THE UNTOLD STORY OF THE HISTORY OF THE SILICON VALLEY
and the father of the military industrial complex: Frederick Terman, who pioneered and encouraged professors and students to set up start-ups and leave the university.

Presentation is brought to us by Google Tech Talks

Stanford & the CIA/NSA Built the Valley We Know Today

by Steve Blank
December 18, 2007

How much does an average Googler know about the history of the place he/she works in – Silicon Valley? Come and test your knowledge. I have seen this talk and I assure you – even seasoned Silicon Valley veterans will find this story interesting. Silicon Valley entrepreneur Steve Blank will talk about how World War II set the stage for the creation and explosive growth of Silicon Valley, and the role of Frederick Terman and Stanford in working with government agencies (including the CIA and the National Security Agency) to set up companies in this area that sparked the creation of hundreds of other enterprises.

Steve Blank spent nearly 30 years as founder and executive of high tech companies in Silicon Valley, most recently the enterprise software firm E.piphany. He has been involved in or co-founded eight Silicon Valley startups, ranging from semiconductors to video games, and personal computers to supercomputers. He teaches entrepreneurship at U.C. Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, Columbia University and Stanford’s Graduate School of Engineering.

William Shockley Interview, 1969

Founder of Silicon Valley

In this 1969 video, Jane Morgan interviews William Shockley, co-inventor of the transistor. The interview was part of a series done for the Palo Alto 75th anniversary celebrations. Thanks to the Palo Alto Historical Association.

The Computer History Museum in the Silicon Valley.

An unprecedented combination of computer history and striking images, Core Memory reveals modern technology’s evolution through the world’s most renowned computer collection, the Computer History Museum in the Silicon Valley.

Vivid photos capture these historically important machines including the Eniac, Crays 1 3, Apple I and II while authoritative text profiles each, telling the stories of their innovations and peculiarities. Thirty-five machines are profiled in over 100 extraordinary color photographs.

Mark Richards’s award-winning photography has been featured in numerous publications. John Alderman is the author of Sonic Boom and has written for Wired, Details, and Salon.
This event took place August 28, 2007 at Google Headquarters in Mountain View, CA

เดินลงมา 3 เที่ยวบินของบันไดกับลม strong เป่าฉกาจฉกรรจ์ทานอาหารกับคนเคลื่อนไหวรวดเร็วด้านก้าวนักดนตรีและการโฆษณาขายนักเรียนมีการหยุดอย่างรวดเร็วจ่าย 3 หยวนและตรวจสอบตั๋วได้เร็วดึงกุดที่รวดเร็วที่แผนที่เส้นทางและปิดคุณไปในปักกิ่ง Metro.

รับรอบแกนกลางของกรุงปักกิ่งที่สถานีรถไฟใต้ดินมหานครมีลมโชย. มีมากมายป้ายภาษาอังกฤษที่มีจำนวนมากเป็นรายละเอียดแผนที่. มี 3 สายหลักในการเป็นBeijing. จำนวน 1 เส้นสีแดงวิ่งส่วนใหญ่ทางตะวันออกและตะวันตกและ runes ขวาอดีตภาพขนาดใหญ่ของเหมาที่ท่องเที่ยวสำคัญ Square. จำนวน 2 runes สายสีน้ำเงินรอบแกนกลางการ 90 องศาเปลี่ยนฉาบฉวยไปกำแพงรอบเมืองรถไฟขบวนนี้ยังมีหยุดที่สถานีรถไฟปักกิ่ง. จำนวน 3 สายสีส้มทำให้วงใหญ่ออกของสายสีฟ้าที่ด้านเหนือของเมืองไปทางที่ออกสู่ชานเมืองนี้ไม่มีโชคร้ายของรถไฟจะวิ่งออกไปปักกิ่ง Centralสนามบินซึ่งอยู่ในภาคตะวันออกเฉียงเหนือของแกนกลาง.

สำหรับโอลิมปิกปักกิ่งมีสมมุติเป็นสายเมืองอื่นเพิ่มแล้วซึ่งทำให้รู้สึกเป็นเดินไปยังหมู่บ้านโอลิมปิกจากทั้งสายสีน้ำเงินหรือสายสีส้มจะเป็นช่วงระยะการเดินทางนาน 20 นาทีพร้อมที่คลิปดี. ฉันคาดการณ์ว่าในช่วงโอลิมปิกจะมีการเพิ่มรถโดยสารพิเศษทำงานกับสายเมือง.

กิจกรรมส่วนใหญ่จะเป็นทางด้านเหนือของปักกิ่งกันกลุ่มออกไปทางตะวันตกของเมืองค่อนข้างใกล้กับสายสีแดง. รถไฟมาอย่างสม่ำเสมอเผินๆ 5 นาทีระหว่างรถไฟ. รถไฟทั้งหมดมีแผนที่จะหยุดและมีการประกาศในภาษาจีนเป็นภาษาอังกฤษอับอังกฤษมาเมื่อรถไฟมีความเร็วและมีความเข้าใจยากจึงยืนใกล้ออกซึ่งจะมีแผนที่จะหยุดอยู่ไม่คิดร้าย. เคล็ดลับอีกก็จะไปขึ้นรถที่เหมาะสมในหน้าเข้าสู่สถานีที่เป็นรถที่จะเคยหยุดหน้าเข้าสู่สถานีเพื่อให้คุณสามารถอ่านที่คุณไปพร้อม. ในปักกิ่งมีคนจำนวนมากที่พูดภาษาอังกฤษเพียงเล็กน้อยดังนั้นคุณควรจะ OK แม้ว่าคุณจะได้ปั่นรอบเป็น. กับ 7 ล้านตั๋วถูกขายสำหรับงานโอลิมปิกที่จะมีบริษัทจำนวนมากและผมว่าช่วงเวลาที่เหมาะสมใน จีน.

Belkin iPod Classic Silicon Sleeve – With Armband – 120gb and 80Gb – Black Review

Feature

• Silicone Sleeve with Armband for iPod c
• Silicone Sleeve with Armband for iPod classic

Overview
Protect your iPod and preserve its original look with a snug layerof rugged silicone.

Dec 21, 2009 12:03:07

I missed it late last week, but it was pretty amazing to see China’s industrial production leapt to 19.2% year on year for November.  That means they’re well and truly out of the recession and will be hungry for raw materials.

So what’s happening with Southland’s silicon?  China is in a bit of a tizz with Russia over silicon at the moment, so why isn’t someone coming to mine our silicon?

We’ve got a free trade agreement with the inscrutable wee buggers, so let’s strike while the silicon is hot!  Or are there still issues in South Africa to be sorted first?  Either way, it’s there and not going anywhere or earning export revenue at the moment…

In the early 1980’s, Dr. Robert J. Gilbert Ph.D was an instructor in the U.S. Marine Corps, in the field of nuclear, biological and chemical warfare survival. During that time, he became aware of a thriving sub-culture of advanced scientists who are studying geometric shapes as a key to everything from Human Biology to Nuclear Physics. This includes studies that have been commissioned by NATO.

Dr. Gilbert found that, in experiments in Nano-technology, the study of the control of matter at an atomic and molecular scale, scientists were unsuccessful in their attempts to create matter until they studied sacred geometric shapes, such as the pyramid.[i]

Where there is matter, there is geometry.  Johannes Kepler

There are five geometric shapes that have faces, edges and angles that are congruent. Named after the Greek philosopher, Plato, each of these Platonic Solids produces specific energetic effects. The pyramid is one of these shapes. In geometry, the pyramid is known as the Tetrahedron.

The most common arrangement of the Water molecule is the geometric shape of the Tetrahedron.  The molecule of Silicon is also the Tetrahedron. Although it is currently Water that gives us life, Silicon can also support life. 

When two Tetrahedrons are merged together, they form a Star Tetrahedron - the Star of David.  The Star of David is the symbol of Judaism, a set of religious beliefs and practices that originated from the Hebrew Bible. It is interesting to note that, when written overtop of one another, each of the letters in the ancient language of Hebrew form the Star Tetrahedron.

But what is most interesting is that the molecule of a Silicon micro­computer chip is also the shape of the Star Tetra-hedron. The Star Tetrahedron is the electric balance to magnetism. This is how immense amounts of data are stored so efficiently within a computer. It is the shape of the Star Tetrahedron that provides for memory.  The word memory takes its origins from the ancient Hebrew words mem, which means Water, and ohr, which means Light.

No one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of Water and the Spirit… You must be born again.  John 3:5-7

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

[i] Robert J. Gilbert – The Hidden Energy Science of Sacred Geometry

In this year, 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin and the 150th anniversary of the publication of ‘On the Origin of Species’ a UK scientist has used Darwin’s seminal work on Natural Selection in helping to define the biological essentiality of the second (silicon) and third (aluminium) most abundant elements of the Earth’s crust.

The lack of any clear or significant biological essentiality for both of these elements is a mystery as all other abundant elements of the Earth’s crust are known to be biologically essential.

Dr Chris Exley, Reader in Bioinorganic Chemistry at Keele University and a world authority on the ways in which aluminium impacts upon life on Earth, says natural selection is often interpreted as ‘survival of the fittest’ but what is often not appreciated is that the selection processes themselves are niche driven, which means that those characteristics which convey fitness in one environment may not convey fitness in another, perhaps adjacent, environment or niche. This is both the strength and the beauty of natural selection and it can be applied to cellular biochemistry as it is applied to speciation of organisms.

Aluminium is biologically reactive, while silicon is biologically inert. Natural selection informs us that the non-essentiality of aluminium is explained by its non-participation in biochemical evolution due to a complete lack of its biologically reactive forms.

On the other hand the biologically available form of silicon (silicic acid) has been extremely abundant throughout biochemical evolution and its biological essentiality has been dictated by its extremely limited biological reactivity.

It is no coincidence that one of the very few reactions of silicic acid is that with aluminium and that this reaction protects against the toxicity of aluminium.

An essential role of silicon throughout biochemical evolution has been to keep aluminium out of life! However, the activities of humans in learning how to extract aluminium from its ores and using it in myriad ways in what is now the Aluminium Age means that Earth’s inherent protection against the toxicity of aluminium is being compromised and that biologically reactive aluminium is now an active participant in biochemical (and hence human) evolution.

Some of the early results of the arrival of biochemically reactive aluminium have been worryingly obvious, including the death of fish and trees in geographical regions impacted by acid deposition, whereas others, and perhaps those which in particular are linked with the human condition, might yet be too subtle to be directly attributable to the participation of biologically-reactive aluminium in the natural selection of the elements of biological essentiality.

The paper, Exley C (2009) Darwin, Natural Selection and the Biological Essentiality of Aluminium and Silicon is published in Trends in Biochemical Sciences Volume 34; Issue 12; December. doi:10.1016/j.tibs.2009.07.006

Download Aluminium Tree of Life Poster.

Cosa collega la Silicon valley, paradiso della tecnologia nella California Settentrionale al campo profughi di Daadab, agglomerato umano lungo la frontiera kenyana al confine con la Somalia? Niente o quasi.

Ma da qualche settimana, per gli sfollati in fuga dalle violenze nel Corno d’Africa il resto del mondo non è più un luogo inaccessibile e lontano, grazie al progetto di Samasource, organizzazione non governativa basata a San Francisco che affida lavori sul web a donne e uomini dei paesi del Sud del mondo, grazie all’ausilio di computer e di una connessione in rete.

Continua a leggere “Outsourcing dalla Silicon Valley ai campi profughi della Kenya”

saya lagi tertarik dengan proses mencetak perhiasan berbahan logam.
saya baru memulai dan mulai mengumpulkan alatnya, yang ternyata selain mahal, juga susah didapatkan di Indonesia. Sigh…
Istilahnya sih pengecoran lost wax casting, karena bentuk perhiasan yang kita inginkan terlebih dahulu dibuat dari lilin yang nanti dilelehkan.

Secara umum prosesnya adalah sbb:

A. Model dibuat dalam bentuk lilin (wax)

a1. bentuk model dengan wax dari berbagai bentuk, fungsi dan tingkat kekerasan. rata-rata wax ini mulai mencair pada suhu 75 C. wax bisa dibeli dalam bentuk cincin/ silinder berongga (siap dipotong sesuai lebar cincin), batangan (bars & slices), kotak (tablets yang bisa diukir), kawat (wax wire assortments: round/ half round, bezel, square, bezel, triangle; wax wire spools), krim (disclosing wax), sticky wax untuk tambalan, wax yang larut dalam air (Sol-U-Carv wax) dan batang kecil (sprue), batang besar(tree, tempat beberapa bentuk wax ditempelkan)

a2. wax dibentuk sesuai perhiasan yang kita inginkan dengan berbagai alat: pisau, gergaji, pahat, spatula, bor hingga solder pen (mis: MasterTouch)

a3. jika bentuk yang hendak dicetak lebih dari satu, wax ditempelkan pada sprue dan sprue ditempelkan pada tree sebagai saluran logam mengalir nantinya

a4. Jika kita ingin meniru perhiasan yang sudah jadi, cetakan perhiasan bisa dibuat dari beberapa lembar karet silikon yang dipanaskan dengan vulcanizer hingga meniru bentuk perhiasan di dalamnya, lengkap dengan salurannya, kemudian di potong. Kemudian cetakan ini bisa diisi dengan wax cair melalui wax injector-vacuum, yang berfungsi untuk menyedot udara dalam cetakan dan memompa wax ke dalam. Hasil cetakan bisa mengering dalam waktu 10 detik. wax hasil cetakan ini kemudian bisa ditempelkan langsung pada wax tree.

a5. bentuk perhiasan bisa didisain dengan software 3D (matrix, 3D Max) dan dicetak dengan printer 3D, seperti:  Solidscape, CNC milling

a6. tree ditempelkan pada landasan berupa lempengan besi bulat (sprue base) dan dilingkupi dengan flask (tong besi)

B. Bentuk ditiru dengan bantuan adonan bubuk gips (investment powder). Investment powder yang saya gunakan adalah satin cast 20 investment buatan KerrLab. Prosesnya sbb:

b1. bubuk ditimbang dan air diukur sesuai takaran

b2. bubuk yang ditambahkan ke dalam air

b3. aduk dengan mixer (mixer dapur juga boleh digunakan) dan vacuum selama 20 detik (salah satu produsennya adalah Grobet USA). Vacuum yang juga bisa bergetar berguna untuk menyedot gelembung udara ke permukaan sehingga tidak menyebabkan porositas dalam casting/ gips

b4. masukan ke dalam flask (tong besi tempat wax disusun), kemudian flask di-vacuum lagi.

b5. flask didiamkan selama 2 jam dan dipanaskan di dalam oven / furnace / kiln pada suhu 149 C. Tujuannya untuk memperkeras gips

C. Gips dipanaskan seperti memanaskan batu bata dan keramik, dimana wax meleleh melalui lubang

c1. copot dasar flask dan masukkan kembali kedalam furnace sesuai petunjuk teknis investment hingga suhu max 732C, agar gips benar-benar keras dan wax benar-benar mencair dan terbakar sempurna

c2. gips dipanaskan sempurna untuk menghindari: keretakan, logam tidak masuk hingga ke rongga terdalam, wax belum benar-benar terbakar, cetakan berpori, partikel asing masuk dalam cetakan, gips berpindah.

c4. Furnace yang digunakan sebaiknya bisa diprogram karena ada beberapa tingkatan suhu dalam membakar cetakan ini. Juga, sebaiknya dilengkapi dengan alat pengukur suhu built-in karena suhu yang berbeda menghasilkan kualitas yang berbeda juga. Furnace yang jadi referensi seperti: Kerr, Neytech.

D. Logam (emas, perak) dilebur dan dituangkan ke dalam cetakan gips yang telah mengeras

d1. sebaiknya logam dilebur hingga 150 C diatas titik leburnya. Misalnya, emas 18 k memiliki titik lebur hingga 943 C, maka emas ini sebaiknya dilebur hingga suhu 1093 C. Secara visual, logam akan membulat dan membentuk pinggiran yang melengkung, serta ada semacam bidang yang bergerak pada permukaan.

d2. logam segera dituang setelah dilebur dan pada saat casting baru dikeluarkan dari oven dalam suhu maksimalnya. perbedaan suhu yang tipis antara logam dan casting bisa menghindarkan keretakan pada casting.

d3. logam bisa dilebur dengan pompa (torch) berbahan bakar atau dilebur dengan alat listrik: electro-melt furnaces

d4.  jika proses ini dilakukan dengan alat MixCast buatan CIMO itali (dimulai dengan kapasitas logam 1 kg), maka tingkat keberhasilannya bisa mencapai 80% (20% perhiasan pada tree akan rusak).  Jika proses ini dibantu dengan induksi, maka tingkat keberhasilannya bisa mencapai 99%, seperti dengan alat: Indutherm buatan Jerman (dimulai dengan kapasitas logam 100 gr). Alasannya, proses induksi akan tetap memanaskan logam di dalam casting hingga secara sempurna mencapai rongga terjauh

E. Gips dihancurkan dengan air dan didapat perhiasan logam yang mirip dengan bentuk wax. Perhiasan kemudian di-polish

e1. gips ini pada dasarnya hancur di dalam air. Jika belum sempurna, perhiasan bisa dibersihkan dari gips dengan bantuan uap bertekanan (alatnya: steamer)

e2. kemudian perhiasan di-polish dengan berbagai alat, seperti: spindle polisher, bench polisher, multi-grinder, tumblers, magnetic machines, flexible shaft, kikir (files) dan kain

senang rasanya membuat perhiasan sendiri. Ingin diskusi? coba ke: theohaga@gmail.com

The process of chip design is very complex and its understating requires many years of study and practical experience. From a digital integrated circuit design perspective, it could be divided into different hierarchies or stages where the problems are examined at several different levels: system design, logic design, circuit design, layout design, fabrication and testing. These steps are not necessarily sequential; interactions are done in practice to get things right.

System Design: This stage provides the specifications and main operations of the chip. It examines such issues like chip area, power, functionality, speed, cost and other design factors while setting these specifications. Sometimes, the resources available to the designer could act as a constraint during this stage. For instance, a designer may like to design a chip to work at 1.2V, but available process technology can only support a voltage of 5V. In this situation, the designer has to adjust these specifications to satisfy the available tools. It is always a good habit to understand the process technology available before system design and specifications. Process technology is basically the specific foundry technology rules where the chip would be fabricated. Typical examples are AMI 0.5um, TSMC 0.35um and IBM 0.13um. A design based on one process technology is unique to that process and accordingly should be fabricated in a foundry that supports that process. At the system design level, the main sections of the system are illustrated with block diagrams, with no details on the contents of the blocks. Only the input and output characteristics of the sections are detailed.

Logic Design: At this stage, the designer implements the logic networks that would realize the input and output characteristics specified in the previous stage. This is generally made of logic gates with interconnecting wires that are used to realize the design.

Circuit Design: Circuit design involves the translation of the various logic networks into electronic circuitries using transistors. These transistors are switching devices whose combinations are used to realize different logic functions. The design is tested using computer aided design (CAD) tools and comparisons are made between the results and the chip specifications. Through these results, the designer could have an idea of the speed, power dissipation, and performance of the final chip. An idea of the size of the chip is also obtained at this stage since the number of transistors would determine the area of the chip. Experienced designers optimize many design variables like transistor sizes, transistor numbers, and circuit architecture to reduce delay, power consumption, and latency among others. The length and width of the transistors must obey the rules of the process technology.

Layout Design: This stage involves the translation of the circuit realized in the previous stage into silicon description through geometrical patterns aided by CAD tools. This translation process follows a process rule that specifies the spacing between transistors, wire, wire contacts, and so on. Violation of these rules results to malfunctioning chips after fabrication. Besides, the designer must ensure that the layout design accurately represents the circuit design and that the design is free of errors. CAD tools enable checks for errors and also incorporate ways of comparing layout and circuit designs provided in form of Layout Versus Schematic (LVS) checks. When errors are reported, the designer has to effect the corrections. A vital fundamental stage in layout design is Extraction, which involves the extraction of the circuit schematic from the layout drawings. The extracted circuit provides information on the circuit elements, wires, parasitic resistance and capacitance (a parasitic device is an unbudgeted device that inserts itself due to interaction between nearby components). With the aid of this extracted file, the electronic behavior of the silicon circuit is simulated and it is always a good habit to compare the results with the system specification since this is one of the final design stages before a chip is sent to the foundry.

Fabrication: Upon satisfactory verification of the design, the layout is sent to the foundry where it is fabricated. The process of chip fabrication is very complex. It involves many stages of oxidation, etching, photolithography, etc. Typically, the fabrication process translates the layout into silicon or any other semiconductor material that is used. The result is bonded with pins for external connections to circuit boards.

Fabrication process uses photolithographic masks, which define specific patterns that are transferred to silicon wafers (the initial substrate used to fabricate integrated circuits) through a number of steps based on the process technology. The starting material, the wafer, is oxidized to create insulation layer in the process. It is followed by photolithographic process, which involves deposition of photoresist on the oxidized wafer, exposure to ultra-violet rays to form patterns and etching for removal of materials not covered by photoresist. Ion implantation of the p+ or n+ source/drain region and metallization to form contacts follow afterwards. The next stage is cutting the individual chip from the die. For external pin connection, bonding is done. It is important to emphasize that this process steps could be altered in any order to achieve specific goals in the design process. In addition, many of these functions are done many times for very complex chips. Over the years, other methods have emerged. A notable one is the use of insulators (like sapphire) as starting materials instead of semiconductor substrate (the silicon on which active devices are implanted) to build the transistors. This method called Silicon on Insulator (SOI) minimizes parasitic in circuits and enable the realization of high speed and low power dissipation chips.

Testing: The final stage of the chip development is called testing. Electronic equipment like oscilloscopes, probes, pattern generators and logic analyzers are used to measure some parameters of the chip to verify its functionalities based on the stated specifications. It is always a good habit to test for various input patterns for a fairly long time in order to discover possible performance degradation, variability, or failures. Sometimes, fabricated chip test results deviate from simulated results. When that occurs, depending on application, the designer could re-engineer the circuit for improvement and error corrections. The new design should be fabricated and tested at the end.

Our quad-bot drives deep into the cave in search of life. Tracking its movements with computers and cameras we see a small opening and direct it to the opening. As we get closer to the opening we get that sinking feeling in our stomachs once again. Our quad-bot is not going to fit inside, this has happened once too many times. Why cant we get a robot that can change its shape…

Researchers from iRobot and the University of Chicago have created a robot that uses surface morphing to alter its shape. The idea is a simple one based on basic physics. A material will conform to the forces upon it unless it has enough structural resistance to withstand said force. With this in mind the team created a silicon based surface that contains multiple cellular compartments which contain what they call a jammable slurry. When certain compartments are unjammed they become non-resistive to force and thus those compartments can be morphed.

The morphing is achieved using the displacement of air pressure inside the material through the assistance of an actuator.  While the blob is still very much in the early stages of becoming a machine the concept remains promising. They divide the surface into triangular surfaces which allows the formation of any shape given that the area of each triangle approaches zero. This means that this silicon surface may be used to create artificial skin over a robotic sub-structure one day; giving the robot the ability to express facial emotions. This combined with the “Smarthand” brings us one step closer to the future of mechanisation…

very interesting.. hope every one enjoy!

Sand. Made up of 25 percent silicon, is, after oxygen, the second most abundant chemical element that’s in the earth’s crust. Sand, especially quartz, has high percentages of silicon in the form of silicon dioxide (SiO2) and is the base ingredient for semiconductor manufacturing.

After procuring raw sand and separating the silicon, the excess material is disposed of and the silicon is purified in multiple steps to finally reach semiconductor manufacturing quality which is called electronic grade silicon. The resulting purity is so great that electronic grade silicon may only have one alien atom for every one billion silicon atoms. After the purification process, the silicon enters the melting phase. In this picture you can see how one big crystal is grown from the purified silicon melt. The resulting mono-crystal is called an ingot.

A mono-crystal ingot is produced from electronic grade silicon. One ingot weighs approximately 100 kilograms (or 220 pounds) and has a silicon purity of 99.9999 percent.

The ingot is then moved onto the slicing phase where individual silicon discs, called wafers, are sliced thin. Some ingots can stand higher than five feet. Several different diameters of ingots exist depending on the required wafer size. Today, CPUs are commonly made on 300 mm wafers.

Once cut, the wafers are polished until they have flawless, mirror-smooth surfaces. Intel doesn’t produce its own ingots and wafers, and instead purchases manufacturing-ready wafers from third-party companies. Intel’s advanced 45 nm High-K/Metal Gate process uses wafers with a diameter of 300 mm (or 12-inches). When Intel first began making chips, it printed circuits on 50 mm (2-inches) wafers. These days, Intel uses 300 mm wafers, resulting in decreased costs per chip.

The blue liquid, depicted above, is a photo resist finish similar to those used in film for photography. The wafer spins during this step to allow an evenly-distributed coating that’s smooth and also very thin.

At this stage, the photo-resistant finish is exposed to ultra violet (UV) light. The chemical reaction triggered by the UV light is similar to what happens to film material in a camera the moment you press the shutter button.

Areas of the resist on the wafer that have been exposed to UV light will become soluble. The exposure is done using masks that act like stencils. When used with UV light, masks create the various circuit patterns. The building of a CPU essentially repeats this process over and over until multiple layers are stacked on top of each other.

A lens (middle) reduces the mask’s image to a small focal point. The resulting "print" on the wafer is typically four times smaller, linearly, than the mask’s pattern.

In the picture we have a representation of what a single transistor would appear like if we could see it with the naked eye. A transistor acts as a switch, controlling the flow of electrical current in a computer chip. Intel researchers have developed transistors so small that they claim roughly 30 million of them could fit on the head of a pin.

After being exposed to UV light, the exposed blue photo resist areas are completely dissolved by a solvent. This reveals a pattern of photo resist made by the mask. The beginnings of transistors, interconnects, and other electrical contacts begin to grow from this point.

The photo resist layer protects wafer material that should not be etched away. Areas that were exposed will be etched away with chemicals.

After the etching, the photo resist is removed and the desired shape becomes visible.

More photo resist (blue) is applied and then re-exposed to UV light. Exposed photo resist is then washed off again before the next step, which is called ion doping. This is the step where ion particles are exposed to the wafer, allowing the silicon to change its chemical properties in a way that allows the CPU to control the flow of electricity.

Through a process called ion implantation (one form of a process called doping) the exposed areas of the silicon wafer are bombarded with ions. Ions are implanted in the silicon wafer to alter the way silicon?i these areas conduct electricity. Ions are propelled onto the surface of the wafer at very high velocities. An electrical field accelerates the ions to a speed of over 300,000 km/hour (roughly 185,000 mph)

After the ion implantation, the photo resist will be removed and the material that should have been doped (green) now has alien atoms implanted.

This transistor is close to being finished. Three holes have been etched into the insulation layer (magenta color) above the transistor. These three holes will be filled with copper, which will make up the connections to other transistors.

The wafers are put into a copper sulphate solution at this stage. Copper ions are deposited onto the transistor through a process called electroplating. The copper ions travel from the positive terminal (anode) to the negative terminal (cathode) which is represented by the wafer.

The copper ions settle as a thin layer on the wafer surface.

The excess material is polished off leaving a very thin layer of copper.

Multiple metal layers are created to interconnects (think wires) in between the various transistors. How these connections have to be “wired” is determined by the architecture and design teams that develop the functionality of the respective processor (for example, Intel’s Core i7 processor). While computer chips look extremely flat, they may actually have over 20 layers to form complex circuitry. If you look at a magnified view of a chip, you will see an intricate network of circuit lines and transistors that look like a futuristic, multi-layered highway system.

This fraction of a ready wafer is being put through a first functionality test. In this stage test patterns are fed into every single chip and the response from the chip monitored and compared to "the right answer."

After tests determine that the wafer has a good yield of functioning processor units, the wafer is cut into pieces (called dies).

The dies that responded with the right answer to the test pattern will be put forward for the next step (packaging). Bad dies are discarded. Several years ago, Intel made key chains out of bad CPU dies.

This is an individual die, which has been cut out in the previous step (slicing). The die shown here is a die of an Intel Core i7 processor.

The substrate, the die, and the heatspreader are put together to form a completed processor. The green substrate builds the electrical and mechanical interface for the processor to interact with the rest of the PC system. The silver heatspreader is a thermal interface where a cooling solution will be applied. This will keep the processor cool during operation.

A microprocessor is the most complex manufactured product on earth. In fact, it takes hundreds of steps and only the most important ones have been visualized in this picture story.

During this final test the processors will be tested for their key characteristics (among the tested characteristics are power dissipation and maximum frequency).

Based on the test result of class testing processors with the same capabilities are put into the same transporting trays. This process is called "binning". Binning determines the maximum operating frequency of a processor, and batches are divided and sold according to stable specifications.

The manufactured and tested processors (again Intel Core i7 processor is shown here) either go to system manufacturers in trays or into retail stores in a box. Many thanks to Intel for supplying the text and photos in this picture story. Check out Intel’s site for full size images of this entire process.

Please do not print this email unless it is absolutely necessary.

Yesterday semiconductor supplier Cavium Networks announced its plans to acquire embedded Linux pioneer MontaVista Software.  MontaVista, founded in 1999 by Jim Ready (of Ready Systems / VRTX reknown) was among the first to commercialize and evangelize Linux for embedded designs.  It was one of the few remaining independent vendors in the embedded Linux business when Cavium snapped it up yesterday for $16M in cash and $34M in stock.

When Silicon Buys Software and Services

The acquisition is the latest in a string of M&A moves by silicon vendors hoping to gain an edge in filling sockets by providing software tools, platforms and services.  The most recent, most visible and most lucrative was Intel’s buy of Wind River earlier this year for a cool $884M, most palpably to support design-in of Intel’s mobile/embedded Atom architecture family.  Others include

• Motorola Semiconductor (now Freescale) purchase of MetroWerks in 2003
• Mentor Graphics acquisition of Embedded Alley earlier in 2009 (Mentor helps companies design semiconductors)

Independent embedded Linux companies remaining after Cavium’s move are much smaller players like TimeSys,  services provider Denx and Linux tools supplier Viosoft.

Why MontaVista, Why Now?

Cavium’s stated reasons for the buy are to “complement Cavium’s market leading processor portfolio” and to  “significantly increase Cavium’s software and services revenue”, which in 2009 could amount to a top-line bump of $30M according to Cavium’s investor call.  Unstated are likely concerns about sustaining Cavium’s traditionally close ties with Wind River for design wins with popular Cavium MIPS architecture CPUs for networking and other applications.

MontaVista, for its part, has reportedly been courting suitors for three years or more, after multiple funding rounds that totaled over $100M since the company’s founding in 1999.  The marriage with Cavium reflects the embedded Linux supplier’s long-standing ties to semiconductor suppliers, including  AMCC, Freescale, Intel, Marvell, and Texas Instruments, and processor IP providers ARM and MIPS Technologies.  Many were also strategic investors and sources of substantial historical enablement revenue.  It also probably reflects the state of the firm’s revenues and cash reserves.

Analysis – Acquisition a Bang or a Whimper?

The acquisition is certainly a bang for Cavium.  They get revenue growth, enabling technology, expertise and new ecosystem reach.  But for MontaVista?  They get financial security (for now) and a place in a strong and growing technology supplier.  However, this acquisition surely falls short of the “event” once envisioned by Ready and his many investors.

MontaVista made a strong start in 1999 and 2000, riding the wave of infrastructure build-out to support what later turned into the Internet bubble.  Even after that bubble burst, MontaVista continued to grow, complementing still-strong networking business with consumer electronics, mobile telephony and other intelligent device application segments.  They achieved an impressive series of “firsts” in bringing Linux and open source software (OSS) to the embedded space:

• First commercial cross tools and fully embedded platform for Power, MIPS and ARM architectures
• First support for redefinable CPU architectures
• First to market with a Carrier Grade Linux platform
• First mass deployments in dozens mobile handset designs and millions of handsets with MobiLinux

and

• Key enhancements in real-time responsiveness of the Linux kernel
• Investment in maintaining Linux kernel architecture trees, including especially PowerPC and multiple ARM family CPUs
• Important advances in and contributions to  open source projects, including the Linux kernel and device drivers, threading libraries, power management, GDBserver and numerous others
• Early support for embedded multicore architectures and designs
• Industry leadership in evangelizing embedded Linux and providing assurances about the IP safety of embedded open source

So why did an acquisition occur not at first, but at last?  How was late starter Wind River able to enter the embedded Linux space in earnest after MontaVista’s five year head-start,  and eclispe MontaVista in Linux-based revenues and ultimately in valuation?

For all of the company’s “firsts”, MontaVista took numerous missteps, slowing its growth and causing it to miss multiple windows of opportunity:

Value-added:  for most of its history, MontaVista primarily acted as an integrator of OSS projects, treading water and often swimming below the ever-rising open source value line.  True innovation emerged from the company, but always so low in the stack (mostly in the kernel) that they were unsuccessful in commanding a premium for it.

Revenue Scaling: Because they packaged up and commercialized a broad array of existing projects, and marketed them as development seats to engineers, MontaVista revenue growth was always limited by their ability to capture development teams as customers. They resisted both developing deployment IP or reselling run-time technology from 3rd parties, limiting their opportunity to benefit from successful high-volume OEM customer products.  At one time the company did offer a per-unit licensing option for this aggregated open source content.  Primarily a response to requirements for risk-sharing from key customers, this short-lived selling model baffled many in the industry who assumed that OSS code could only accrue services revenues.

Sustaining vs. Enabling Revenue: MontaVista cultivated strong ties to semiconductor suppliers and other hardware vendors, and was successful for many years in charging a premium for hardware enablement and upstream migration of patches and other code to support CPUs, SoCs and embedded computers.  At various times, the company was more successful in extracting revenues for enabling reference hardware than for supporting OEMs in building product on those systems and silicon.  The result of such strong business development was a product line bloated with board support packages that never saw the light of day in shipping OEM products but added substantial time and costs to new releases and sustaining engineering.  This focus on enablement also served to alienate  partners over time when they could not justify ROI  for their NRE.

Business Model and Execution:  Many MontaVista watchers have argued that the company’s business model was essentially flawed. Certainly there is room for debate about the viability of going to market with a product built almost entirely from freely available OSS components (vs. complementing that platform with proprietary IP, etc.).  Such a model based on building with and for open source can devolve into less attractive high-overhead packaged service business in the face of a rising value line.

By contrast, I would argue that MontaVista insiders and its various detractors were in no position to critique the business model itself since that model (and its minor variations) was never really tested.  The model did not fail the company, but rather the company failed to execute on that model.

Failure to execute belies key assumptions about serving device OEMs with embedded Linux platforms and toolkits:

• OEMs look to suppliers like MontaVista for productization of the latest Linux kernel technology, libaries, middleware and tools
• OEMs expect frequent releases and deep expertise at many levels of the platform and tools
• OEMs anticipate something “in the box” other than bits and bytes they can increasingly source directly from OSS project trees

While MontaVista made a strong start in all these areas, over time they reduced the  investments needed to meet these (not unreasonable) expectations. In the last five years, MontaVista Linux releases became fewer and farther between and did not closely track ongoing Linux kernel and other OSS project evolution.  The company lost most of its hallmark on-staff project maintainers, along with their insight and hands-on knowledge.  And the firm never made sorely needed investments in truly original differentiating technologies and products.

In closing, I remember my first encounter with the company shortly after its founding in the Spring of 1999.  I was doing a trade study of emerging embedded Linux with a colleague and we pondered the future of Jim Ready’s then-new company.  Based on the history of Ready Systems and its flagship VRTX RTOS (acquired by Microtec Research for a modest sum in 1994) we debated whether this new venture would rise to spectacular success or  ultimately stumble.

I guess we were both right.

Jag är hemma igen.. det blev en liten tur till Göteborg.. och ett besök uppe på avdelning 37…

Jag blev inskriven av syster C och så fick jag träffa plastikkirurgen M…

Sen började helvetet… det sanna helvetet.. och det är fortfarande jobbigt att skriva ner det som hände..

En sak vet jag i alla fall.. jag vill aldrig mer ha något att göra med min onkolog.. för nu har han bränt sina skepp… bränt sina broar.. och dessutom har han skitit i det blå skåpet…
Jag vill aldrig mer se hans nunna… För gör jag det så vet jag inte vad jag gör… de får helt enkelt skaffa mig en ny onkolog… vad det kosta vill.. jag har rätt som patient att få byta doktor.. även om det bara finns en.. för regionen är stor.. och det finns andra i regionen… Det är bara för sjukhuset att se till att få dit en annan.. för jag vägrar träffa åbäket fler gånger…. Han kan ta sitt pick och pack och dra till något varmare ställe..

Jag har svårt för ordet hat och att hata någon.. men det finns faktiskt ett par personer som jag hatar.. Vilka personer det är jag hatar.. så kommer här en lista.. och jag skriver också varför jag hatar dem…

1. Adolf Hitler - för vad han gjorde mot många av Europas befolkning.. och då inte bara judarna, utan också homosexuella, romer, oliktänkande och förståndshandikappade på olika sätt…
2. Idi Amin – och det han gjorde mot sitt eget folk i Uganda…
3. De människor som tycker och tänker att alla andra ska tycka och tänka som dem.. och det som gör sig roliga på andras bekostnad…
4. Min onkolog (J-H S) – för all den smärta och besvikelse som han givit mig..

Det gör ont.. det svider.. det smärtar… även om jag nu har dubbel förtur till operation.. så gör det ändå ont… det svider.. det smärtar..

Jag vet inte hur många tårar som har trillat sedan igår.. Jag vet hur ont det känns i själen.. hur det smärtar i min själ att jag inte får bli hel än på ett tag.. att jag åter igen måste stå i kö.. Fast jag har dubbel förtur.. så känns det ändå.. för i kö står jag.. och det lär jag få göra ett tag.. för inte 17 lär jag bli opererad i morgon…

Dessutom blir det absolut inte den operation jag ville ha.. och den jag faktiskt blivit lovad… utan det blir en operation som min kropp hade klarat.. och hade jag vetat detta innan så hade jag redan varit opererad och inte behövt vänta i 1½ år på något som jag i slutänden inte fick… för att vissa personer inte kan lyfta en telefonlur och ringa ett visst nummer för att på detta sättet kontrollera att det är ok.. nä.. det är för mycket jobb.. istället säger man okej till patienten så den får kliva upp kl. 05.15 och ta taxin 06.25 till stan för att sedan ta en buss i 3 timmar lite drygt för att upptäcka att det inte blir den operation som patienten väntat på i 1½ år… för att patienten har fått fyra små metastaser i skelettet.. så det är bara för patienten att försöka ta sig tillbaka samma väg.. samma buss.. och samma taxiresa.. fast omvänt.. För han behöver inte bry sig.. utan det är inte han som råkar illa ut.. det är inte han som blir besviken.. det är inte han som har problem med kroppen och därmed svårt att ta sig upp på bussen.. det är inte hans tid.. det är min.. det är en hel dag i mitt liv som gått till spillo… det är jag som blev besviken.. och väldigt lurad.. för att han den där som sa “en elak liten jävel” om min knöl i bröstet… och när jag frågade igen så sa han “elak som fan”.. det var personen som skickar mig till Sahlgrenska.. en liten enkel resa på 20 mil.. för det är inte hans kropp.. det är inte han som drabbas…

Det är jag.. det är patienten.. det är bara “den där cancersjuka kvinnan”.. ja, nästa gång kan vi försöka skicka henne till Uppsala och se om hon går på det en gång till.. Tjohoo.. vad det är roligt att skicka små sargade kvinnliga patienter än hit och än dit.. och så kan jag sitta här och gotta mig åt att de far land och rike kring och förlorar värdefull tid för dem.. för de lär inte få de det vill ha ändå.. tjohoo va kul jag har..

Jag får alltså inte min diep Lambå.. Utan nu blir det silicon och med expanderprotes.. fast jag är strålad så gör de så här.. och det blir på KSS.. så jag behöver inte åka till Sahlgrenska.. Fast jag ska be att få storleken större på tuttarna.. för de får det faktiskt ge mig som kompensation på detta helvete jag har haft sista dygnet..

Finns det någon som kan hjälpa mig att anmäla läkare!!!

Läs även andra bloggares åsikter om pysan, helvete, smärta, svider, ont, själ, läkare, onkolog, blå skåp, skita, brännt broar, expanderprotes, silicon, bröst, anmälan, Sahlgrenska, väntan, dubbel förtur, kö, hatar, människor, åbäke, bränt skepp, byta läkare, patient

“If you rearrange the atoms in coal, you get diamond.

If you rearrange the atoms in sand, you get silicon. How atoms are arranged is fundamental to all material aspects of life,” says Ralph Merkle, currently senior research chair at the Institute for Molecular Manufacturing. He’s a large, pear-shaped man who, as he speaks, waves his arms…….

Source:
http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2009/11/singularity-university-rearranging-atoms-with-ralph-merkle/

Chapter 13 of the biblical Book of Revelation is a very revealing text. It refers to the number 666 as being the mark of ‘the beast’. But, in the Periodic Table of the Elements, the atomic number for the Carbon element is six. Carbon is necessary to form all DNA and RNA, the chemical code of life as it currently exists. And the Carbon atom has six electrons, six neutrons and six protons.

If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the Beast, for it is the number of a Man. Revelation 13:18

Dr. Max G. Lagally, BS, MS, Ph.D, is a Professor of Surface Science.  In 2006, he began developing Silicon membranes in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.  In his research, he has discovered that the surface of a Silicon membrane can be functionalized to become pH, or biologically, sensitive.  He theorizes that it could bind DNA.[i]  In other words, Silicon can support life.

At this time in history, we are evolving very rapidly as a human species. The evolution of our species, the Homo sapien, is a quantum leap to an immortal species with 48 chromosomes and 12 active spiritual DNA strands. Our three-dimensional biology is being alchemically shifted from Carbon-based matter into that of multi-dimensional Silicon Crystal.

Listen, I tell you a mystery: we will not all Sleep, but we will all be Changed. I Corinthians 15:51

Internally, all our cells are being changed from an organic structure to a Crystalline structure, the perfect prism through which Light can pass for illumination.  The speed of Light is 186,282 statute miles per second, which converts to 144,000 nautical miles per grid second.[ii] It is we who are ‘the beast’.

And they sang a new song before the throne… No one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the Earth.  Revelation 14:3

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

[ii Silicon conducts an electrical surprise, Royal Society of Chemistry, February, 2006
[ii]The Bridge to Infinity, Bruce L. Cathie, Adventures Unlimited Press, 1997

Hi

Today I’m going to review  a lovely iphone case donated by proporta.com !

Well my first impressions were pretty good as I didn’t think they’d send it to me soo fast. Anyway inside the well protected package; A reciept basically saying what I’d bought etc, a flyer which just said they were doing a competition for an ipod touch, a teabag (very nice by the way) and of course the soft feel silicone case for the iphone.

Well I opened the box which was also very nice, a magnetic type closure sealed with a sticker saying It has a life time warranty. A sticker which said it is steritouch that means it is clean which I really like

As soon as I felt this case I could tell it was quality, smooth all round. I stuck it on my iphone straight away, a perfect fit. I also noticed it has a screen protector but i didn’t need this as i’ve got  mirrored screen protector already on (also from proporta)  but otherwise good quality.  The buttons are covered which is nice with easy access, Very thick and scratch proof.

Well all in all I think this case deserves 5/5. simply because of it’s awsome quality, I think I’ll keep this one on my phone   

Creo que todos sabemos que los Anabolizantes o Esteroides son malos para la salud, aumentan el riesgo de sufrir ataques al corazón y la impotencia. No soy partidario para nada de su uso, me parece que un cuerpo bonito es y debe ser un cuerpo trabajado de forma natural, claro que eso conlleva mucho trabajo, muchas horas de entrenamiento, esfuerzo físico e incluso algun que otro suplemento como pueden ser proteinas, hidratos…. Pero hay mucha gente que opta por el camino facil tomando anabolizantes vía oral o inyectados por vena para en poco tiempo estar como un toro (aparentemente), pero como he dicho anteriormente perjudica la salud y en el momento que esta gente deja de tomarlos todo el musculo ganado cae.

El caso que les traigo en este vídeo es claramente por uso de algún esteroide o incluso por alguna modificación corporal (ya que los músculos no son simétricos), checa que los pechos, parecen de silicona, por no hablar de sus trapecios perrones. Parece que le han hinchado los músculos con una bomba de aire a presión.

Va prezentam un alt site al SC SF STORE EXIM SRL, Saibe . ro (www.saibe.ro).
Nu uitati ca la Store gasiti o gama larga de organe de asamblare (piulite, saibe, suruburi etc) si intotdeauna veti avea de unde alege!
Va asteptam pe http://www.storeinc.ro – siteul principal.

Va prezentam un alt site al SC SF STORE EXIM SRL, Piulita . ro (www.piulita.ro).
Nu uitati ca la Store gasiti o gama larga de organe de asamblare (piulite, saibe, suruburi etc) si intotdeauna veti avea de unde alege!
Va asteptam pe http://www.storeinc.ro – siteul principal.

Graphene is a highly conductive substance whose atoms are arranged in a mesh-like form a single atom thick. This substance was discovered to be present in ordinary graphite in 2003.

What’s so special with Graphene?

Graphene has greater electron mobility and more efficient heat dissipation than silicon. Because of these and other attributes, graphene may some day replace silicon as the semiconductor material in microchips and enable the continuation of Moore’s Law.

In other words, Graphene can be used as flexible and stretchable transparent electrodes in the future.

Graphene membrane

Research results from University of Maryland physicists show that graphene, a new material that combines aspects of semiconductors and metals, could be a leading candidate to replace silicon in applications ranging from high-speed computer chips to biochemical sensors.

The research, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and published online in the journal Nature Nanotechnolgy, reveals that graphene conducts electricity at room temperature with less intrinsic resistance than any other known material.

“Graphene is one of the materials being considered as a potential replacement of silicon for future computing” said NSF Program Manager Charles Ying. “The recent results obtained by scientists provide directions to achieve high-electron speed in graphene near room temperature, which is critically important for practical applications.”

Graphene is also a very promising material for chemical and biochemical sensing applications in which an electrical signal from, for instance, a molecule adsorbed on the sensing device, is translated into an electrical signal by changing the conductivity of the device. The low resistivity and extremely thin nature of graphene also holds promise for applications in thin, mechanically tough, electrically conducting transparent films. Such films are sorely needed in a variety of electronics applications, from touch screens to photovoltaic cells.

Understanding the electrical properties of graphene is important because, unlike the other materials used by the electronics industry, it remains stable and conductive down to the molecular scale. As a result, when the current silicon technology reaches it’s a fundamental miniaturization limit in coming years, graphene could very well take its place.

Too technical?

Let me show you what GRAPHENE will change the future of the electronics by clicking on the video below (…and sorry about the quality but this video was the only one I found available so far.)

Now if you got curious how the scientists got there and have a few more minutes, take a look at this video below… I can tell you that the end is at least very surprising. Thanks for reading (…and watching!) this article!

Did you know McDonalds was going to become, or Microsoft was going to become, or QVC was going to become the household names they did?  How could you have known they were destined to be staples of the American economy? Everyone has hind sight but few have foresight. If only I had a way or someone to direct me on how to identify a unique growth business poised to dominate a mass market. I don’t have a crystal ball but I can tell you to read and you may start to get the picture of the future.

Steve Squires is HGUE/Solterra Renewable Technologies, Inc.’s CEO. This is his take on the future of Quantum Dots & Solar power from Quantum Dots, look at the Oct. issue, pages 56, 57 & 58   Use the “zoom ” feature on the bottom of the page to see clearer text. This is a visionary article.

 http://www.interpv.net/ebook/ebook_03.asp

What he doesn’t tell you is there is a lot more potential from Medical http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=43821676, Waste Heat Recovery (Could be as big as solar) http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=43767056, Biotechnology, Semiconductor http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090401102946.htm, Optoelectronics, Military and Aerospace research fields and finally, OLED/LED’s http://news.prnewswire.com/DisplayRe…5066582&EDATE= . What was that about identifying a unique growth business poised to dominate a mass market?

AND the latest update 12-2-09 is Dr. Bob Glass joins Solterra as CTO to assist in taking this Quantum Dot & Solar company with its developing array of products into the future. http://twitter.com/drbob999  Dr. Glass has EXACTLY what this company needed as a startup. STARTUP EXPERIENCE and TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE. Director of Science at Sun Microsystems in the 90’s the technology he talked about then is the reality that SOLTERRA has today!  Dr. Glass is no charlatan, as CTO he is bringing a wealth of corporate development experience with him. Check out the company web site EOU.COM.  http://www.eou.com/aboutbob.html

This was my take months ago and still is, only with a more solid foundation,  ,  HGUE is to be a global play that will pay: 

http://solterra1.wordpress.com/2009/06/15/hgue-re-inventing-solar-with-solterra-renewable-technologies/

Helping the environment stay green and clean for our children through innovative science!