Photos: Inside these chips, art awaits

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  • Chip art: Waldo

    Chip art: Waldo

    This image of Waldo from the "Where's Waldo" children's book series was the first silicon artwork found by Silicon Zoo curator Michael Davidson.

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Chip art: Thor

    Chip art: Thor

    This image of Thor, god of thunder, appears in a Hewlett-Packard chip. It's 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.

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Chip art: Marvin the Martian

    Chip art: Marvin the Martian

    Marvin the Martian appears on an image sensor chip used on the Mars rovers.

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Chip art: Cheetah

    Chip art: Cheetah

    This cheetah appeared in a Hewlett-Packard memory controller chip. This art was problematic: The cheetah's aluminum spots flaked off, causing short circuits elsewhere on the chip.

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Chip art: fine print

    Chip art: fine print

    Catchphrases appear in this chip's mock fine print, including "Keep away from fire," "Not for resale" and "No purchase necessary."

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Chip art: Mickey Mouse watch

    Chip art: Mickey Mouse watch

    A rendition of a Mickey Mouse watch is shown on a Mostek 5017 alarm clock chip.

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Chip art: sailboat

    Chip art: sailboat

    This sailboat, from a 1970s Texas Instrument chip, is the earliest example of chip artwork found so far.

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Photos: two-headed ram

    Photos: two-headed ram

    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.

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Chip art: Cyrillic note

    Chip art: Cyrillic note

    A chip used in Digital Equipment's MicroVax 3000 and 6200 minicomputers carries a message in Russia's Cyrillic alphabet: "VAX--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.

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Chip art: tiny train

    Chip art: tiny train

    A tiny train rides "tracks" that are used in charge-coupled devices to convert electrical signals into digital information.

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

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Chip art: Marvin the Martian

Marvin the Martian appears on an image sensor chip used on the Mars rovers.

Caption by: Bill Detwiler

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