Microscope hacks: collected tweets
Trying to get a bit more of a clue of the Pentium II microcode ROM column layout using my DIY metallographic microscope setup. Deprocessing was done using manual lapping and aluminum etch, with sulph. acid used to strip polymer coat from die. pic.twitter.com/PCygx9MLDY
— Peter Bosch (@peterbjornx) June 14, 2020
The big linear PSU is used to drive this piezo focus stage. It's not pretty, and the range is limited, but it allows me to focus on individual layers without touching the setup. pic.twitter.com/DaK7dlb8Fq
— Peter Bosch (@peterbjornx) June 14, 2020
and, yes, that is just a stack of 4 dirt-cheap piezo speakers, driven in parallel to increase distance per volt
— Peter Bosch (@peterbjornx) June 14, 2020
To demonstrate just how fine grained the Z/focus stage moves, I sweep the piezo bias voltage from 32V to 0V, you can hear the PSU switch ranges several times. (ignore the dirt on the sensor, I need to clean it.) pic.twitter.com/etrQxZxJQC
— Peter Bosch (@peterbjornx) June 15, 2020
Seems like twitter's codec ruined that video, heres the file as it came out of the camera https://t.co/zSYS0ZZGRu
— Peter Bosch (@peterbjornx) June 15, 2020
Almost finished building the reflected light addon for my microscope, built from scrap parts and laser-cut PMMA. Still need to apply the matte black coating to the new parts but besides that it is working great! pic.twitter.com/6ifcm2HYbn
— Peter Bosch (@peterbjornx) June 25, 2020
I'm thinking about uploading the CAD files, but the design is based around optics salvaged from a few broken microscopes so they won't be directly usable. pic.twitter.com/Tdg9VdTRzz
— Peter Bosch (@peterbjornx) June 25, 2020
Seems to be working pretty well :) pic.twitter.com/xvAmLeDjUx
— Peter Bosch (@peterbjornx) June 25, 2020
Microscope setup is becoming more and more streamlined, next step is adding a PSU module instead of the 4 benchtop PSUs. Got a bunch more pictures of the microcode ROM row and column circuitry and how it ties into the buses. pic.twitter.com/uXVijzy9lF
— Peter Bosch (@peterbjornx) July 2, 2020
Tidied up the wiring on my microscope and applied the matte coating to the last few bits of blank PMMA in the LED light path, now it really is just the PSU remaining (and maybe real telescoping axles and encoders for the stage). That, and a write up on building it @revspacenl pic.twitter.com/5fbMWy9cvf
— Peter Bosch (@peterbjornx) July 3, 2020
Bought a 100x immersion objective (with an old microscope, but for now fitted it onto my modified one) and the difference in resolving power is just insane! Roughly the same field in image 1 and 2, but img 2 is using 40x dry objective. The 100x allows me to resolve gates clearly! pic.twitter.com/uvPqwYT7YQ
— Peter Bosch (@peterbjornx) August 2, 2020
Some SRAM and ROM at varying levels of polishing (1,2 with gates+contacts and 3 only diff wells.) pic.twitter.com/XWJLpmC4ew
— Peter Bosch (@peterbjornx) August 2, 2020
Some logic, polished down to the dielectric above metal 1. Shifting the focus slightly really brings out the m1-m2 vias, and the contrast on the metal itself is now good enough to probably allow automated processing. pic.twitter.com/uN5p79DImw
— Peter Bosch (@peterbjornx) August 3, 2020
Finally got to selecting photos for my write up of the microscope project. I'll give a quick preview of it in this thread. The project started as a quick proof of concept made out of conduit,tape and a cover slide added to an old microscope (1/12) pic.twitter.com/LwlwBlzvmJ
— Peter Bosch (@peterbjornx) August 26, 2020
After countering the skepticism from the owner of the scope using this (he thought a setup like this could never yield a clear picture), I made a 3D print version. This still used a LED taped to an eyepiece as the light source and my phone looking in the eyepiece to capture(2/12) pic.twitter.com/3fYkDlmZxx
— Peter Bosch (@peterbjornx) August 26, 2020
This worked ok, and I decided to add an XYZ stage, automated using garden hose and steppers. This did not work too well... (3/12) pic.twitter.com/6DACTdPvfC
— Peter Bosch (@peterbjornx) August 26, 2020
While thinking about a solution to the XY stage problem, I decided to buy a HD webcam and adapt it into a microscope camera. This made for far more consistent pictures. (4/12) pic.twitter.com/x0Ca8YLt0P
— Peter Bosch (@peterbjornx) August 26, 2020
After a while, I came up with a solution to the XY stage drive problem: telescoping axles, I also replaced the wooden base plate with a more solid aluminum one (5/12) pic.twitter.com/gysVKXlo2O
— Peter Bosch (@peterbjornx) August 26, 2020
After a long break from the project I found a good deal for a DSLR to replace the webcam and added it to the microscope. While this worked fairly well, the lighting was uneven and difficult to adjust (6/12) pic.twitter.com/edfzjKWxiH
— Peter Bosch (@peterbjornx) August 26, 2020
This made me set out to redesign the lighting adapter from scratch, using lasercut parts and some old microscope bits I'd rescued from the uni e-waste bin. (7/12) pic.twitter.com/2KKIQf9ZKm
— Peter Bosch (@peterbjornx) August 26, 2020
While this first still used the eyepiece+LED I quickly started working on a real lighting setup for it. (8/12) pic.twitter.com/CgZ5dpnaG6
— Peter Bosch (@peterbjornx) August 26, 2020
Using a power LED, CPU heatsink and lamphouse port from the bin I made a nice, removable LED lamphouse (9/12) pic.twitter.com/LSzWLbkGrk
— Peter Bosch (@peterbjornx) August 26, 2020
In the meanwhile someone had donated a slightly better microscope to the project and I could return the borrowed one to its owner. This, among other things added a fine focus adjustment (10/12) pic.twitter.com/9uKWkC4TWp
— Peter Bosch (@peterbjornx) August 26, 2020
Having switched out the microscopes I also finally finished assembling the light adapter, removing the need for the lab clamp holding the lamphouse (11/12) pic.twitter.com/nD2vaT0aoQ
— Peter Bosch (@peterbjornx) August 26, 2020
Quick demo of my microscopes piezo focus stage, going from via2to3 -> metal2 -> metal1 -> poly -> substrate and back up. pic.twitter.com/Vu03JcyB9E
— Peter Bosch (@peterbjornx) August 31, 2020
Oops. Bought another microscope: an olympus E metallographical microscope. Its only slightly better than my DIY rig, but nice to have the more advanced lighting options this offers. pic.twitter.com/cmQwBQLpeq
— Peter Bosch (@peterbjornx) September 19, 2020
— Peter Bosch (@peterbjornx) September 20, 2020