2908E MAGS Roarbotix: Exploring Integrated Circuits

matthewbatcheler
Entry ID #: 8418
Created: Sat, Dec 5, 2020 2:50 AM

These days, integrated circuits (ICs) are often dismissed as nothing more than a magic black box. However, the inner workings of these "chips" are a fascinating and under-appreciated part of electronics. Therefore, our team, from Auckland, New Zealand, chose to disassemble (‘decap’) a Texas Instruments SN7404 hex NOT gate to better understand how it worked. To remove the plastic casing and reveal the silicon die inside, we used sulfuric acid heated to 90˚C (194˚ F). This slowly dissolved it, leaving the die which was inspected under a microscope. We learned a great deal about how ICs work, and their connection to "normal" discrete electronic components and software.

Files

2908E MAGS Exploring ICs (pdf)

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Comments

cokiez09 on 12/12/2020

Wow this is so crazy epic and wild. I, like many others, would never even think of such and amazing, beautiful, life changing idea such as this. Your work is truly masterful and I only wish that my lame school (not mags) did something as epic and cool as this.