The incredible chemistry powering your smartphone | Cathy Mulzer

Translator: Ivana Korom Reviewer: Joanna Pietrulewicz

譯者: Helen Chang 審譯者: Bruce Sung

When I waltzed off to high school with my new Nokia phone,

當我帶著新的諾基亞手機步入高中時，

I thought I just had the new, coolest replacement

我以為那只是舊粉紅色公主對講機的

for my old pink princess walkie-talkie.

最新、最酷的替代品。

Except now, my friends and I could text or talk to each other

之後我和朋友無論身在何處

都可以互發短信或交談，

wherever we were,

instead of pretending,

不是假裝而已，

when we were running around each other's backyards.

盡情在彼此的後院四處奔跑。

Now, I'll be honest.

老實說，

Back then, I didn't think a lot about how these devices were made.

當時我沒多想這些設備怎麼做出來的。

They tended to show up on Christmas morning,

它們往往出現在聖誕節一早，

so maybe they were made by the elves in Santa's workshop.

因此或許是聖誕老公公 工作室裡的精靈製作的。

Let me ask you a question.

讓我問個問題。

Who do you think the real elves that make these devices are?

你們認為製造這些設備的 真正的精靈是誰？

If I ask a lot of the people I know,

假如問我認識的人，

they would say it's the hoodie-wearing software engineers in Silicon Valley,

他們會說這是矽谷 穿有帽衫的軟體工程師

hacking away at code.

寫程式而成的。

But a lot has to happen to these devices

但是這些設備必須先做許多準備

before they're ready for any kind of code.

才能跑任何類型的軟體。

These devices start at the atomic level.

這些設備始於原子級別。

So if you ask me,

因此如果問我，

the real elves are the chemists.

我會說「化學家」是真正的精靈。

That's right, I said the chemists.

沒錯，我說的是化學家。

Chemistry is the hero of electronic communications.

化學是電子通信的英雄。

And my goal today is to convince you

我今天的目標

是說服諸位同意我的觀點。

to agree with me.

OK, let's start simple,

好，讓我們從簡單的地方開始，

and take a look inside these insanely addictive devices.

看看這些令人瘋狂上癮的設備。

Because without chemistry,

因為如果沒有化學反應，

what is an information superhighway that we love,

我們喜愛的資訊高速公路

would just be a really expensive, shiny paperweight.

將不過是昂貴、閃亮的紙鎮而已。

Chemistry enables all of these layers.

化學使這些層成真。

Let's start at the display.

讓我們先看顯示螢幕。

How do you think we get those bright, vivid colors

可知道如何得到那些

我們熱愛、鮮豔生動的色彩嗎？

that we love so much?

Well, I'll tell you.

好，我來告訴你們。

There's organic polymers embedded within the display,

顯示螢幕中嵌入的有機聚合物

that can take electricity and turn it into the blue, red and green

能把電荷變成圖片中

我們喜歡的藍色、紅色和綠色。

that we enjoy in our pictures.

What if we move down to the battery?

電池呢？

Now there's some intense research.

有深入的研究

How do we take the chemical principles of traditional batteries

如何將傳統電池的化學原理

and pair it with new, high surface area electrodes,

匹配新的高表面積電極，

so we can pack more charge in a smaller footprint of space,

讓更小的面積裡承載更多的電荷，

so that we could power our devices all day long,

這樣我們充的電就夠一整天自拍使用，

while we're taking selfies,

without having to recharge our batteries

不必枯等

或綁在電源插座旁等待電池充電。

or sit tethered to an electrical outlet?

What if we go to the adhesives that bind it all together,

那麼把一切粘合在一起

so that it could withstand our frequent usage?

使其能夠承受頻繁使用的粘合劑呢？

After all, as a millennial,

畢竟我是千禧代人，

I have to take my phone out at least 200 times a day to check it,

每天至少得拿出手機看 200 次，

and in the process, drop it two to three times.

其間還摔個兩三回。

But what are the real brains of these devices?

什麼是這些設備真正的腦？

What makes them work the way that we love them so much?

什麼使我們如此喜愛它們呢？

Well that all has to do with electrical components and circuitry

全都與拴在印刷電路板上的 電子元件和電路有關。

that are tethered to a printed circuit board.

Or maybe you prefer a biological metaphor --

也許你們比較喜歡生物學的比喻——

the motherboard, you might have heard of that.

你們可能聽過主機板。

Now, the printed circuit board doesn't really get talked about a lot.

關於印刷電路板的討論不多。

And I'll be honest, I don't know why that is.

實話說，我不知道原因。

Maybe it's because it's the least sexy layer

或許是因為它最不吸引人，

and it's hidden beneath all of those other sleek-looking layers.

還隱藏在光鮮亮麗的其他層下面。

But it's time to finally give this Clark Kent layer

但是，該是稱讚這 超人克拉克·肯特層的時候了。

the Superman-worthy praise it deserves.

And so I ask you a question.

因此我要問，

What do you think a printed circuit board is?

你們以為印刷電路板是什麼？

Well, consider a metaphor.

好，打個比方。

Think about the city that you live in.

試想各位居住的城市。

You have all these points of interest that you want to get to:

你們都有想去的地方：

your home, your work, restaurants,

家、工作地點、餐館，

a couple of Starbucks on every block.

和街區的星巴克。

And so we build roads that connect them all together.

因此我們修建把它們 連接在一起的道路，

That's what a printed circuit board is.

那就是印刷電路板。

Except, instead of having things like restaurants,

只除了（連接的）不是餐廳之類，

we have transistors on chips,

而是晶片上的電晶體、

capacitors, resistors,

電容、電阻，

all of these electrical components

和所有這些電子組件，

that need to find a way to talk to each other.

它們需要彼此交流的途徑。

And so what are our roads?

那麼什麼是道路？

Well, we build tiny copper wires.

我們製造極細的銅線。

So the next question is,

因此，下一個問題是

how do we make these tiny copper wires?

如何製作這些極細的銅線呢？

They're really small.

它們真的非常細。

Could it be that we go to the hardware store,

我們去五金行

pick up a spool of copper wire,

挑一卷銅線，

get some wire cutters, a little clip-clip,

拿支剪線鉗剪一剪、鋸一鋸，

saw it all up and then, bam -- we have our printed circuit board?

然後就成印刷電路板了？

No way.

門都沒有。

These wires are way too small for that.

這些線太細，沒法那樣弄。

And so we have to rely on our friend: chemistry.

因此得靠我們的朋友：化學。

Now, the chemical process to make these tiny copper wires

製造這些細銅線的化學過程

is seemingly simple.

看似簡單。

We start with a solution

解決方案始於

of positively charged copper spheres.

在充滿帶正電銅粒子球的溶液裡面

We then add to it an insulating printed circuit board.

放入絕緣的印刷電路板，

And we feed those positively charged spheres

然後加入甲醛，

negatively charged electrons

也就是加入負電荷（電子）。

by adding formaldehyde to the mix.

So you might remember formaldehyde.

各位可能還記得甲醛，

Really distinct odor,

它有很獨特的氣味，

used to preserve frogs in biology class.

生物課中用來為青蛙防腐。

Well it turns out it can do a lot more than just that.

事實上甲醛的功能多著呢，

And it's a really key component

它是製造這些細銅線的關鍵要素。

to making these tiny copper wires.

You see, the electrons on formaldehyde have a drive.

要知道甲醛會驅動電子，

They want to jump over to those positively charged copper spheres.

使電子跳到那些帶正電的銅粒子球上，

And that's all because of a process known as redox chemistry.

這過程叫做「氧化還原」（redox）。

And when that happens,

氧化還原時

we can take these positively charged copper spheres

這些帶正電的銅粒子球

and turn them into bright,

會轉換成明亮、

shiny, metallic and conductive copper.

有金屬光澤、會導電的銅。

And once we have conductive copper,

一旦有了導電的銅

now we're cooking with gas.

就進入情況了，

And we can get all of those electrical components

這些電子組件會彼此通信。

to talk to each other.

So thank you once again to chemistry.

因此要再次感謝化學。

And let's take a thought

看看到此為止

and think about how far we've come with chemistry.

化學已經帶我們走了多遠。

Clearly, in electronic communications,

顯然，尺寸在電子通信中至關重要。

size matters.

So let's think about how we can shrink down our devices,

因此讓我們思考如何縮小設備的尺寸，

so that we can go from our 1990s Zack Morris cell phone

以便把 1990 年代 巨大的 Zack Morris 手機

to something a little bit more sleek,

變為更時尚的產品，

like the phones of today that can fit in our pockets.

像今天可以裝在口袋裡的手機。

Although, let's be real here:

儘管如此，現實是：

absolutely nothing can fit into ladies' pants pockets,

女士的褲子口袋中 絕對放不下任何東西，

if you can find a pair of pants that has pockets.

倘若各位找得到有口袋的褲子的話。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

And I don't think chemistry can help us with that problem.

我不認為化學能幫我們解決那問題。

But more important than shrinking the actual device,

比縮小實際設備的尺寸更為重要的是

how do we shrink the circuitry inside of it,

如何將其內部的電路縮小一百倍，

and shrink it by 100 times,

so that we can take the circuitry from the micron scale

把電路從微米級縮小到奈米級呢？

all the way down to the nanometer scale?

Because, let's face it,

因為到頭來，

right now we all want more powerful and faster phones.

我們都想要功能更強、 速度更快的手機。

Well, more power and faster requires more circuitry.

更強和更快需要更多的電路。

So how do we do this?

怎麼做呢？

It's not like we have some magic electromagnetic shrink ray,

我們沒有神奇的電磁射線，

like professor Wayne Szalinski used in "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids"

沒有《親愛的，我把孩子縮小了》 電影裡的韋恩 · 薩林斯基教授

to shrink his children.

把孩子縮小的電磁射線。

On accident, of course.

當然（他的）縮小純屬意外。

Or do we?

我們有（神奇的辦法）嗎？

Well, actually, in the field,

事實上有個與那相似的過程

there's a process that's pretty similar to that.

And it's name is photolithography.

稱為「光刻技術」。

In photolithography, we take electromagnetic radiation,

光刻技術是用電磁輻射——

or what we tend to call light,

也就是通常所說的光——

and we use it to shrink down some of that circuitry,

來縮小一些電路，

so that we could cram more of it into a really small space.

以把更多電路塞入很小的空間中。

Now, how does this work?

怎麼做呢？

Well, we start with a substrate

從表面塗有感光膜的基材開始，

that has a light-sensitive film on it.

We then cover it with a mask that has a pattern on top of it

上面覆蓋一層有細線 和特徵圖案的光罩，

of fine lines and features

that are going to make the phone work the way that we want it to.

這些圖案將賦予手機 我們想要的功能。

We then expose a bright light and shine it through this mask,

接著用強光照射光罩，

which creates a shadow of that pattern on the surface.

曝出該圖案的影像。

Now, anywhere that the light can get through the mask,

光線穿透光罩的地方引起化學反應，

it's going to cause a chemical reaction to occur.

And that's going to burn the image of that pattern into the substrate.

使圖案印在基材板上。

So the question you're probably asking is,

各位可能會問，

how do we go from a burned image

如何把印的圖案轉為細線和特徵呢？

to clean fine lines and features?

And for that, we have to use a chemical solution

必須用「顯影劑」這化學溶液。

called the developer.

Now the developer is special.

這很特別的顯影劑

What it can do is take all of the nonexposed areas

能去除所有未曝光的區域，

and remove them selectively,

leaving behind clean fine lines and features,

留下清晰的細線和特徵，

and making our miniaturized devices work.

使我們的微小設備正常工作。

So, we've used chemistry now to build up our devices,

如此，我們已經用化學方法 構建、縮小了設備。

and we've used it to shrink down our devices.

So I've probably convinced you that chemistry is the true hero,

可能我已經說服各位 化學是真正的英雄，

and we could wrap it up there.

可以做個總結了。

(Applause)

（掌聲）

Hold on, we're not done.

等等，還沒完。

Not so fast.

沒那麼快。

Because we're all human.

我們都是人類，

And as a human, I always want more.

人類總想要更多。

And so now I want to think about how to use chemistry

所以現在我思考

要如何用化學方法做更多。

to extract more out of a device.

Right now, we're being told that we want something called 5G,

如今我們被告知 想要一種名為 5G 的產品，

or the promised fifth generation of wireless.

或那被應許的第五代無線技術。

Now, you might have heard of 5G

你們可能聽過 5G 的廣告。

in commercials that are starting to appear.

Or maybe some of you even experienced it

甚至或許有些人 在 2018 冬季奧運用過。

in the 2018 winter Olympics.

What I'm most excited about for 5G

我對 5G 最興奮的是

is that, when I'm late, running out of the house to catch a plane,

在遲到、衝出家門趕飛機時，

I can download movies onto my device in 40 seconds

可以用 40 秒而不是 40 分鐘的時間

as opposed to 40 minutes.

將電影下載到我的設備上。

But once true 5G is here,

一旦出現了真正的 5G

it's going to be a lot more than how many movies

將遠遠超出能在設備上 擺放多少部電影。

we can put on our device.

So the question is, why is true 5G not here?

所以問題是為何 還沒有真正的 5G 呢？

And I'll let you in on a little secret.

我說個小秘密。

It's pretty easy to answer.

這很容易回答，

It's just plain hard to do.

就是 5G 很難做。

You see, if you use those traditional materials and copper

倘若用傳統的材料和銅

to build 5G devices,

構建 5G 設備，

the signal can't make it to its final destination.

信號無法到達最終目的地。

Traditionally, we use really rough insulating layers

傳統用來支撐銅線的 絕緣層非常粗糙。

to support copper wires.

Think about Velcro fasteners.

想一想魔鬼氈怎麼黏在一起。

It's the roughness of the two pieces that make them stick together.

粗糙面使兩片氈粘在一起，

That's pretty important if you want to have a device

這點很重要，

倘若各位要求設備的使用壽命

that's going to last longer

than it takes you to rip it out of the box

必須耐得過開箱

and start installing all of your apps on it.

和安裝所有應用程式的過程。

But this roughness causes a problem.

但是粗糙會引發問題。

You see, at the high speeds for 5G

在 5G 的高速下，

the signal has to travel close to that roughness.

信號的傳播必須非常接近粗糙面，

And it makes it get lost before it reaches its final destination.

以致到達最終目的地前 信號已經耗損殆盡。

Think about a mountain range.

用山脈來想一想，

And you have a complex system of roads that goes up and over it,

山上的道路系統錯綜複雜，

and you're trying to get to the other side.

而你要越過山脈到另一邊。

Don't you agree with me

認不認同我的看法：

that it would probably take a really long time,

如果各位必須上上下下每一座山頭，

and you would probably get lost,

而不是鑽過一條平直的隧道，

if you had to go up and down all of the mountains,

那就可能要花很長時間，

as opposed to if you just drilled a flat tunnel

甚至還可能迷路，是不是？

that could go straight on through?

Well it's the same thing in our 5G devices.

5G 設備的道理也一樣。

If we could remove this roughness,

假如能夠泯除粗糙面

then we can send the 5G signal

就能夠不間斷地直接發送 5G 信號。

straight on through uninterrupted.

Sounds pretty good, right?

聽起來不錯，對吧？

But hold on.

但是等等。

剛剛我不是說過

Didn't I just tell you that we needed that roughness

設備得要靠粗糙面 才能保持附著在一起嗎？

to keep the device together?

如果去除粗糙面， 銅就不會粘在基材底上。

And if we remove it, we're in a situation where now the copper

isn't going to stick to that underlying substrate.

Think about building a house of Lego blocks,

思考用樂高積木造房子，

with all of the nooks and crannies that latch together,

是靠凹凹角角和縫隙鎖在一起，

as opposed to smooth building blocks.

和光滑的積木不一樣。

Which of the two is going to have more structural integrity

當兩歲的孩子掠過客廳

when the two-year-old comes ripping through the living room,

扮成哥斯拉怪獸擊倒所有的東西時，

trying to play Godzilla and knock everything down?

兩者中的哪一個 更能維持結構的完整呢？

But what if we put glue on those smooth blocks?

但如果在光滑積木上粘膠水會如何？

And that's what the industry is waiting for.

這正是此行業的期待。

They're waiting for the chemists to design new, smooth surfaces

他們正等待化學家設計出新的

增加銅線固著力的光滑表面。

with increased inherent adhesion

for some of those copper wires.

And when we solve this problem,

一旦解決這個問題，

and we will solve the problem,

我們必將與物理學家、工程師

and we'll work with physicists and engineers

to solve all of the challenges of 5G,

一起解決 5G 的所有挑戰，

well then the number of applications is going to skyrocket.

屆時應用將會暴增。

So yeah, we'll have things like self-driving cars,

沒錯，我們將有自駕駛車之類等等，

because now our data networks can handle the speeds

因為到時候數據網路就能夠處理完

and the amount of information required to make that work.

那些工作所需的速度和資訊量。

But let's start to use imagination.

但是讓我們想像，

I can imagine going into a restaurant with a friend that has a peanut allergy,

想像和對花生過敏的朋友一起上館子，

taking out my phone,

拿出手機，

waving it over the food

在食物上揮掃一番，

and having the food tell us

得到一個重要問題的答案——

a really important answer to a question --

deadly or safe to consume?

會致命還是可以食用？

Or maybe our devices will get so good

也許我們的設備

在處理資訊方面將會如此出色，

at processing information about us,

that they'll become like our personal trainers.

以至於像私人教練一樣，

And they'll know the most efficient way for us to burn calories.

將會知道燃燒卡路里的最有效方法。

I know come November,

我將會愛上

when I'm trying to burn off some of these pregnancy pounds,

在 11 月來臨時

I would love a device that could tell me how to do that.

能告訴我如何減掉 孕期所增體重的設備。

I really don't know another way of saying it,

除了說化學很酷

except chemistry is just cool.

和它能使所有電子設備成真以外，

And it enables all of these electronic devices.

我真的不知道 還要用什麼方式來形容它。

So the next time you send a text or take a selfie,

因此，下次發文或自拍時，

think about all those atoms that are hard at work

想一想那些辛苦工作的原子

and the innovation that came before them.

以及它們之前的創新。

Who knows,

誰知道，

maybe even some of you listening to this talk,

或許在座有些人，

perhaps even on your mobile device,

甚至各位的移動設備，

will decide that you too want to play sidekick

也會想和電子設備的

to Captain Chemistry,

真正英雄「化學隊長」搭檔。

the true hero of electronic devices.

Thank you for your attention,

謝謝各位的聆聽，

and thank you chemistry.

也感謝化學。

(Applause)

（掌聲）