KSFO's Web Wanderer

The Links for May 8, 1999

Molecular Expressions: The Silicon Zoo

I've had identical submissions from two people in the same week before,but this is the first time THREE people have told me about a site. This one was submitted By Dr. Rom, Andantino, and a business contact who knew nothing about this show - he just thought it was so cool he was telling people about it.

These are cool. Sometimes semiconductor layout people need a little break during the day and do a little "artwork" on their chips. It goes by largely unnoticed, since it's only observed with expensive equipment. At this site, they have the equipment, and want to share the pictures.

From the site: "Ever wonder what's lurking within the dark corners, nooks and crannies of your computer? Is some gremlin responsible for all those crashes---you know, the ones that happen when you are trying to save that critical document you've been working on so diligently for the past three hours? We wondered too, so we took a look to see what we could find. And guess what? When we put the computer chips under the microscope we found some very interesting creatures hiding there."

"Our search has led to a new collection of photomicrographs (photographs taken through a microscope) featuring many of the interesting silicon creatures and other doodling scribbled onto integrated circuits by engineers when they were designing computer chip masks. The tiny creatures are far too small to be seen with the naked eye, so we have provided high-magnification photomicrographs to share these mysterious wonders with our visitors. Engineers designing modern computer chips have a very rich sense of humor as you will discover when you visit our Silicon Creatures Gallery that we keep corralled in the Silicon Zoo. We hope you enjoy your adventure!"

I enjoyed it - and think you will. Check it out!

This page, and all contents, are Copyright (C) 1999 by Michael A. Solinas.