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Trojita · Apr 6, 2011

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2011/04/gallery-silicon-art/

Considering the expense, precision and difficulty of manufacturing computer chips, you would think the engineers designing them are pretty serious people.

But its not all business inside a chip fab, as these microscope photos reveal. In fact, the designers of microchips frequently hide tiny cartoons, drawings and even messages alongside the super-tiny circuits and semiconductors they create.

Chipworks, a company that analyzes microchips by peeling them apart and looking at them under microscopes, has discovered many examples of silicon art. Weve selected a few highlights here from the firms extensive galleries of silicon art, but check the Chipworks website for more.

The images in this gallery are magnified 200 to 500 times.

From the Gamecube

Keikaku · Apr 6, 2011

That is pretty sweet! Glad to know that people can and do still have fun when they can

WillyFive · Apr 6, 2011

Those things were in the Gamecube!?!

ElectricBlue187 · Apr 6, 2011

I remember when it was called the dolphin. Those were simpler times

Escape Goat · Apr 6, 2011

*cracks open his Gamecube*

I dont see anything!

SRG01 · Apr 6, 2011

We did this all the time when we worked in the fab during grad school. It's our only creative release from the dregs of grad school.

fanboi · Apr 6, 2011

X360 chip:

rpmurphy · Apr 6, 2011

Willy105 said:
Those things were in the Gamecube!?!

Just the dolphin one in OP.

lethial · Apr 6, 2011

I remember reading about this stuff years and years and years ago.

SRG01 · Apr 6, 2011

The windmill one is actually quite intricate because there's additional etching steps involved in that one. Otherwise, you can simply put these drawings on your final metallic layer's mask design.

Clydefrog · Apr 6, 2011

I think Milhouse has some skin cancer on his left cheek

Borgnine · Apr 6, 2011

Check this one out: .

Salmonax · Apr 6, 2011

Teh Hamburglar said:
*cracks open his Gamecube*

I dont see anything!

You have to crack those chips open. Stepping on them may be necessary.

Chavelo · Apr 6, 2011

Borgnine said:
Check this one out: .

Dude, so NSFW.

CAN WE HAVE A MOD HERE? D:

Truant · Apr 6, 2011

fanboi said:
X360 chip:

fanboi · Apr 6, 2011

^ Fuck, can't unsee the face in the building now!

Seraphinianus · Apr 6, 2011

fanboi said:
^ Fuck, can't unsee the face in the building now!

And now you can't unsee the house flicking us off with it's chimney, mouthing the word "fuck" as it walks away

fanboi · Apr 6, 2011

Smision said:
And now you can't unsee the house flicking us off with it's chimney, mouthing the word "fuck" as it walks away

Damn you

ferr · Apr 6, 2011

I had a motherboard once with Predator's head on it. True story.

Tried googling for an image of it, but didn't find it. Found this though:

Clydefrog · Apr 6, 2011

fanboi said:
^ Fuck, can't unsee the face in the building now!

Smision said:
And now you can't unsee the house flicking us off with it's chimney, mouthing the word "fuck" as it walks away

i'll take it from here:

Escape Goat · Apr 6, 2011

Salmonax said:
You have to crack those chips open. Stepping on them may be necessary.

Okay, i did that but now i just have more gamecube pieces. I'm no better off!

DonMigs85 · Apr 6, 2011

Ah, saw this on Discovery Channel years ago. Still cool

Arthrus · Apr 7, 2011

I learned how to do this in one of my courses this semester. I'm looking forward to the day that someone discovers dickbutt on an IC.

Seraphinianus · Apr 7, 2011

general predator rules

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