Awesome. For those considering exploring some of these steps in their own garage -- the chemistry is dangerous, perhaps HF in particular, as it doesn't hurt, it just kills you a few hours later. Can you do this in a garage? Absolutely, but learn everything you need to know from an ensemble of safety-minded mentors before you strike out on your own. It's not just about safety for you, proper disposal of these chemical…
A home-made lithographically-fabricated integrated circuit
21–30 of 122 posts
Re: A home-made lithographically-fabricated integrated circuit
#22Awesome. For those considering exploring some of these steps in their own garage -- the chemistry is dangerous, perhaps HF in particular, as it doesn't hurt, it just kills you a few hours later. Can you do this in a garage? Absolutely, but learn everything you need to know from an ensemble of safety-minded mentors before you strike out on your own. It's not just about safety for you, proper disposal of these chemical…
Of course, caution is always warranted when dealing with HF. However, I don't see any reason why it can't be safely used at home. In fact HF is found in lots of commonly used household cleaning products like rust and stain removers.
Plenty of people are using Goof Off Rust remover and are not dropping dead later in the day.
Re: A home-made lithographically-fabricated integrated circuit
#23IEEE has a background piece for those (like me) wondering "who is this guy?" https://spectrum.ieee.org/semiconductors/devices/the-high-sc... Impressive.
His inspiration, Jeri Ellsworth is just (if not more) impressive. Check out her youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdcKwOo7dmM
Here she talks about her life/career story, quite amazing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLy0mVkoLio
Re: A home-made lithographically-fabricated integrated circuit
#24Awesome. For those considering exploring some of these steps in their own garage -- the chemistry is dangerous, perhaps HF in particular, as it doesn't hurt, it just kills you a few hours later. Can you do this in a garage? Absolutely, but learn everything you need to know from an ensemble of safety-minded mentors before you strike out on your own. It's not just about safety for you, proper disposal of these chemical…
Good 'ole HF http://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2004/03/03/thi...
TL;DR "hydrofluoric acid is a water solution of hydrogen fluoride, HF. That’s a gas, and it’s a lot worse. ... As soon as it hits anything moist – like your lungs – it dissolves in the water and turns into hydrofluoric acid again."
Re: A home-made lithographically-fabricated integrated circuit
#25Earlier quoted context omitted.
Good 'ole HF http://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2004/03/03/thi...
TL;DR "hydrofluoric acid is a water solution of hydrogen fluoride, HF. That’s a gas, and it’s a lot worse. ... As soon as it hits anything moist – like your lungs – it dissolves in the water and turns into hydrofluoric acid again."
or
"The straight liquid must really be a treat, but I’ve never seen it in that form, and would only wish to through binoculars."
Re: A home-made lithographically-fabricated integrated circuit
#26If he could get feature size down to 10 microns someone might have a shot at making a microprocessor.
At that scale his hacked together (amazingly cheap) optical lithography equipment will not serve. (See how well it did with 1um lines. That is the main problem.) Nor especially the photoresist process.
Perhaps it can do 5um with a different resist.
Re: A home-made lithographically-fabricated integrated circuit
#27Bravo!
Re: A home-made lithographically-fabricated integrated circuit
#28Earlier quoted context omitted.
TL;DR "hydrofluoric acid is a water solution of hydrogen fluoride, HF. That’s a gas, and it’s a lot worse. ... As soon as it hits anything moist – like your lungs – it dissolves in the water and turns into hydrofluoric acid again."
or "The straight liquid must really be a treat, but I’ve never seen it in that form, and would only wish to through binoculars."
The fact that it is liquid at relatively balmy temperatures makes it a bit easier to handle than most gases, but then you better have great urethane seals, gloves and clothing everywhere. (Silicones are permeable, PTFE is damaged over time, nitrile and vinyl gloves also leak.)
Re: A home-made lithographically-fabricated integrated circuit
#29Impressive to replicate silicon semiconductor process. But wouldn't it be more feasible to develop as good enough process node, flexible, thin film semiconductor devices? Have been observing developments of plastic based transistors, inks, processes like nanoimprint lithography, Cleanroom in a STEM microscope and Chad Mirkin's Tera Print system. Can a small scale nanfab emerge using tech such as Nano-Ops http://nano-…
I'd rather see that done with a 3d-printing process that way rather than making giant flat things you end up making far more compact bulk 3D things
Re: A home-made lithographically-fabricated integrated circuit
#30Awesome. For those considering exploring some of these steps in their own garage -- the chemistry is dangerous, perhaps HF in particular, as it doesn't hurt, it just kills you a few hours later. Can you do this in a garage? Absolutely, but learn everything you need to know from an ensemble of safety-minded mentors before you strike out on your own. It's not just about safety for you, proper disposal of these chemical…
> It's not just about safety for you, proper disposal of these chemicals is essential for the many generations to come.
Yes Gordon Moore created a superfund site or two in California.