Silicon Wafer with 6502 Microprocessor Chips - 4 inch, Rockwell, MOS

Description

About this Artwork:
This silicon wafer was fabricated by Rockwell International in the mid-1980s. This wafer contains the Rockwell version of the MOS 6502 microprocessor. The wafer has about 410 microprocessors on it. Adjusted for inflation, the price per chip would be about , giving the wafer a value of about ,800. After Motorola introduced the 6800, some of Motorola’s designers left to start MOS Technologies. Introduced in 1975, the 6502 processor was MOS’s first successful product. Although influenced by the design philosophy of the 6800, the 6502 is clearly a different and more advanced chip design. More important to its success though, the 6502 was designed as part of a whole family of 6500 series processors. The 6502 was the heart of several early microcomputers and game systems. Commodore, Apple, and Atari were among the 6502 designs. Apple designer, Steve Wozniak, described it as the first chip you could get for less than a hundred dollars (a quarter of the 6800 price). It became the microprocessor of choice for many hobbyists. Rockwell licensed the 6502 from MOS and became the second source of choice for the 6502. Soon Rockwell began producing other 6502 and 6800 components. As Rockwell’s experience increased, they began creating original variations that MOS did not make, such as the R6500 and R6511. Rockwell produced 6502 microprocessors longer than any other company.
Framing:
The artwork is framed in an 8"x10" black shadow box frame, with glass. All framing materials are acid free. A narrative about the artwork that includes the artist’s signature is placed on the back of the artwork.
Production:
Limited by availability of wafers.
Shipping:
I ship by US Priority Mail. I combine shipping costs. Just add all your items to the cart, and then checkout.
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About Making Computer Chips:
Computer chips start out as ordinary sand, which is silicon dioxide. However, the silicon must be made very, very pure. The first step is to melt the sand, in a furnace that reaches about 3200
o
F, and mix with carbon. This first purification process creates 99% pure Silicon, a common output is Silicon Carbide. The Silicon Carbide is processed in a trichlorosilane distillation method to create 99.9999% pure silicon called polycrystalline silicon. The polysilicon is broken up into chunks. These chunks are melted in a crucible at about 2500
o
F. A silicon crystal seed is dipped in molten silicon and slowly drawn out to create a cylinder of silicon. These silicon cylinders are some of the purest crystals on the planet. Once the silicon cylinder is grown to the desired diameter, it is sawed into wafers. These wafers are polished to achieve a very flat mirror surface. Transistors, and other micro-electronic parts, are built on the polished wafer in layers in a process called etching. The wafer is then sawed into its individual chips. Each chip is mounted in an electronic package that serves to protect it and connect it to the outside world. It has been said that computer chips are the greatest value added product in the world. We essentially take a pile of sand and change it into thousands of dollars worth of computer chips.
General Information:
These artworks are the creation of
ChipScapes
TM
artist Steve Emery.
ChipScapes
TM
are photographs taken of computer chips, boards, and other computer artifacts. They are sort of chip landscapes, or
ChipScapes
TM
for short. Most often a macro-lens or microscope is used with special lightning to achieve these unique artworks.
Intel, IBM, Fairchild, DEC, Signetics, Intersil, AMD, Zilog, Motorola, MOS, NEC, Texas Instruments, are some of the great chip making companies. Chips like the Intel 4004, MOS 6502, Zilog Z80, AMD 2901, IBM PowerPC and others have changed the way people work and play.
ChipScapes
TM
are dedicated to preserving and sharing these computing and communication technologies that changed the world.
ChipScapes
TM
artworks are fine collectible artworks.
ChipScapes
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come is a variety of shapes sizes and colors. Clusters of my artwork make for stunning displays! A
ChipScape
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would make a great gift for the nerd, geek, engineer, programmer, IT executive, or just that technology savvy person in your life.
More Questions?
For more information about ChipScapes
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, please check out my ChipScapes
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website.
For more information about chip collecting as a hobby
,
please check out my
AntiqueTech
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website.