Microchip Artwork Gallery
Ten works of art, all on silicon microchips.
By ViciousDick
Published 15 years ago
Ten works of art, all on silicon microchips.
1
A chip used in Digital Equipments MicroVax 3000 and 6200 minicomputers carries a message in Russias Cyrillic alphabet: when you care enough to steal the very best. The message was intended for technicians on the other side of the Cold War who might try to reverse-engineer the VAX designs by looking closely at the originals.
2
A tiny train rides tracks that are used in charge-coupled devices to convert electrical signals into digital information.
3
This image of Waldo from the Wheres Waldo childrens book series was the first silicon artwork found by Silicon Zoo curator Michael Davidson.
4
This image of Thor, god of thunder, appears in a Hewlett-Packard chip. Its drawn with an unusual method: Tiny dots appear where via wires extend downward through the chip to connect different layers. This is the largest chip image in the Silicon Zoo.
5
Marvin the Martian appears on an image sensor chip used on the Mars rovers.
6
This cheetah appeared in a Hewlett-Packard memory controller chip. This art was problematic: The cheetahs aluminum spots flaked off, causing short circuits elsewhere on the chip.
7
Catchphrases appear in this chips mock fine print, including Keep away from fire, Not for resale and No purchase necessary.
8
A rendition of a Mickey Mouse watch is shown on a Mostek 5017 alarm clock chip.
9
This sailboat, from a 1970s Texas Instrument chip, is the earliest example of chip artwork found so far.
10
In a burst of symbolism, Intel engineers crafted an image of a shepherd looking after a two-headed ram. The real purpose of the Intel 8207 chip: a dual-port RAM (random access memory) controller.
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