made significant achievements in OLED screen production technology, even surpassing its technology source, the United States. Until now, Apple Inc. still needs to import OLED screens for mobile phones from Japan, fully demonstrating Japan's leading position in this field. It is worth mentioning that Tokki, a subsidiary of Canon, is the only company in Japan that has mastered the technology of vacuum deposition machines. This company was founded by the father of Akihisa Tsugami in 1967 and was initially a relatively small company. Nowadays, although it has less than 350 employees, the number of vacuum evaporation machines produced each year is rare, with only a few, which makes the price of each equipment as high as 700 million yuan.

But even though there is a shortage of supply in the market, it is still difficult to obtain vacuum deposition machines. Canon has firmly established its dominant position in the international market with its monopoly on high-altitude vapor deposition technology. According to reports, Canon's vapor deposition machines have long held over 95% of the global market share, and despite producing less than a hundred units annually, they can generate profits of up to 5 billion yuan.

Although Tokki's vapor deposition machine is expensive, its excellent quality is beyond doubt. The OLED screens produced using its vapor deposition machine have vibrant colors and extremely high precision, making them the preferred choice for top companies such as Apple and Samsung. In fact, the high quality of Samsung mobile phone screens and the abundant production of OLED screens are inseparable from the strong support of Tokki vapor deposition machines. In addition, China's BOE Corporation attempted to acquire Tokki's vapor deposition machine for a high price of nearly 800 million yuan, but received a cold response from the other party. This not only demonstrates its confidence in not worrying about the sales market, but also reveals its attempt to curb China's rise in fields such as mobile phones and computers through its monopoly position.

Under the long-term monopoly of vacuum deposition machines in Japan, the production and development of OLED screens in China faced enormous challenges, and every step forward seemed difficult. However, the emergence of domestically produced vacuum deposition machines undoubtedly brings new hope to China in this field. So, compared to Japan's vacuum deposition machines, what level is our domestic equipment at? In fact, many Chinese companies have successively completed the research and development of vacuum evaporation machines, which not only fills the technological gap in the field of screens in China, but also breaks Japan's long-term monopoly in this field. This major breakthrough will undoubtedly bring profound economic benefits and social impact to our country.

Moreover, China's independently developed vapor deposition machine has the advantage of being a latecomer. For example, the K-200 vapor deposition machine invented by Zhongshan Kaixuan Technology Company not only integrates all the functions of Japanese vapor deposition machines, but also adds many innovative features to make it more attractive in the market. At the same time, the vapor deposition machines produced in China have achieved a coating accuracy of 1.5 microns, ranking among the world's leading. On the other hand, Canon in Japan has long lacked competitive pressure, and its equipment performance has remained stagnant, with a film coating accuracy of only 3 microns. In addition, the production efficiency of Canon in Japan is relatively low, and most components urgently need to be upgraded or replaced, otherwise they will face the risk of being caught up by China.

However, at the current stage of development, China's vacuum deposition machines are still in their infancy, and various technologies are not yet mature. Compared with Japan's deposition machines, there is still a certain gap. In addition, as our country's vapor deposition machine is a new product and has not yet taken a place in the world market, it will take time to open up the market and gain widespread recognition.

In fact, China is also facing similar challenges in the field of chips as vapor deposition machines, and has long been subject to foreign technological blockades. Among them, Huawei, a well-known domestic mobile phone brand, suffered significant losses due to chip issues, and the domestic public also felt helpless about this.

Although Huawei's Kirin chip is close to the most advanced 3nm technology in China in terms of design, and China has also entered the top five of the world's top ten manufacturers in the field of packaging and testing, demonstrating strong strength, there is still a gap of at least 20 years between China and the international leading level in chip manufacturing. In addition, due to export restrictions on advanced equipment from abroad, China's chip industry is facing many challenges in the short term, and the path to breakthrough remains difficult.

Various signs indicate that although China is rapidly developing in certain fields, it still faces many technological bottlenecks. Whether it is vapor deposition machines or chip manufacturing, and even more fields that are considered key technologies by foreign countries, China still has a long way to go. We must face up to these shortcomings and strive to overcome them.