This 22-year-old builds chips in his parents\\u2019 garage...

J

Jan Panteltje

Guest
This 22-year-old builds chips in his parents\\u2019 garage
https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2022/01/this-22-year-old-builds-chips-in-his-parents-garage/

more than 1000 transistors on it...
 
On Saturday, January 22, 2022 at 9:59:47 AM UTC-5, Jan Panteltje wrote:
This 22-year-old builds chips in his parents\\u2019 garage
https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2022/01/this-22-year-old-builds-chips-in-his-parents-garage/

more than 1000 transistors on it...

I assume it was the writer who mucked up the part about, \"a form of crystalline silicon known as polysilicon\". Polysilicon is the opposite of crystalline silicon, hence the \"poly\".

--

Rick C.

- Get 1,000 miles of free Supercharging
- Tesla referral code - https://ts.la/richard11209
 
On a sunny day (Sat, 22 Jan 2022 10:08:49 -0800 (PST)) it happened Rick C
<gnuarm.deletethisbit@gmail.com> wrote in
<8a2d8da4-0a9f-4633-a519-70d1d98af8a2n@googlegroups.com>:

On Saturday, January 22, 2022 at 9:59:47 AM UTC-5, Jan Panteltje wrote:
This 22-year-old builds chips in his parents\\u2019 garage
https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2022/01/this-22-year-old-builds-chips-in-his-parents-garage/

more than 1000 transistors on it...

I assume it was the writer who mucked up the part about, \"a form of crystalline silicon known as polysilicon\". Polysilicon is
the opposite of crystalline silicon, hence the \"poly\".

Quite possible, I do not know enough about that to make a judgement
I like his projector into a microscope idea.
Been thinking about using a DLP projector to project a pattern on photo-PCbs, people have done that,

There also is this guy who inspired me to buy the super cooler, he build, among other things, his own electron microscope.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdjYVF4a6iU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PWESWqhD8s
 
On Saturday, January 22, 2022 at 6:59:47 AM UTC-8, Jan Panteltje wrote:
This 22-year-old builds chips in his parents\\u2019 garage
https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2022/01/this-22-year-old-builds-chips-in-his-parents-garage/

more than 1000 transistors on it...

Only claims 100 on a chip, but the metallization doesn\'t connect to that many; I\'m not sure how complex
the circuitry can be, but it looks like a rather simpler circuit, like a differential pair and some
current mirrors. It could hold an op amp, that uses external bias resistors (don\'t see
any sign of FET or CMOS or both NPN and PNP transistor types).

His basic idea, it seems, is that small-scale production is possible and instructive.
Imagine a six-man shop that can produce integrated devices with quick turnaround.
Would that be a useful addition to a maze of megacorporations with ever-changing
off-the-shelf designs, big plants, and long turnaround, but cryptic spec sheets
and big foundry toolchain complexities (and surcharges)?

For prototypes, heck yes. Bill Sloman can sell \'em some e-beam litho tools.
 
On 1/22/2022 22:06, whit3rd wrote:
On Saturday, January 22, 2022 at 6:59:47 AM UTC-8, Jan Panteltje wrote:
This 22-year-old builds chips in his parents\\u2019 garage
https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2022/01/this-22-year-old-builds-chips-in-his-parents-garage/

more than 1000 transistors on it...

Only claims 100 on a chip, but the metallization doesn\'t connect to that many; I\'m not sure how complex
the circuitry can be, but it looks like a rather simpler circuit, like a differential pair and some
current mirrors. It could hold an op amp, that uses external bias resistors (don\'t see
any sign of FET or CMOS or both NPN and PNP transistor types).

His basic idea, it seems, is that small-scale production is possible and instructive.
Imagine a six-man shop that can produce integrated devices with quick turnaround.
Would that be a useful addition to a maze of megacorporations with ever-changing
off-the-shelf designs, big plants, and long turnaround, but cryptic spec sheets
and big foundry toolchain complexities (and surcharges)?

For prototypes, heck yes. Bill Sloman can sell \'em some e-beam litho tools.

Would be awesome if we could have chips made to order the way we have
PCB-s nowadays... Bill said the litho tool got lost but well, some
knowledge on how it was made must have remained.
 
On Sat, 22 Jan 2022 22:26:25 +0200, Dimiter_Popoff <dp@tgi-sci.com>
wrote:

On 1/22/2022 22:06, whit3rd wrote:
On Saturday, January 22, 2022 at 6:59:47 AM UTC-8, Jan Panteltje wrote:
This 22-year-old builds chips in his parents\\u2019 garage
https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2022/01/this-22-year-old-builds-chips-in-his-parents-garage/

more than 1000 transistors on it...

Only claims 100 on a chip, but the metallization doesn\'t connect to that many; I\'m not sure how complex
the circuitry can be, but it looks like a rather simpler circuit, like a differential pair and some
current mirrors. It could hold an op amp, that uses external bias resistors (don\'t see
any sign of FET or CMOS or both NPN and PNP transistor types).

His basic idea, it seems, is that small-scale production is possible and instructive.
Imagine a six-man shop that can produce integrated devices with quick turnaround.
Would that be a useful addition to a maze of megacorporations with ever-changing
off-the-shelf designs, big plants, and long turnaround, but cryptic spec sheets
and big foundry toolchain complexities (and surcharges)?

For prototypes, heck yes. Bill Sloman can sell \'em some e-beam litho tools.

Would be awesome if we could have chips made to order the way we have
PCB-s nowadays... Bill said the litho tool got lost but well, some
knowledge on how it was made must have remained.

PCBs use a lot of inkjet printing nowadays. I\'d expect that a crude IC
process could be developed around inkjet.



--

I yam what I yam - Popeye
 
On 1/22/2022 23:15, jlarkin@highlandsniptechnology.com wrote:
On Sat, 22 Jan 2022 22:26:25 +0200, Dimiter_Popoff <dp@tgi-sci.com
wrote:

On 1/22/2022 22:06, whit3rd wrote:
On Saturday, January 22, 2022 at 6:59:47 AM UTC-8, Jan Panteltje wrote:
This 22-year-old builds chips in his parents\\u2019 garage
https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2022/01/this-22-year-old-builds-chips-in-his-parents-garage/

more than 1000 transistors on it...

Only claims 100 on a chip, but the metallization doesn\'t connect to that many; I\'m not sure how complex
the circuitry can be, but it looks like a rather simpler circuit, like a differential pair and some
current mirrors. It could hold an op amp, that uses external bias resistors (don\'t see
any sign of FET or CMOS or both NPN and PNP transistor types).

His basic idea, it seems, is that small-scale production is possible and instructive.
Imagine a six-man shop that can produce integrated devices with quick turnaround.
Would that be a useful addition to a maze of megacorporations with ever-changing
off-the-shelf designs, big plants, and long turnaround, but cryptic spec sheets
and big foundry toolchain complexities (and surcharges)?

For prototypes, heck yes. Bill Sloman can sell \'em some e-beam litho tools.

Would be awesome if we could have chips made to order the way we have
PCB-s nowadays... Bill said the litho tool got lost but well, some
knowledge on how it was made must have remained.

PCBs use a lot of inkjet printing nowadays. I\'d expect that a crude IC
process could be developed around inkjet.

Well I mean top or nearly top technology PCB-s, like 4 mil multiple
layers 0.1mm drills, I suppose the equivalent of that today for silicon
would be within the tens of nm. One would not be held hostage by the
whims of some marketeers deciding which processor is to have a future...

I have not been making crude PCB-s since my 20-s, back then I did some
using permanent markers etc. Helped learning the trade I suppose.
 
On Sun, 23 Jan 2022 00:18:28 +0200, Dimiter_Popoff <dp@tgi-sci.com>
wrote:

On 1/22/2022 23:15, jlarkin@highlandsniptechnology.com wrote:
On Sat, 22 Jan 2022 22:26:25 +0200, Dimiter_Popoff <dp@tgi-sci.com
wrote:

On 1/22/2022 22:06, whit3rd wrote:
On Saturday, January 22, 2022 at 6:59:47 AM UTC-8, Jan Panteltje wrote:
This 22-year-old builds chips in his parents\\u2019 garage
https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2022/01/this-22-year-old-builds-chips-in-his-parents-garage/

more than 1000 transistors on it...

Only claims 100 on a chip, but the metallization doesn\'t connect to that many; I\'m not sure how complex
the circuitry can be, but it looks like a rather simpler circuit, like a differential pair and some
current mirrors. It could hold an op amp, that uses external bias resistors (don\'t see
any sign of FET or CMOS or both NPN and PNP transistor types).

His basic idea, it seems, is that small-scale production is possible and instructive.
Imagine a six-man shop that can produce integrated devices with quick turnaround.
Would that be a useful addition to a maze of megacorporations with ever-changing
off-the-shelf designs, big plants, and long turnaround, but cryptic spec sheets
and big foundry toolchain complexities (and surcharges)?

For prototypes, heck yes. Bill Sloman can sell \'em some e-beam litho tools.

Would be awesome if we could have chips made to order the way we have
PCB-s nowadays... Bill said the litho tool got lost but well, some
knowledge on how it was made must have remained.

PCBs use a lot of inkjet printing nowadays. I\'d expect that a crude IC
process could be developed around inkjet.




Well I mean top or nearly top technology PCB-s, like 4 mil multiple
layers 0.1mm drills, I suppose the equivalent of that today for silicon
would be within the tens of nm. One would not be held hostage by the
whims of some marketeers deciding which processor is to have a future...

I have not been making crude PCB-s since my 20-s, back then I did some
using permanent markers etc. Helped learning the trade I suppose.

I think that some of the earliest ICs were patterned with silk
screens. So were PCBs.



--

I yam what I yam - Popeye
 
On 1/23/2022 0:27, jlarkin@highlandsniptechnology.com wrote:
On Sun, 23 Jan 2022 00:18:28 +0200, Dimiter_Popoff <dp@tgi-sci.com
wrote:

On 1/22/2022 23:15, jlarkin@highlandsniptechnology.com wrote:
On Sat, 22 Jan 2022 22:26:25 +0200, Dimiter_Popoff <dp@tgi-sci.com
wrote:

On 1/22/2022 22:06, whit3rd wrote:
On Saturday, January 22, 2022 at 6:59:47 AM UTC-8, Jan Panteltje wrote:
This 22-year-old builds chips in his parents\\u2019 garage
https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2022/01/this-22-year-old-builds-chips-in-his-parents-garage/

more than 1000 transistors on it...

Only claims 100 on a chip, but the metallization doesn\'t connect to that many; I\'m not sure how complex
the circuitry can be, but it looks like a rather simpler circuit, like a differential pair and some
current mirrors. It could hold an op amp, that uses external bias resistors (don\'t see
any sign of FET or CMOS or both NPN and PNP transistor types).

His basic idea, it seems, is that small-scale production is possible and instructive.
Imagine a six-man shop that can produce integrated devices with quick turnaround.
Would that be a useful addition to a maze of megacorporations with ever-changing
off-the-shelf designs, big plants, and long turnaround, but cryptic spec sheets
and big foundry toolchain complexities (and surcharges)?

For prototypes, heck yes. Bill Sloman can sell \'em some e-beam litho tools.

Would be awesome if we could have chips made to order the way we have
PCB-s nowadays... Bill said the litho tool got lost but well, some
knowledge on how it was made must have remained.

PCBs use a lot of inkjet printing nowadays. I\'d expect that a crude IC
process could be developed around inkjet.




Well I mean top or nearly top technology PCB-s, like 4 mil multiple
layers 0.1mm drills, I suppose the equivalent of that today for silicon
would be within the tens of nm. One would not be held hostage by the
whims of some marketeers deciding which processor is to have a future...

I have not been making crude PCB-s since my 20-s, back then I did some
using permanent markers etc. Helped learning the trade I suppose.

I think that some of the earliest ICs were patterned with silk
screens. So were PCBs.

I remember the day when they took a photograph of what the PCB would be
and then used the film like they now do after photoplotting (well, the
mechanical photoplotters of some 30 years ago are gone I suppose, the
Gerber format meant for them is pretty much alive though (back then
I could implement it but I had no data about the excellon format
for the drilling machines; I got hold of a punched tape and snooped
it from it.. :).
Before that my first CPU board (early 80-s, I was in my late 20-s,
came later to the party) was photographed on that whole-room camera,
no plots yet. It took me months to \"draw\" it (actually I used
thin red scotch tapes and stuck them on a plastic transparent millimeter
\"paper\"). I was working as a turner back then, was convenient for
cutting the scotch tapes to say 1mm or may be I went below that
(scale for photo was 2:1), can\'t remember. Here is what remains of
that first CPU board of mine, must be still somewhere around:
http://tgi-sci.com/misc/grany09.gif
 
On 2022-01-22, Rick C <gnuarm.deletethisbit@gmail.com> wrote:
On Saturday, January 22, 2022 at 9:59:47 AM UTC-5, Jan Panteltje wrote:
This 22-year-old builds chips in his parents\\u2019 garage
https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2022/01/this-22-year-old-builds-chips-in-his-parents-garage/

more than 1000 transistors on it...

I assume it was the writer who mucked up the part about, \"a form of
crystalline silicon known as polysilicon\". Polysilicon is the
opposite of crystalline silicon, hence the \"poly\".

It\'s not amorphous (which is a true opposite solid state to crystaline)
It\'s polycrystaline. So it\'s still crystalised silicon.
It\'s significantly cheaper than monocrystaline silicon.



--
Jasen.
 
On a sunny day (Sat, 22 Jan 2022 12:06:14 -0800 (PST)) it happened whit3rd
<whit3rd@gmail.com> wrote in
<0cf15665-e706-4327-a126-32a61feb8e92n@googlegroups.com>:

On Saturday, January 22, 2022 at 6:59:47 AM UTC-8, Jan Panteltje wrote:
This 22-year-old builds chips in his parents\\u2019 garage
https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2022/01/this-22-year-old-builds-chips-in-his-parents-garage/

more than 1000 transistors on it...

Only claims 100 on a chip,

<quote>
Then his homemade photolithography machine beamed on his design: a grid of 12 circuits,
each with 100 transistors (and a dancing bear), 1,200 transistors in all.
<end quote>

so 100 per circuit, 12 circuits on a \'wafer\' ?


but the metallization doesn\'t connect to that many; I\'m not sure how complex
the circuitry can be, but it looks like a rather simpler circuit, like a differential pair and some
current mirrors. It could hold an op amp, that uses external bias resistors (don\'t see
any sign of FET or CMOS or both NPN and PNP transistor types).

His basic idea, it seems, is that small-scale production is possible and instructive.
Imagine a six-man shop that can produce integrated devices with quick turnaround.
Would that be a useful addition to a maze of megacorporations with ever-changing
off-the-shelf designs, big plants, and long turnaround, but cryptic spec sheets
and big foundry toolchain complexities (and surcharges)?

For prototypes, heck yes. Bill Sloman can sell \'em some e-beam litho tools.

He is now 22, wait a few more years what else he comes up with.
And then China gets into it
Maybe your own chip-making machine on ebay for $999.99 .....
:)
 
On a sunny day (Sun, 23 Jan 2022 01:06:30 +0200) it happened Dimiter_Popoff
<dp@tgi-sci.com> wrote in <ssi2lo$r14$1@dont-email.me>:

I remember the day when they took a photograph of what the PCB would be
and then used the film like they now do after photoplotting (well, the
mechanical photoplotters of some 30 years ago are gone I suppose, the
Gerber format meant for them is pretty much alive though (back then
I could implement it but I had no data about the excellon format
for the drilling machines; I got hold of a punched tape and snooped
it from it.. :).
Before that my first CPU board (early 80-s, I was in my late 20-s,
came later to the party) was photographed on that whole-room camera,
no plots yet. It took me months to \"draw\" it (actually I used
thin red scotch tapes and stuck them on a plastic transparent millimeter
\"paper\"). I was working as a turner back then, was convenient for
cutting the scotch tapes to say 1mm or may be I went below that
(scale for photo was 2:1), can\'t remember. Here is what remains of
that first CPU board of mine, must be still somewhere around:
http://tgi-sci.com/misc/grany09.gif

This was much faster, one day torn around:
http://panteltje.com/pub/z80/graphics_card_top.jpg
http://panteltje.com/pub/z80/graphics_card_bottom.jpg

http://panteltje.com/pub/z80/sound_card_bottom.jpg
http://panteltje.com/pub/z80/soundcard_top.jpg

http://panteltje.com/panteltje/z80/system14/diagrams/index.html
all done in the evenings and weekends in the eighties.

concepts use peeseebee why
!
 
On 1/23/2022 9:55, Jan Panteltje wrote:
On a sunny day (Sun, 23 Jan 2022 01:06:30 +0200) it happened Dimiter_Popoff
dp@tgi-sci.com> wrote in <ssi2lo$r14$1@dont-email.me>:

I remember the day when they took a photograph of what the PCB would be
and then used the film like they now do after photoplotting (well, the
mechanical photoplotters of some 30 years ago are gone I suppose, the
Gerber format meant for them is pretty much alive though (back then
I could implement it but I had no data about the excellon format
for the drilling machines; I got hold of a punched tape and snooped
it from it.. :).
Before that my first CPU board (early 80-s, I was in my late 20-s,
came later to the party) was photographed on that whole-room camera,
no plots yet. It took me months to \"draw\" it (actually I used
thin red scotch tapes and stuck them on a plastic transparent millimeter
\"paper\"). I was working as a turner back then, was convenient for
cutting the scotch tapes to say 1mm or may be I went below that
(scale for photo was 2:1), can\'t remember. Here is what remains of
that first CPU board of mine, must be still somewhere around:
http://tgi-sci.com/misc/grany09.gif

This was much faster, one day torn around:
http://panteltje.com/pub/z80/graphics_card_top.jpg
http://panteltje.com/pub/z80/graphics_card_bottom.jpg

http://panteltje.com/pub/z80/sound_card_bottom.jpg
http://panteltje.com/pub/z80/soundcard_top.jpg

http://panteltje.com/panteltje/z80/system14/diagrams/index.html
all done in the evenings and weekends in the eighties.

concepts use peeseebee why
!

My first graphics card for this system was made using the same
wiring technology only I had got hold of some teflon wire, 0.5
or 0.7mm external diameter and the wiring was on the bottom side.
Teflon made it much easier, no burnt insulation while the soldering
tip could just go anywhere. Was a proud 320x240 pixels, 2 bits per
pixel - on a mono screen it was just enough to write my first graphics
editor and use it to design the next CPU board which got already
photoplotted (it was still a 6809 one though).
I think on that graphics card I had even put a pallete RAM in the
form of a 74170.... Two bits in, was it 4 bits out, I don\'t remember.
 
On a sunny day (Sun, 23 Jan 2022 14:01:40 +0200) it happened Dimiter_Popoff
<dp@tgi-sci.com> wrote in <ssjg37$amt$1@dont-email.me>:

On 1/23/2022 9:55, Jan Panteltje wrote:
On a sunny day (Sun, 23 Jan 2022 01:06:30 +0200) it happened Dimiter_Popoff
dp@tgi-sci.com> wrote in <ssi2lo$r14$1@dont-email.me>:

I remember the day when they took a photograph of what the PCB would be
and then used the film like they now do after photoplotting (well, the
mechanical photoplotters of some 30 years ago are gone I suppose, the
Gerber format meant for them is pretty much alive though (back then
I could implement it but I had no data about the excellon format
for the drilling machines; I got hold of a punched tape and snooped
it from it.. :).
Before that my first CPU board (early 80-s, I was in my late 20-s,
came later to the party) was photographed on that whole-room camera,
no plots yet. It took me months to \"draw\" it (actually I used
thin red scotch tapes and stuck them on a plastic transparent millimeter
\"paper\"). I was working as a turner back then, was convenient for
cutting the scotch tapes to say 1mm or may be I went below that
(scale for photo was 2:1), can\'t remember. Here is what remains of
that first CPU board of mine, must be still somewhere around:
http://tgi-sci.com/misc/grany09.gif

This was much faster, one day torn around:
http://panteltje.com/pub/z80/graphics_card_top.jpg
http://panteltje.com/pub/z80/graphics_card_bottom.jpg

http://panteltje.com/pub/z80/sound_card_bottom.jpg
http://panteltje.com/pub/z80/soundcard_top.jpg

http://panteltje.com/panteltje/z80/system14/diagrams/index.html
all done in the evenings and weekends in the eighties.

concepts use peeseebee why
!



My first graphics card for this system was made using the same
wiring technology only I had got hold of some teflon wire, 0.5
or 0.7mm external diameter and the wiring was on the bottom side.
Teflon made it much easier, no burnt insulation while the soldering
tip could just go anywhere. Was a proud 320x240 pixels, 2 bits per
pixel - on a mono screen it was just enough to write my first graphics
editor and use it to design the next CPU board which got already
photoplotted (it was still a 6809 one though).
I think on that graphics card I had even put a pallete RAM in the
form of a 74170.... Two bits in, was it 4 bits out, I don\'t remember.

stripped flatcable still works for me to this day, about 1 GHz board:
http://panteltje.com/pub/raspberry_pi_datv_transmitter_test_setup_IMG_3937.JPG
http://panteltje.com/pub/test_board_wiring_side_IMG_3921.GIF
if you look close on the right you see the RF part is not with flat cable
note all the SMDs on the big chip adaptor.
http://panteltje.com/pub/xdipo_locked_to_raspberry_pi_datv_transmitter_IMG_3938.JPG
who needs peeseebees ;-)
 
On Sun, 23 Jan 2022 07:23:54 GMT, Jan Panteltje
<pNaonStpealmtje@yahoo.com> wrote:

On a sunny day (Sat, 22 Jan 2022 12:06:14 -0800 (PST)) it happened whit3rd
whit3rd@gmail.com> wrote in
0cf15665-e706-4327-a126-32a61feb8e92n@googlegroups.com>:

On Saturday, January 22, 2022 at 6:59:47 AM UTC-8, Jan Panteltje wrote:
This 22-year-old builds chips in his parents\\u2019 garage
https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2022/01/this-22-year-old-builds-chips-in-his-parents-garage/

more than 1000 transistors on it...

Only claims 100 on a chip,

quote
Then his homemade photolithography machine beamed on his design: a grid of 12 circuits,
each with 100 transistors (and a dancing bear), 1,200 transistors in all.
end quote

so 100 per circuit, 12 circuits on a \'wafer\' ?


but the metallization doesn\'t connect to that many; I\'m not sure how complex
the circuitry can be, but it looks like a rather simpler circuit, like a differential pair and some
current mirrors. It could hold an op amp, that uses external bias resistors (don\'t see
any sign of FET or CMOS or both NPN and PNP transistor types).

His basic idea, it seems, is that small-scale production is possible and instructive.
Imagine a six-man shop that can produce integrated devices with quick turnaround.
Would that be a useful addition to a maze of megacorporations with ever-changing
off-the-shelf designs, big plants, and long turnaround, but cryptic spec sheets
and big foundry toolchain complexities (and surcharges)?

For prototypes, heck yes. Bill Sloman can sell \'em some e-beam litho tools.

He is now 22, wait a few more years what else he comes up with.
And then China gets into it
Maybe your own chip-making machine on ebay for $999.99 .....
:)

Very impressive !

At 22 years old, how does he pay for all that nice stuff he\'s got ?
The HP gear and microscope, etc ?

Somehow I don\'t think he has to have a day job unless he just does
this in his spare time.

boB
 
On Sunday, January 23, 2022 at 7:06:18 AM UTC+11, whit3rd wrote:
On Saturday, January 22, 2022 at 6:59:47 AM UTC-8, Jan Panteltje wrote:
This 22-year-old builds chips in his parents\\u2019 garage
https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2022/01/this-22-year-old-builds-chips-in-his-parents-garage/

more than 1000 transistors on it...
Only claims 100 on a chip, but the metallization doesn\'t connect to that many; I\'m not sure how complex
the circuitry can be, but it looks like a rather simpler circuit, like a differential pair and some
current mirrors. It could hold an op amp, that uses external bias resistors (don\'t see
any sign of FET or CMOS or both NPN and PNP transistor types).

His basic idea, it seems, is that small-scale production is possible and instructive.
Imagine a six-man shop that can produce integrated devices with quick turnaround.
Would that be a useful addition to a maze of megacorporations with ever-changing
off-the-shelf designs, big plants, and long turnaround, but cryptic spec sheets
and big foundry toolchain complexities (and surcharges)?

For prototypes, heck yes. Bill Sloman can sell \'em some e-beam litho tools.

Not any longer. I only worked for Cambridge Instruments from 1983 to 1991. When I last saw an electron beam microfabricator it was at the University of New South Wales (being used by their quantum computer team) and it was a Raith machine.

https://raith.com/electron-beam-lithography-systems/

Whose electron microscope column or column they actually use isn\'t spelled out on the website.

The machines that Cambridge Instruments sold went for about a million dollars each back then. It\'s not a high volume product, and it does require a lot of precision engineering, so the price won\'t have gone down all that much.. Not really startup in a garage material. Class 10 clean areas aren\'t cheap either.

--
Bill Sloman, Sydney
 
On 1/22/22 06:58, Jan Panteltje wrote:
This 22-year-old builds chips in his parents\\u2019 garage
https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2022/01/this-22-year-old-builds-chips-in-his-parents-garage/

more than 1000 transistors on it...
Very cool! In California, he would likely be jailed for having \"gasp!\"
chemicals in his garage! Certainly must be making bombs...
 
On Monday, January 24, 2022 at 2:07:35 AM UTC-5, boB wrote:
On Sun, 23 Jan 2022 07:23:54 GMT, Jan Panteltje
pNaonSt...@yahoo.com> wrote:

On a sunny day (Sat, 22 Jan 2022 12:06:14 -0800 (PST)) it happened whit3rd
whi...@gmail.com> wrote in
0cf15665-e706-4327...@googlegroups.com>:

On Saturday, January 22, 2022 at 6:59:47 AM UTC-8, Jan Panteltje wrote:
This 22-year-old builds chips in his parents\\u2019 garage
https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2022/01/this-22-year-old-builds-chips-in-his-parents-garage/

more than 1000 transistors on it...

Only claims 100 on a chip,

quote
Then his homemade photolithography machine beamed on his design: a grid of 12 circuits,

each with 100 transistors (and a dancing bear), 1,200 transistors in all.
end quote

so 100 per circuit, 12 circuits on a \'wafer\' ?


but the metallization doesn\'t connect to that many; I\'m not sure how complex
the circuitry can be, but it looks like a rather simpler circuit, like a differential pair and some
current mirrors. It could hold an op amp, that uses external bias resistors (don\'t see
any sign of FET or CMOS or both NPN and PNP transistor types).

His basic idea, it seems, is that small-scale production is possible and instructive.
Imagine a six-man shop that can produce integrated devices with quick turnaround.
Would that be a useful addition to a maze of megacorporations with ever-changing
off-the-shelf designs, big plants, and long turnaround, but cryptic spec sheets
and big foundry toolchain complexities (and surcharges)?

For prototypes, heck yes. Bill Sloman can sell \'em some e-beam litho tools.

He is now 22, wait a few more years what else he comes up with.
And then China gets into it
Maybe your own chip-making machine on ebay for $999.99 .....
:)
Very impressive !

At 22 years old, how does he pay for all that nice stuff he\'s got ?
The HP gear and microscope, etc ?

Somehow I don\'t think he has to have a day job unless he just does
this in his spare time.

boB
He is a CMU student. Knowing first hand the amount of work that gets thrown at ECE students, I am surprised he has a lot of time to devote to his hobby.
Yea, I wonder about the $s as well.
J
 
On a sunny day (Mon, 24 Jan 2022 11:02:11 -0800) it happened wmartin
<wwm@wwmartin.net> wrote in <ssmt3l$3g8$1@dont-email.me>:

On 1/22/22 06:58, Jan Panteltje wrote:
This 22-year-old builds chips in his parents\\u2019 garage
https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2022/01/this-22-year-old-builds-chips-in-his-parents-garage/

more than 1000 transistors on it...
Very cool! In California, he would likely be jailed for having \"gasp!\"
chemicals in his garage! Certainly must be making bombs...

Yes this is a common problem with society these days, even kitchen knives are forbidden?
It will all change after the next nu-culear war and making sausages on the hot plutonium.
 
On Monday, January 24, 2022 at 2:07:35 AM UTC-5, boB wrote:
On Sun, 23 Jan 2022 07:23:54 GMT, Jan Panteltje
pNaonSt...@yahoo.com> wrote:

On a sunny day (Sat, 22 Jan 2022 12:06:14 -0800 (PST)) it happened whit3rd
whi...@gmail.com> wrote in
0cf15665-e706-4327...@googlegroups.com>:

On Saturday, January 22, 2022 at 6:59:47 AM UTC-8, Jan Panteltje wrote:
This 22-year-old builds chips in his parents\\u2019 garage
https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2022/01/this-22-year-old-builds-chips-in-his-parents-garage/

more than 1000 transistors on it...

Only claims 100 on a chip,

quote
Then his homemade photolithography machine beamed on his design: a grid of 12 circuits,
each with 100 transistors (and a dancing bear), 1,200 transistors in all.
end quote

so 100 per circuit, 12 circuits on a \'wafer\' ?


but the metallization doesn\'t connect to that many; I\'m not sure how complex
the circuitry can be, but it looks like a rather simpler circuit, like a differential pair and some
current mirrors. It could hold an op amp, that uses external bias resistors (don\'t see
any sign of FET or CMOS or both NPN and PNP transistor types).

His basic idea, it seems, is that small-scale production is possible and instructive.
Imagine a six-man shop that can produce integrated devices with quick turnaround.
Would that be a useful addition to a maze of megacorporations with ever-changing
off-the-shelf designs, big plants, and long turnaround, but cryptic spec sheets
and big foundry toolchain complexities (and surcharges)?

For prototypes, heck yes. Bill Sloman can sell \'em some e-beam litho tools.

He is now 22, wait a few more years what else he comes up with.
And then China gets into it
Maybe your own chip-making machine on ebay for $999.99 .....
:)
Very impressive !

At 22 years old, how does he pay for all that nice stuff he\'s got ?
The HP gear and microscope, etc ?

Somehow I don\'t think he has to have a day job unless he just does
this in his spare time.

boB
A rich parent who is with it will be far happier seeing his money go into scopes and electronics vs drugs and rehab. A stint in rehab for kids of wealthy parents will cost more than his lab setup
 

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