Timeline for How difficult is to reverse engineer a IC Die?
Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0
8 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 26, 2015 at 5:28 | comment | added | Dwayne Reid | There are plenty of resources available via Google in regards to reverse engineering chips. One such site is bunniestudios.com | |
| Aug 26, 2015 at 1:46 | comment | added | MarkU | In our company's FA lab, we use a nitric acid fountain to etch open the epoxy package to examine the bare silicon die. (This is for failure analysis of customer returns of our own products, not reverse engineering; but similar principles.) Read the MSDS, this is dangerous stuff to work with: labchem.com/tools/msds/msds/LC17770.pdf Not suitable for home/hobby use. | |
| Aug 25, 2015 at 23:19 | comment | added | Asmyldof | @VictorMehta Yes, that answer does say it's possible, but those pictures aren't made with a phone camera. Those lines and etches for a post year 2000 SoC are at widest 1micro meter. That's 1/1000th of a milimeter, is 1/25400th of an inch. And that's the widest, never mind the smallest. | |
| Aug 25, 2015 at 23:17 | answer | added | vini_i | timeline score: 2 | |
| Aug 25, 2015 at 23:15 | comment | added | pjc50 | It's possible, but it requires a couple million dollars worth of equipment. It's not "easy" in any sense that could be done at home. | |
| Aug 25, 2015 at 22:50 | comment | added | JkT | Thanks for the response. Nope I don't have an electron microscope but in this post it says its quite easy to reverse an IC electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/13472/… | |
| Aug 25, 2015 at 22:47 | comment | added | Asmyldof | If you want to use a Microwave (and to that question: nope) you don't have a Scanning Electron Microscope, I presume? Forget analysing a 22nm structure. let alone a multi layer one. | |
| Aug 25, 2015 at 22:42 | history | asked | JkT | CC BY-SA 3.0 |