Since the launch of the "Core Strengthening Project", China has accelerated the localization of semiconductor manufacturing, striving to break through foreign blockades in the chip field and win this "battle" built on technology. To enhance competitiveness, semiconductor manufacturing enterprises are seeking breakthroughs in chip size, performance, and functionality. Chips—measured in nanometers—are evolving toward being smaller, faster, and more stable. However, this reduction in size makes chips more sensitive to impurities: even tiny impurities and contaminants can significantly affect chip performance, and cleanliness even impacts their electrical properties, crystal structure, interface performance, and stability.

Therefore, cleaning is a crucial process throughout semiconductor manufacturing. The cleanliness of the cleaning fluid transportation environment, the presence of impurities, and the stability of output flow and loop hydraulic pressure are all critical to the yield of chip manufacturing. How to take the lead in breaking through the liquid supply technology featuring high airtightness, ultra-purity, and strong stability has become a key technical goal for domestic semiconductor cleaning equipment manufacturers and research institutes, driving them to pursue breakthroughs and promote the transformation of research achievements.

In 2021, an ultra-pure pump product using permanent magnet bearingless technology was launched. The power source of this product is a domestically independently developed magnetic levitation bearingless motor, which enables efficient transportation of cleaning fluid in a highly airtight, non-contact, and wear-free ultra-pure environment. This product fills the gap in domestic ultra-pure pump products, provides a localized alternative solution for semiconductor cleaning equipment manufacturers, and addresses the dilemma of import bans on pumps faced by some manufacturers.

The inventor of this technology and product is a team from the High-Speed Motor Laboratory of the Department of Electrical Engineering, School of Automation, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics (NUAA). Doctoral student Bao Xucong is one of the core members of this team.

NUAA, where Bao Xucong studies, is one of the earliest universities in China to engage in magnetic levitation bearing research and has achieved numerous research results. Professor Wang Xiaolin, head of the Electrical Engineering and Automation major at the School of Automation, has profound academic accumulation in magnetic levitation technology and its applications. Her rigorous research style and meticulous teaching attitude greatly benefited Bao Xucong, who majored in a related field as an undergraduate. After obtaining the qualification for postgraduate recommendation, Bao Xucong immediately expressed his desire to join Professor Wang’s R&D team. During his postgraduate studies, he participated in research on bearingless motors and high-speed motor control technology.

Magnetic levitation bearingless technology is based on the principle of traditional magnetic levitation. It integrates the windings that generate radial force in traditional magnetic bearing motors into the stator of the motor, and realizes independent control of motor torque and radial levitation force through decoupling control. Unlike traditional motors, it has no traditional bearings or mechanical structures. Instead, it uses the principle of magnetic field superposition to achieve complete suspension of the motor rotor under a highly integrated structure, reducing mechanical wear and energy loss while improving power, efficiency, and service life. However, since this technology was initially developed by companies in Europe and the United States—who have maintained leading positions in R&D, production, and sales—it was monopolized by foreign enterprises for a long time.

To achieve a "from 0 to 1" breakthrough in domestic bearingless motor products, Bao Xucong and his team built on NUAA’s 20 years of research achievements in bearingless magnetic levitation technology. They conducted over 10,000 hours of burn-in testing, iterated nearly 20 prototype models, and overcame key system design challenges such as complex motor structure design and high precision requirements for sensors through multi-factor coupling and thousands of iterative designs. Finally, they achieved a major technical breakthrough and developed a permanent magnet bearingless motor. Among its technologies, the highly integrated structure design scheme, high-precision sensing detection technology, and high-performance drive control algorithm are even "domestic firsts". Since then, China has secured a position in the international bearingless motor market.

The breakthrough in bearingless motors quickly attracted the attention of leading domestic semiconductor cleaning equipment enterprises. They hoped to cooperate with Bao Xucong’s team to apply the advantages of permanent magnet bearingless technology—such as high precision, high stability, and high purity—to semiconductor cleaning equipment, addressing the "chokepoint" issue caused by foreign sanctions on some semiconductor equipment.

Under the guidance of their supervisor, Bao Xucong and his team took the permanent magnet bearingless motor as a key component, overcame technical barriers including active suspension technology, high-speed control algorithms, and bearingless sensing systems, and developed China’s first "shaftless magnetic levitation pure pump" product. This product provides a reliable solution for efficient transportation of ultra-pure liquids in the cleaning process of semiconductor manufacturing.

In 2021, inspired by the national policy to further promote mass entrepreneurship and innovation, and driven by the passion of college student entrepreneurship and the determination to implement their project, Bao Xucong and his team established Nanjing Star Power Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Star Power") at the NUAA College Student Entrepreneurship Incubation Center. They also participated in the 9th "Win in Nanjing" Youth College Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition with their "ultra-pure pump" project. After months of fierce competition, the project was highly recognized by the judges and won the first prize, along with a 500,000-yuan investment and subsidy from the Nanjing Municipal Bureau of Human Resources and Social Security and Nanjing Innovation Investment Group. In accordance with the "Zijin Mountain Talent Ningju Plan", the company is eligible to access the policies for Class D talents in Nanjing.

With investment support and entrepreneurial guidance from Nanjing Innovation Investment Group, and relying on the High-Speed Motor Laboratory of the School of Automation at NUAA, Star Power has gradually applied its advanced permanent magnet motor manufacturing processes and drive technology research to industry needs, realizing technology transformation and industry empowerment.

"Starting from our research achievements, we have divided Star Power’s R&D products into two categories: ‘shaftless magnetic levitation pure pumps’ and ‘ultra-high-speed micro-motors’. Among them, the shaftless magnetic levitation pure pump integrates the two functions of suspension and drive into the motor—the core power source of the pump—based on magnetic levitation technology, enabling the pump to operate with high airtightness and no wear. After verification, the product has been gradually applied to semiconductor cleaning equipment and is divided into different models according to mainstream power levels such as 600W, 1200W, and 4000W. At the same time, we also customize products for customers to meet their reliability requirements. Overall, there is great room for growth. The ultra-high-speed micro-motor, on the other hand, is based on an integrated support system and is equipped with an integrated driver using wide-bandgap GaN power devices, ensuring stable operation of the system with ultra-high fundamental frequency and ultra-wide speed range. Currently, the product can achieve full-speed operation of 600,000 rpm, which is the highest achievable speed in the world that can be verified," Bao Xucong has a clear plan for the company’s core products and is quite confident when talking about their competitiveness.

Facts have proven Bao Xucong’s words: when the shaftless magnetic levitation pure pump is applied to semiconductor cleaning equipment, the cleanliness and efficiency of liquid transportation are significantly improved, and the problem of import bans on pumps faced by customers is solved. "The ultra-pure pump developed by Star Power has broken the foreign technological blockade on China’s bearingless motors and changed our long-term dependence on imported equipment. What surprises us even more is that compared with traditional solutions, the cleaning equipment equipped with this ultra-pure pump has achieved a 37% increase in cleaning fluid transportation efficiency per unit, a 20% reduction in heat loss, and a 7% improvement in cleanliness. It is estimated that each cleaning equipment can save an investment of 200,000 yuan," the person in charge of a leading enterprise in the semiconductor cleaning equipment industry highly praised the product after use.

Genuine customer evaluations are the most powerful proof of a company’s strength. Compared with the best international competitors, under the same fluid transportation cleanliness requirements, the shaftless magnetic levitation pure pump developed by Star Power has lower costs but higher speed and power (with a maximum increase of nearly 65%), while its heat loss is only 80% of that of competitors. As a result, the product has also been recognized by experts from the national 863 Major Program expert group and Changjiang Scholars of the Ministry of Education.

The road ahead is long, but it will be reached if we keep walking; only by persisting can we embrace a promising future.

By focusing on applications in the semiconductor cleaning equipment field, Star Power has broken through the "chokepoint" in pure pumps and established cooperation with leading semiconductor technology enterprises such as Huawei, ZTE, and ACM Research in the terminal market. Team members have also obtained 9 invention patents (as first inventors) and 3 software copyrights, and won numerous awards in competitions including the "Internet +" Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition, the "Chuangqingchun" China Youth Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition, and the "Tiangong Cup" Postgraduate Innovation Experiment Competition.

"Currently, we plan to actively promote cooperation with hospitals or medical equipment institutions in the field of extracorporeal circulation for artificial heart blood pumps, and have also started negotiations with partners in the chemical industry. At the same time, Nanjing Innovation Investment Group is also connecting resources and providing guidance in its post-investment services. Only by daring to explore can we embrace infinite possibilities!" Bao Xucong said with great anticipation when talking about future plans.

"As a college student startup, Star Power is still in the initial stage of development. However, as a pioneer of domestic bearingless motors, Star Power has a solid foundation built on NUAA’s decades of magnetic levitation technology research. With the development of China’s intelligent manufacturing engine, I believe that through the joint efforts of the team, Star Power will surely achieve a better ‘pure future’. As a venture capital institution, we will continue to pay attention to and support Star Power, providing suggestions and guidance to help young entrepreneurs realize their dreams!" Empowered by Nanjing Innovation Investment Group, the future of Star Power is worthy of expectation.