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P-III autopsy
For teaching a course I needed to take a closer look at a CPU. I asked around and got my hands on an old P-III Coppermine that was about to get thrown out. I'll start with a disclaimer: I know virtually nothing about CPUs, so if I claim something to be true, it probably isn't.
The first challenge is to get the actual silicon processor chip off of the plastic bonding board. In the picture below, the blue thing you see is the back side of the processor chip. When the processor is finished, it is turned upside down and bonded to the green circuit board. This allows the metal pads on the silicon chip and the pads on the circuit board to join, creating a connection (this is one of those claims...). I believe that the CPU at that stage is heated up in order to melt the joints and thereby solder them together.
Click images for full-size. Especially the scanning electron microscope images below could be interesting to view in all its splendor.
I figured I should be able to remove the chip by heating it. I first tried using a heat gun, but that just made some bad smelling fumes. I instead turned to brute force and used a power-saw to cut out the part containing the actual chip. Using pliers I managed to get a few pieces off of the board (cracking the chip in the process, but I was planning to do that anyway) and got the rest off by using a scalpel.
Below you can see the result. On the bottom side of the piece that came off you can see all the connector pads that were previously connected to the pins on the backside of the circuit board.
Now the interesting part begins. I looked at the piece above in an optical microscope. The picture below shows an enhanced version of the little dots in the above picture.
Furthermore, by changing the focus of the microscope, we can see multiple layers within each hole
In a CPU there are multiple layers of sandwiched metal leads going down to the transistors at the bottom (at the surface of the silicon wafer). I believe what we're seeing is simply those different layers.
Since optical microscopy doesn't show very much detail, I decided to load the chip into a scanning electron microscope (SEM).
What I did was to cleave the chip into smaller pieces. This way I can peek from the side of the chip and get some cross-sectional images. Below is a series of images that shows a zoom-in on the surface of the Si chip. For some reason I had a lot of trouble getting a good focus. I'm not sure what kind of Si is used for these CPUs, but if it's a non-conducting silicon, the electron beam in the SEM can charge the material making it difficult to focus. Another possibility is that all the plastic encapsulation material caused charging effects.
I believe that in order to see the actual transistors at the bottom (at the surface of the silicon wafer) I will need to remove all the layers. I'll let you know if I figure out a good way of doing this.
This is incredible. I've been an IT professional for years and have never actually seen photographs of the chips I deal with. Thanks so much for putting these online!
I second that motion Thanks man, great post.
You should stop calling yourself a professional if that is the case.
Flesh, you clearly don't know the differenence between an IT professional and a semiconductor chip designer. Even a semiconductor chip designer is likely to have never seen the Electron Microscope images
This is like saying you can't be an expert in plate tectonics unless you've seen the molten core of the Earth.
Or you can't be a professional driver if you've never assembled a car by hand.
That I would buy. Drivers need to know ALOT about their car .
But don't they say that the Earth is Hollow? They show pictures of it on Google Earth for goodness sake! The heat at the centre is from a second Sun or something, right?
You sir, are a moron
A professional is someone who makes a living from what they do. You can easily be an IT professional and only write software!
wow 3 posts in an already people talking —- way to go internet, way to go…
Well, it looks like you still haven't. These are just the leads that go to the silicon chip. Still incredible though.
Computer engineers deal with chips, not IT professionals
IT Professionals deal with the entire computer, Computer Engineers help make computers more efficent, faster, and all together better, IT fixes the problems that happen
I have a B.S. in Computer Engineer and I've been doing embedded S/W for 23 years. I do black box stuff like a digitally controlled radio or an image scanner or video tracker. It's all DSP's and micro-controllers. SOIC kind of stuff. I rarely deal with a PC other than as a development tool.
A good computer engineer can design and debug both H/W and S/W at the board level and, grudgingly, do some GUI and Network crap too.
As far as I'm concerned, IT and Professional is an oxymoron.
Hey Heffie, do you think you won the d*ck measuring contest? Because you didn't.
Your another one of these old men who think that because they deal with hardware that, that makes you the smartest person in the room. How much did you pull down last year? 100K? If your lucky. Guess what? I started out as a IT Pro and went into management, now with bonuses I make 250K a year.
Have fun with the hardware as someone in their thirty's fires you because your knowledge is old and outdated and we can get kids right out of college who know just as much as you do and more and are willing to do the job for 60K a year. And are willing to work more hours because they have the energy and dont have any kids basketballs games to go to. Engineers are a dime a dozen. We can even pull them from India, the Middle East and Eastern Europe for 30K on H1B's.
As far as were concerned in management, your nothing but a mechanic.
O, and as far as the gui and network crap goes, good luck with that. Its a bit more complicated now than it was 20 years ago.
Steve, looking at the quality of recent engeneering gradutes, it seems to me that the young ones are "a dime a dozen" because most of them don't have the right stuff in them. There are some remarkable exceptions, of course, but these fine minds are so used to look down on people, that they quickly turn down engeneering and blissfully ascend to the management cast…
Wow, what a serious asshole. Do you believe you deserve a 1/4million income? The hell you do. Not everyone who is intelligent or capable is born from parents that allow their children the opportunity to partake in a public school system. For those children, life is more difficult, and it's a sad fate that's hard to overcome in particular situations.
I'm speaking for myself, of course.
I don't take the IT guy seriously, but you can go drown in a mud puddle.
Right. Computer engineers do their best to avoid dealing with IT professionals. *duck*
Cool pics, love it!
Wow, why don't you all get off your F'n high horses… Cool that you can do hardware, and cool that you can create a secure network, and you both need each other because both professions are technical as all get up… thanks for your work, but get the F over yourselves…
Absolutely stunning ! Handled lots but never seen one up close and personal.. A well appreciated article! Thank you…
Nice work. I especially like the bit where you had to hit it with the saw.
Brute force is almost always necessary in some area of a dissection, and I've learned to see the grace in it! Great post, great pictures.
Amazing. Thank you very much!
Amazing! Thank you for doing this!!
The "professional" way is to use acid. You can find some cool pics of reverse engineers who've opened up NAND memories to find counterfeits and such. Check this blog out: http://www.bunniestudios.com/blog/?p=918
Here's a how-to:
When I first started looking at the pictures I thought it was gonna be something silly, but wow, these are fantastic. Crazy how tiny those things are, I guess now I understand what they meant by micro processor.
Great work. a layman reveals the secrets of chipmaking!
@someguy: I don't think you saw a lot of secrets on those pictures.
It's nice seeing such pioneering research in action.
One it is not in action and two that is not pioneering even when it was new. Intel stole the Pentium chip design from AMD via corporate espionage. They acquired the PII from a little know company named Intergraph finding out about its existence via corp. espionage and then buying the fab it was being developed in thereby acquiring all tech within. The P3 which is in the pictures came ultimately in 6 different layers, cache on board, off board etc all in an attempt to hide the real fact that the P3 was nothing more than an overclocked P2. P4 was good but it was complimented by RD memory and later DDR memories. Too soon to tell who Intel stole that from or if they finally invested in an R&D department.
6 different flavors not layers (sorry typo). So uhhh yea Intel wasn't a pioneer back then just a thief. It is still hard to tell how much of a pioneer intel is (for example after trying for nearly 10 years to produce a decent and cost effective x64 CPU they ultimately decided they suck and to this day pay their main competitor AMD for rights to use AMD's 64-bit architecture.
amd-64 sucks. AMD just extended a convoluted and very outdated architecture to 64 bits. This is why ARM is eating Intel and AMD in the cell phone marked. x-86 has a lot of baggage from years of CISC and segments and what really is required is a small low powered multicore architecture that is efficient and scalable which is Arm.
AMD-64 is pretty much the same as Intel-32, just added NX and some other enhancements, and made it 64-bit, and simplified segmentation. Some ARM processors support memory segmentation also (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memory_management_unit). Memory segments allow more memory and add security to systems. ARM has been around for decades just like x86, and was designed for embedded from the start. ARM is not eating x86 market share, when x86 was invented there was no mobile market, smartphones are relatively new and are a completely new market. There are ZERO ARM desktops or notebooks in the world. Don't get me wrong, I like the ARM architecture, and use it in robotics designs, but every processor design out there has a purpose for which it was designed, and to act like one is always better is pointless.
Joe is absolutely right. ARM relies on RISC where Intel & AMD relies on CISC. For mobile computation Intel & AMD powers are too great, moreover like a overkill. But like spiderman said "with great power comes great power consumption", ARM RISC processor was used in embedded. Now today, due to smartphone & tablet market it's look like ARM is eating away Intel & AMD.
Now, imaging you are rending a scene in the ARM based tablet …
I don't know about the Pentiums, but Core 2′s and Xeons (on the same architecture) are clearly better than AMD's designs from the same generation – a quad core Xeon matches an octa-core Opteron in performance.
The P3 is not a P2 it has a new version of SSE which was developed by Intel. AMD wouldn't have been able to produce an x-86 clone if it weren't for them buying NexGen!
The picture counteracts what your saying. Semiconductors are not exactly a recipe a sous chef can cook. AMD is just an Intel Knockoff. Intel has always been very innovative in technology. They developed Hi-k semiconductors and the first DRAM and 3D transistors and they produce their own sub micron semiconductor processes. Intel also developed the cartridge edge SECC slot for the Pentium which although it is no longer used was innovative. The Pentium architecture was also a step up from the 486 and no one but Intel would have the muscle to extend the x-86 as far for 20 years with all the CISC baggage.
Intel may have used some of the patented features of the Intergraph but Intergraph no longer makes chips. Intel settled that lawsuit a long time ago. AMD would have been smart to take advantage of the Intergraph lawsuit. Intergraphs semiconductor process was probably so inferior to Intel's Intel would have no need for it. If Intergraphs tech was so good you think they'd still be making chips! If anyone needs espionage it's the other way since everyone is trailing Intel and Intel's 8+ billion capex expenditures. The Dec Alpha Engineers were impressed by the Intel semiconductor yields which they couldn't believe were as high as they were. This was at the time when DEC had a good fab and the Apha. Intel was also one of the first to move to 300mm wafers. Everyone else by now besides Intel is going fabless including AMD. Spansion anyone? At least Numonyx is in business. Micron courtesy of Intel is a major RAM maker.
The P4 was a power sucking disaster.
AMD was in the PC processor buisness long before buying NexGen.
But saying that Intel is not innovative is false. They developped some very good processor pieces, starting with the 4004 to the current processors.
They succeeded in the market, because IBM selected their (fairly bad) processor over some more innovative competitors for some reason that I didn't research. I've started working with microprocessors around the time of the 8080. That was the "CPM" processor and it was fairly popular at the time.
IBM and the success of the IBM PC created the Intel power it has today. At some stage, "innovation" moved from IBM to Intel and his pair Microsoft.
A lot of effort from Intel went into RD, just to get rid of competition by implementing some new patented features that the cloners weren't allowed to copy. All of them went out of business respectively were swallowed by some other companies, except AMD who really managed to go it's own way. There, Intel tried to use anticompetitive behavior to get the competitor down.
The DEC Alpha processor was the most advanced of his kind at the time of its announcement, but delays devoured much of the advance. One of the incredible unbelevable features of the first Alpha processors were a clock speed of unrivaled 100 MHz. Intel acquired the Alpha processor at a later stage, and they did to acquire the know-how behind this beast.
BTW: The PC market is by far not the most important one for microprocessor companies, but it is the most visible. Only reacently with the hype of mobile phones, one very innovative company could rival Intels popularity: ARM. That company evolved from a small computer manufactorer (the very successfull British BBC Computer) to a first grade IP company.
> Intel stole the Pentium chip design from AMD via corporate espionage.
Actually, this is incorrect.
Intel made the Pentium and AMD couldn't make a Pentium so they bought NextGen for it's x-86 core so they would be able to compete with Intel. AMD is an Intel knockoff.
It's not a knockoff when it's licensed. Listen to you all argue. AMD and Intel cross-license MANY things. You all just want to bicker about what you believe (or think) is true.
If either of them were genuinely a knockoff of each other, injunctions and law suits would still be occurring. They're competitors that license each others technologies and when it comes right down to it, Intel should be the innovator considering how much bigger the company is than AMD and how much larger their R&D budget is and how many fabrication facilities they own. All things considered AMD has done pretty well for themselves.
Those who hate on AMD should think about what their Intel chips would cost if there was no competition at all.
To the OP. Thanks for the pictures. I've never had the opportunity to play with an SEM.
AMD started the x86 business as a licensee of Intel, because IBM wanted a second source. Since then, they were very successful in that market, so that at a later stage Intel (cross) licensed AMD technology.
Fascinating. I'd love to see an I7 under a scanning electron microscope. A+ exploratory work.
Buy him an i7, I'm sure he'll consider it
Better yet, buy him two. That way he can use one and put one under the microscope!
Naah, simply buy overclocked and burnt ones, that oughtta be quite cheap.
Bonus points if you then actually manage to figure out where exactly they've been burnt beyond operational
Bastard points for shredding such a nice P3/800 (fortunately it wasn't one of the even higher-clocked 900/1000/1100 ones . Should have taken one of the ghastly P4/1700 (or some such) crapware things instead.
Lol, yeah definitely have to do two I know I would hate to destroy an I7, even in the name of science, when my computer is a Core 2 Duo.
Awesome pics too, I have never seen a processor up close like that!
Very nice images, and an interesting break down. One thing to consider for future work is shooting the SEM images at even mags such as 2000X instead of 1820X. Its something that alot of engineer types prefer (we're anal, sorry bout it) and makes things a little easier for calculation and looks a little more professional. Again, very nice images, I've never thrown a processor in an SEM before.
Amazing. I'd love to see the process that a chip is made through an optical microscope. In slow motion.
That's really interesting. I've opened older cpu's several times, but they all came in ceramic packages and could be removed by heating on a gas stove to get the lid off and then remove the chip. Those had the connections around the edge so there was more circuitry to see. I'm really surprised that they now use connections across the full area of the chip, but it makes sense. I'm going to have a look at a cpu like yours soon, but use acid to strip the polymer away.
Thanks for the excellent microphotography!
Production stage is: first Ceramic becaus of its physical properties. They move later to plastic because for the savings.
Incredible images. there is a majesty in scale whether minute or astronomical
I used to work for a company that made equipment to remove the back side (blue side in your images) of the silicone chip but leave the chip functional (I think it was done for heat mapping of the chip while running, among other things.) It was very interesting going through the various encapsulation layers, of course we never went through the actual semiconductor layers, just thinned out the silicone over the top of the transistors – the idea was to mill a small window through which to view the chip while it ran so you could not touch the actual circuit.
If you want to know the company e-mail me, they might work with you if you can interest them in it
actually this is not what i needed when i searched on google which routed me here.but actually i needed more information on this topic for my neice as she had asked.
Amazing find! An insight into a hugely complex microscopic world of microprocessors.
It's the Tron's city. It's real!!
Nice work!!
Fantastic trip. Never saw one of those images. Imagine a new gen. processor like an i7. Thanks for the share.
Oh, man. I'm going to pull my Phenom II X6 out now and get the Dremel.
You can get silicon wafers that are rejects from manufacturing.
I am happy to say that I deal with this awesome stuff every day.
Yes, I am a product engineer and I deal with making the product come to life at silicon level.
Also, it is appalling to see so many "IT" professionals dont know whats going on inside the silicon.
OP, let me know if you need more information about the stuff you are seeing. I help you out.
There is no need to know anymore how the processor works or even the circuitry around the processor. Thats the way of life. The computer operator, database programmer, systems manager etc don't need to know the internals, but sometimes it helps, if you where, at the time, looking at the spikes.
woww, really a nice images, thnxs
Wow ! This is amazing ! Thank you so much for doing this !
Wow, an amazing sight. Is it even possible to photograph if you get a 'deeper look' – All this in a P3… Wonder what an i5 looks like, heh heh.
Nice pics!
You can use an HF based solution and mechanical polishing to go down some layers on the CPU.
If you have access to a SEM, I guess having access to a polisher won't be that difficult And I guess not very far from the SEM you'll have a chemical lab where you can work with acids hehe
I'm looking forward to see new pics!
I recommend for the removal of the top layers the so called "selective chemical etching", the ideal case would be to have a diagram with the different layers and what semiconductor is each epilayer. Once you have that you can find the chemicals that will remove only certain layer leaving untouched the others. (i spent my whole PhD doing these sort of things). Gimme a shout in my email and i can give u references for selective etching chemicals for each layer.
PS: great post!
PS2: i would think its the plastic causing the focussing problem (as u mentioned by being non conductive and creating a chargin up effect), i did some test in the SEM and didnt like plastics much a not so nice solution is reducing the current of the electron source for minimising this effect.
Truly am grateful what you're doing here!
You might want to look for 3D reconstruction from optical microscopy depth focal series. There is free software out there to do it.
There's a guy with an afro visible in the center of the second to last photo. How odd.
that's not a guy, that's the MCP
Oooh, so that's what you guys are doing over at the nano lab. Great stuff.
Very cool pictures!
I work at an Institute for Quantum Computing and we have a clean-room where they fabricate silicon chips. They don't create incredibly detailed CPU's but some of the circutry is down to 20-30nm.
FYI, the CPU you scanned was a Pentium III EB. It was on a 180nm process and known as the 'Coppermine' family of chips.
A silicon chip is literally the equivalent of putting a street map of Los Angeles on the head of a pin, complete with three-dimensional freeway overpasses. But semi-conductors are extremely vulnerable to heat, so I doubt they heat the chip itself to connect it to the board. If they do apply heat, it's likely extremely localized and brief, and just enough to join the solder. Possibly they heat the board connectors instead? Anyone know, or is that proprietary?
It's amazing how clunky and crude the connectors look compared to the chip itself. Wonderful pictures, especially the next to last.
I've been wrong many times before, but I believe you will find that the circuit connections are made by using microwaves as a heat source – process developed by a German company in the late 80s early 90s, this allowed PCBs to be layered. Because of the layering, it made the modules created impossible to repair under field conditions. – there is no way to get a soldering iron between the PCB layers.
Have to agree, great post!
i have never imagined that a cpu is so complicated!!. Front page of reddit, sir.
It's much more complex.
greg – the mags are irrelevant and, speaking as a scientist, shouldn't be used (its only relevant if the screen/format you are viewing them on is exactly the same size as that of the screen on the instrument which in most cases, it isn't. For instance, 200x here on the web page isn't 200x on the SEM screen ). The only thing that really matters is the scale bar – more often than not I remove mag from the SEM display.
If you do measurements using only the mag you will more often than not get the wrong number…..
Nice pictures though and nice blog!
As you mentioned, theres a bit of charging in some pics – if you ever do this again I would drop the accelerating voltage a little, and or drop the beam current and run under Variable Pressure mode (which usually negates the need for gold or carbon coating).
that is pretty neat. I've never seen a chip like that before.
Wonderful pictures mate.
I remember visiting the Intel site in Ireland, and they gave tours showing the CPUs being built.
Apparently the old CPUs (like this one) if it had its picture taken of its circuitry, could fill a large warehouse floor, and still be required to use a magnifiying glass to see to the lowest layer.
The Sample Normal pic above looks almost like a photograph of earth from an airplane (city lights).
Brilliant work – let us know if you do any more work like this
I swear, I thought I saw Tron in one of the pictures.
Well done! I enjoyed these photos.
I'd love to see a Socket A Athlon. Or any chip, really. And pictures that compare it with something ancient like a 486 so we can see just how much feature size has changed since then.
Really cool! I have assembled pcs and dismantled them but never disassembled a processor. Looks awesome!
Thank you so much for this, I have tried to find this forever! Finally, I know what an inside of a CPU looks like.
You don't know for real!
Great job thanx
Hi –
There are various ways to etch silicon, silica, and the other materials that make up the chip
I would start by using fuming acid (a mixture of nitric and sulfuric acid) to dissolve the epoxy.
Then you can use HF to etch the silica intralayer dielectric, which should show the damascene copper layers
Your SEM images can be improved by either operating in low vac mode or by sputtering a conductor to reduce charging. Or you can reduce the beam energy; silica is a light element and your interaction volume will be quite large inside of it, reducing your potential resolution with beam energies as high as 15kV
As an IT Pro who has actually soldered resistors into pre-drilled circuit cards (1968), and closely followed the science since then, I am very grateful for the work you did here. This a very solid contribution to the History of Computing and I hope that this work is included in that body of work.
Thanks again,
You are a hero!
On first looking at it I was struck for an instant as to how much it looked like and overhead shot of the 1942 Dieppe Raid that failed then in looking as the slid show was amazed and how they got all this. It makes me pause and think that this is no grand accident here, not by far no. Their is or was another hand at work in this that is plain to see…………..we truely live in an amazing world
You were looking at one of the 7 metal layers and their interlayer dielectric (ILD) insulator that keeps them from shorting. This is probably why you cant focus on it well. There is very little Si until the very bottom…
The easiest way to see the underlying structure is to etch in acids or bases to remove the ILD or metal.
HCl + H2O2 at 80C will work to remove the ILd but could damage the metal. HF would also be a good choice. Si is unaffected by most acids…there are companies that do this for every Intel process called chip works. Perhaps you can find something they use for decapping and cross sectioning
wow! very nice experiment! =) it's my first time to see what's inside!! ^^
Very Good – But Why a P III, (about 2001-2 vintage)? Why Not a 2010 Intel chip?
PS: I used to manage a failure analysis laboratory where we looked at chips to determine why they failed.
An eye opener, amazing voyage into the processor. We read a lot and saw lots of schematic of microprocessor, this shows, how they really look like inside. Great job.
You sir, are a god among men. Electron microscopes are the kind of thing that are well beyond that practical use of most people, but if I had one I would be breaking apart everything I can find just to see how it ticks.
This is really good! Thank you.
Awesome. Reminded me of TRON.
Incredible! Now lets do a similar exercise on brain cells and see how the Almighty's chip is created.
Thankyou so much fro this post. I've learnt a lot and has really inspired me to do more of my own revers-engineering. Thankyou again.
Great job, man. Thanks for the photos!
I don't know much about microscopes but this is impressive thianks for the work. Warm regards, Frank
Welcome to the Matrix..
I recomend you and old Pentium, you can remove the cover with a plumber torch and see the surface like this.
Much easier than taking apart the silicon from a PIII
Muy interesante.
very nice thanks : )
Cryomicrotoming the processor will expose the bottom layer, but unless this is a field emission SEM, you won't get good enough resolution. You could also use HNO3 to etch away the metal, but be sure to wash first if you do that. Your best bet is to thin section it with a cryomicrotome and put it in a TEM layer-by-layer to get all the detail
Inspired bit of sleuthing. Love the SEM images. Perhaps you can follow up with other computer components sliced and diced.
Awesome job the pictures look great, not quite what i expected things to look like though
That is really cool. Thanks for sharing!
Well, it is intriguing.
You may "speak science", but you have Fists of Ham…
Now all we need is a google processor maps…
I am taking a CMOS/VLSI design class in college. It is interesting to see what my designs actually become once they are fabricated.
thanks for sharing the photos.
Nice work
Have a look on the search page of Sparkfun, perhaps you can get some more ideas on how to get down under with the chip? http://www.sparkfun.com/search/results?term=atmega328&what=news
There are three separate articles ,"Revisiting the Counterfeit ATMega328s", "Dear ON Semiconductor" and the final one "Fake ICs Identified".
An ATmega is still a lot larger than an Intel CPU.. but still, it should work for it as well.
Hope to see some progress on this! Very nice pictures so far!
I cant believe this shit man! Thats the inside of all our shit?
It's not shit, it's Intel! Or is that the same?
this is a treat.thanks .
Nice to see what happens inside a little chip
Do a Geforce next chap, i bet they are busy inside
great job, i was thinking that there are only Si particles inside, never expected this much of complexity …
Please update this. I need to see farther down the rabbit hole.
Sweet pictures! Do you teach at a college? I assume this is how you have access to the Scanning electron microscope.
How did anyone every come up with this technology, im such a monkey!
How on earth are they making it? I can't believe how small everything is inside of it.
They reached somehow the limits at the atom-level. Pretty amazing.
Awesome… This shows how powerful the human mind is!
It's not the human mind… it's an engineer!
art in its self!
so crazzy!
I think if you uesed phosphoric acid that would allow you to get to the lower levels. The amount of time would proably require some trail and error.
Even i have tried that but i had to stop as i had no optical or SEM But you my Friend have Made my wish come true!!
I'm Very grateful to you!
Thanks a million!
Awesome! But there is no continuity between the picture that says "Focus is on the bottom layer" and the ones after that. Can you tie them together by showing us a zoomed out picture to orient us? I know it's a cross section (whereas the ones before were not) but the surface at the top looks nothing like anything that you showed from the top view (with the holes), so I'm confused.
This is simply spectacular.
Thanks so much for putting the effort in to show us this!
Excellent stuff; much appreciated.
an alternative to etching could be to try polishing gently through the layers (using a rotary polisher). You'll certainly need to make sure your sample is either earthed in the chamber (sputter coating) or use a low-vacuum mode to get to the nm scale. I'd opt for the latter if available, sputter coating might obscure detail.
Awe freaking some!!!! Maybe you some how eat away at the lead? And then you would know where the transistors would be????
Very beautiful, alone I have seen with a maximum of 40X using an optical microscope, personally I use fire to liberate the chip of the encased one without damaging it.
Great post =) and way much informative!
Years ago… probably 1986ish, I *believe* in Science Digest, I saw a great article by the guy who was in charge (a pun you'll understand in a minute) of quality control at Texas Instruments. They had created a state of the art plant for making calculator chips, with a testing rig for each wafer, and they would reject the whole wafer if there were any bad tests on it… so they had 100% good chips going into their calculators, but then were having about 30% failure rate after purchase — incredibly bad and bad for business.
Long story short, they were going to great lengths to make sure the testing rig was at zero potential relative to the wafers on the way down… but after running the tests, capacitances all over the wafer would micro-spark as they lifted the rig off — I think they said it was essentially static electricity of about 1/5th of a volt, whereas static we can feel is about 200,000 volts and up… but anyway, the article contained beautiful electron microscopy of the chip/wafer surfaces, and it looked like World War III — "giant" hunks of molten metal sprayed across moon-cratered blasted surface of the chips… creating unplanned for electron tunnels between layers which would oxidize over time and create new pathways leading either to complete failure, or, more disturbing: 1+1 = 3
So, my challenge to you all is — can you find the article I'm talking about? I've been trying since digitized journals starting showing up on the internet, and I've never had any luck. If someone finds it, post a link here, it will be well worth it!
1/5 of a volt at the micron level is a huge voltage /mm2.
Believe it or not, there are still others who are using pentium 3 computers
Great work.
Thank you for the insight.
This takes me back to 1982. While in the last year of high school I dissected LEDs, 74XXs and CD4000s with a grinding stone at the metallurgy lab. I could borrow an optical microscope and look at the structures… what a wonderful feeling when I could identify the aluminium connections and the long, skinny wells of the CMOS process depicted in text books. I could not get a camera attached to the microscope, so I can only rely on my memory. Thanks for sharing your work.
Hello. You can try to cut slices from your processor using the chemistry. There are some solutions that permits the corrosion of Si at decent temperatures, like NaOH in water. I dunno exactly the concentration but you can search on google. There is more than Si in that structure, there are metals, SiO2 and other materials. You can try to find a layer of cleavage on that and try to remove all what is up that layer. Sorry for my english, I'm not a native speaker.
Dude this article is awesome!
Beware of programmers carrying Dremel tools… that's a nice electron microscope. Can I have it?
As a computer engineer and as a gamer, I'm astonished. Never took the time to know the layers that communicate the different levels of transistors. I'm familiar with wafer dies and schematic blueprints for integrated circuits, but not with the manufacturing process for processors.
A cool topic indeed.
Zoom! Enhance!
So I take it you are the guy from CSI?
You need to use an acid to etch away the top layers. Hydrochloric can eat the metal but will take a lot longer on the silicon. Hydrofloric acid will eat the silicon easily, but is VERY HAZARDOUS. To dissolve the plastic, try chloroform or some other hydrocarbon solvent (acetone or equivalent will NOT work)
To dissolve the plastic, try chloroform or some other hydrocarbon solvent (acetone or equivalent will NOT work). You need to use an acid to etch away the other layers. Hydrochloric can eat the metal but will take a lot longer on the silicon. Hydrofloric acid will eat the silicon easily, but is VERY HAZARDOUS.
Wow!! Will need to repost this to my german readers – thank you for sharing, never had such a deep view into a chip!
Great work and cool post! Tnks!
I learned about microprocessor architecture & fabrication in varsity as a course. I also saw many many picture of how Intel chips looks like ( everybody did ). But nothing like this !!!
This is one hell of a view of the actual processor.
Kudos for your great work, keep it up.
Great job man.
Now I wish I had such a SEM to viewing my old chips a little closer
Please let us know if you got more pictures from the transistors.
Have a nice day,
awesome !!!!!!!
Very nice pictures to see and an awesome job.
If you need some cpu's to dissect just drop me an email and I'll send you a few.
Didn't miss a bit.
The chip you broke apart was built with the 858 180nm process. The interconnect wiring is AlCu alloy with Tungsten via plugs. The Dielectric (insulation is Flourinenated Silicon Glass and regular SiO2. The large blobs you found when peeling the PCB from the Die are called bumps. Basically they are blobs of lead/tin solder that are formed outside the fab in a special area due to the hazards of lead contamination. Originally they are made flat for e-testing then heated to "reflow" and then they form a round balls that easily bond to the pads on the circuit board this referred to as a "ball grid array". Many chips today are sold as "chip scale packages" that are prepped like this and bonded directly to circuit boards such as in our smart phones today.
It "caught my eye" again. Would be interesting maybe to look at a DVD at nano scale.
Waw, awesome..
i had many times see this, but only on CG..
i never see the chip in real photo, this is cool..
how about trying to other chip? Like a Core i-series ??
we can see the different about those chip, at different manufacturing process
that's will be more interesting
please hold… the black helicopters will be arriving soon.
Amazing. I wish to be able to see a transistor image one day, hopefully you'll make my wish come true.
I always had a question, how did manufacturers worked at such a low microscopic level, I never could comprehend it.
Amazing, everything looks so incredible close up, the inside of these chips are unreal, its hard to get your head round that something so tiny is made by humans!
seriously awesome seeing all the stuff "going on" inside a chip – and an old chip at that. i can just imagine whats a core i7.
Thanks for the pictures, it was super cool!
You want invoation, go to IBM or Motorola. Both companies that threw bigger bucks into experemental chip technology than intel could even dream of back when it was all happening. The old 68K was one of the most amazing processors ever made, IBM had their stale period with the power architecture but in the end is still pushing the envelope by challenging the absolute edges of sanity with its partnership with sony/toshiba producing cell. and again producing a competely seperate but inovative processor for the Xbox 360 not to mention massive leaps and bounds in the realms of super and near-super computing. not a perfect company by any means, but way out there in terms of development.
In comparison companies like AMD and Intel are just twiddling their thumbs and squeezing incrimental gains from maturing process technologies and optiomisations in a venerable architecture foundation dating back now more than 30 years
im actualy impressed to see AMD recently sticking its balls out in the cold and trying some different concepts mixing up the tech they acquired from ATI. APU's, microcores and the IP to actualy challenge the validity of X86-n as an architcecture
You blew my mind. This is fantastic work. I very much appreciate it. But we have to go deeper !


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WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — HEINEKEN USA today announces the appointment of Oscar Garcia as Region Vice President Sales, Central Region, effective immediately. In his new role, Garcia will report to Scott Blazek, Senior Vice President of Sales, and will be responsible for driving portfolio performance and delivering results through the effective management of regional resources.
"We're thrilled to bring Oscar's experience and leadership capabilities to the HEINEKEN USA Sales Management Team," said Blazek. "The Central Region is a critical battleground for our business, where Oscar will drive performance results and continue to develop a success-oriented culture."
At HEINEKEN USA, Garcia will be responsible for establishing Central Region objectives, strategies and tactics, and guiding account planning. He will oversee relationships with HEINEKEN distributor partners and key regional accounts, as well as assess and improve the effectiveness of retail executions that support brand development to ensure delivery of company objectives.
Garcia joins HEINEKEN USA from the HEINEKEN Global Commerce Americas team where he was responsible for the deployment, coordination and rollout of the Global Sales Capability agenda in the Americas Region. He initiated his career working for Coca Cola for 3 years before joining Cuauhtemoc Moctezuma (CM) International Division as business development manager in New York.
Garcia eventually assumed the Regional Sales Director Role for Central & Eastern USA supporting CM┬┤s Commercial Partners in this market. He was then promoted to CM Exports Director, where he oversaw the strategy and development of the CM brands in International markets.
Garcia holds an executive MBA Degree and a Bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineer. He will be based in HEINEKEN USA's Chicago, IL office.
About HEINEKEN USA:
HEINEKEN USA Inc., the nation's premier beer importer, is a subsidiary of Heineken International BV, which is the world's most international brewer. European brands imported into the U.S. include Heineken Lager, the world's most international beer brand; Heineken Light; Amstel Light, a leading imported light beer brand; Newcastle Brown Ale, the leading imported ale in the United States; and Buckler non-alcoholic brew. HEINEKEN USA is also the exclusive USA importer for the Tecate, Tecate Light, Dos Equis, Indio, Sol, Carta Blanca and Bohemia brands from Mexico. For a safe ride home, download the HEINEKEN USA -sponsored Taxi MagicÔäó application from your smartphone at taximagic.heineken.com. Please visit www.EnjoyHeinekenResponsibly.com.

subset: commoncrawl


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- yarn – skin 100% cotton, hair and clothes 50% cotton, 50% polyester
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Crochet ballerina doll for girls. Just like a little girl in a ballet lesson she is wearing a workout leotard, tutu from tulle fabric and ballet slippers. Beautiful hand stitched sleepy eyes and cheeks from felt.
Handmade in Estonia.
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Harris Academy Riverside
Academy Description
Harris Academy Riverside opened in 2017. Currently based in a self-contained area of the newly built
Harris Primary Academy Mayflower in Mayflower Road, the academy will move to its brand new school building in the heart of Purfleet from September 2019. It will be a welcoming and modern space, purpose built to cater for the academy's wide curriculum - with specialist facilities for science, sports and the arts.
Harris Academy Riverside provides local young people with an excellent education in a friendly, calm and purposeful environment. Whether they need to be stretched, are struggling, or are somewhere in the middle, Harris Academy Riverside works with its students to meet their individual needs, helping them achieve their 'personal best'.
Academy Vision
Harris Academy Riverside seeks to develop students who are successful, confident and happy, who inspire their community and act with kindness and compassion towards others.
In our daily routines, our broad and varied curriculum, our teaching methods and through our commitment to providing our students with experience of the wider world, we aim to promote a strong sense of community and belonging. Through a blend of high challenge and strong support, we encourage the development of
- outstanding habits of behaviour such as self-awareness, kindness, appreciation, humility, politeness, confident self-expression and self-presentation and
- outstanding habits of learning such as determination, resilience, organisation, reading, studying and practice.
PrincipalAndrew BettsHarris Academy Riverside
Assistant DirectorNicola GrahamHarris Academy Riverside View Profile
Academy Contact
London Road, Purfleet, RM19 1QY01375 802060 Email Academy Visit Academy Website ProspectusGet Directions


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Round Up: Lumix G1 gets it right
Panasonic created quite a buzz Friday with the announcement of the first actual camera to make use of the recently unveiled Micro Four Thirds format. The compact, lightweight Lumix G1 breaks new ground (if only slightly) with its form factor, but the news here runs deeper than that. Panasonic and Micro Four Thirds partner Olympus have reevaluated the basic elements of DSLR design and done some careful pruning – in terms of size, yes, but also in terms of fundamental technology.
The result? Well, it's not technically an SLR at all, for starters, and it's this kind of willingness to look beyond long-accepted tenets of digital interchangeable lens camera design that makes the G1 one of the most exciting consumer imaging announcements of the year in my mind. As a total concept, the Lumix G1 does two things right: first, it recognizes the central role of live view in the consumer digicam experience, and second, it recognizes and actively addresses the primary technological weakness of its basic design.
In paging through new camera reviews on the web a few months back, I came across a phrase that stuck out in a description of another recent live view innovation, Sony's two-sensor approach. In his concluding remarks about the live view equipped Sony Alpha A350, DPReview's Richard Butler observed that "most modern DSLR designs are saddled with their film legacy."
It's a simple statement, yet profoundly true. While the imaging pipeline of SLR cameras continues to improve, in terms of basic design there's been very little innovative thinking; digital SLRs continue to be built from the same basic engineering blueprint laid out for their film predecessors. Sub in a sensor for a roll of 135, throw a screen on the back, and there's your digital SLR. But along the way – or perhaps, until recently – it seems that few companies really stopped to think about whether it made sense to continue to carry most of the technological baggage of film cameras en masse into their digital replacements.
The digital point-and-shoot was, in many ways, a clean-sheet design: at the level of fundamental engineering an Olympus Stylus 35mm "clamshell" camera and an Olympus Stylus 1040 share next to nothing in common. Different shutter concept. Different kind of AF system. At their most basic, the two are barely recognizable as siblings. As a result, the digital Stylus makes use of digital's greatest asset, the ability to preview an image on-screen in real time before a capture is made.
With film, there was no technologically viable "better way" to do shot composition than a good, bright optical viewfinder. For those of us who learned to take pictures on such a camera, there will always be a natural bias toward this familiar system, and there may even be compelling compositional reasons for learning to shoot through a viewfinder. For grabbing quick vacation snaps, or informal portraits of family and friends, however, most casual photographers are less concerned about the particulars of shot composition, and for this much larger group of general-consumer shooters, on-screen composition is the easier, more convenient, better way of interacting with a camera.
At the end of the day, this is what the G1 is about: providing the benefits of an interchangeable lens system in a camera in which live view is a central, integral part of the design. The problem with most live view DSLRs, in our estimation, is that the system invariably feels like an afterthought – a compromise ridden option that, to use an analogy, gives a taste of what's possible but rarely delivers a satisfying meal. In doing away with the mirror box and mirror, Micro Four Thirds cameras save weight, but in doing so, they also create a design in which full-function on-screen shooting is the primary modus operandi.
Beyond merely making live view the default operational technology, however, Panasonic has recognized that the primary potential pitfall with this approach is that it gives up one of the SLR designs greatest assets: phase detection auto focus using via an independent AF sensor. By Panasonic's own admission, they recognize that offering a well-tuned, rapid focusing contrast detection system in its place – something much better than the generally lackluster efforts we've seen in this regard heretofore with DSLR live view systems – may be the single issue that ultimately determines the commercial success or failure of the G1, and of Micro Four Thirds generally.
To this end, what we saw from pre-production versions of the G1 gives me every reason to hope that Panasonic will make good on this promise. But even if the first-generation AF technology for Micro Four Thirds doesn't quite hit its target speed numbers, the fact remains that unlike the majority of DSLR live view developers at the moment, the G1 team openly recognizes that being able to auto focus with an on-screen preview and to do it quickly is important. Kind of makes those three-second AF acquisition times on some other interchangeable lens cameras with contrast-detection focusing seem like the slap in the face that they are, doesn't it?
Too many "serious" photographers will undoubtedly write off the G1 and the Micro Four Thirds system, ask pointed questions about all the hoopla around a camera that doesn't push the image quality or speed/performance envelope compared to currently available DSLRs. Indeed, this sort of discussion is already taking place in forums across the internet. What the naysayers almost universally fail to recognize, however, is just how well this system should fit with the way most of us use our cameras: the majority of casual photographers are much more interested in taking a few good snaps of their kids than having class-leading technical image quality performance. And with a bigger sensor than any point-and-shoot, there should still be plenty of IQ headroom with the G1 to keep casual shooters very satisfied for a long time.


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WASHINGTON, April 14 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network), the nation's largest anti-sexual assault organization today launched a new service to provide support to victims online. Since 1994 RAINN has provided help to over 1.2 million people through the National Sexual Assault Hotline (800.656.HOPE). Help is now also available through the National Sexual Assault Online Hotline at www.rainn.org.
Every 2 minutes another American is sexually assaulted. Almost half of these victims are under 18, and 80% are under 30. According to Scott Berkowitz, president & founder of RAINN, "The National Sexual Assault Online Hotline provides the services these young victims need, using the technology they embrace. The Online Hotline provides a safe way to begin recovery by using extensive security measures to guarantee that the visitor remains completely anonymous."
The secure web-based hotline provides a safe, secure and anonymous place for victims to get help online. Using an instant-messaging style format, the National Sexual Assault Online Hotline allows sexual assault victims to communicate directly with trained crisis support volunteers.
"The Online Hotline provides a solution to the dangerous trend of victims getting help online through insecure websites," explained Berkowitz. "Many young sexual assault victims are turning to the Internet for help through insecure chat rooms, blogs, and social networking sites. This dangerous trend of victims turning to the Internet for help leaves victims vulnerable to unreliable advice, exposes their identity, and makes their postings available to the world through Google."
RAINN worked with its technology partners to build the National Sexual Assault Online Hotline's innovative communications infrastructure from the ground up, integrating security and anonymity at every level. The Online Hotline does not capture users' IP addresses, nor does it record transcripts of sessions. McAfee, Inc., the global leader in online security, partnered with RAINN to ensure the security of the Online Hotline. "Trust and safety are tantamount for the Online Hotline to work," said Dave DeWalt, chief executive officer and president of McAfee, Inc. "We are proud to contribute to our societal commitments by helping provide the assurance needed for this important national initiative."
In addition to providing support to victims of sexual assault, the National Sexual Assault Online Hotline provides information about recovery, medical issues, the criminal justice process, and local resources for family and friends of victims.
"Through the National Sexual Assault Online Hotline, RAINN is providing a way for victims to get help from people who are knowledgeable and prepared to support them," said actress Christina Ricci, National Spokesperson for RAINN. "The Online Hotline offers a lifeline to victims trapped in a situation where the Internet may be their only safe and secure link to the outside world and to getting help."
The National Sexual Assault Online Hotline has been awarded the NPower Technology Innovation Award for its groundbreaking use of technology. Additionally, the Online Hotline has been internationally recognized for its innovative volunteer opportunities by Innovations in Civic Participation (ICP).
For more information on how you can join RAINN in the fight against sexual assault, visit: www.rainn.org
About RAINN
RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) is the nation's largest anti-sexual assault organization and was named one of "America's 100 Best Charities" by Worth magazine. RAINN created and operates the National Sexual Assault Hotlines (800.656.HOPE and rainn.org) in partnership with over 1,100 local rape crisis centers across the country. The hotlines have helped more than 1.2 million people since 1994. RAINN also carries out programs to prevent sexual assault, help victims and ensure that rapists are brought to justice. For more information about RAINN, please visit rainn.org.


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You can't expect people to be excited about your accomplishments when they aren't on your level—encourage YOURSELF!!
Published by Women With Gifts International
About Women With Gifts International Women With Gifts International has been in existence since 2010. We are a nonprofit, 501 (c)3 organization created by women for women. Our goal is to reach, teach and empower low-income women and families who has the ultimate goal to become self-sufficient and help other women on their way up. Our organization believes in leadership development, teaching and motivating others. We do not believe in obstacles. Our inspirational motto is we have the ability to do anything that we put our minds to. The purpose of Women With Gifts International is to provide our everyday women, women who have been abused either sexually or physically, have issues with mental wellness, or have been forgotten based on their declining years with proper mentorship, tools and resources needed to accomplish their daily life skill goals. View all posts by Women With Gifts International


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A real-life guide to conquering obstacles
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AUGUSTA — The balance in Maine's rainy day fund has been the source of considerable State House drama in recent months, but a new study by a respected national group highlights that piling up cash reserves is not just political theater.
The state's rainy day fund is essentially state government's savings account. How it should be managed and how low its balance should be allowed to dip have been sources of considerable conflict during the past several months between Democrats in the Legislature and Republican Gov. Paul LePage. After the Legislature used $21 million from the rainy day fund to restore cuts in municipal revenue sharing that LePage had proposed, the governor withheld voter-approved bonds until the fund was built back up to its previous balance of about $60 million.
The Pew Charitable Trusts released a report on Tuesday that, in general, concludes states fall far short of setting aside enough money for unexpected expenses and economic downturns that without an avoidance plan could be disastrous. Case in point: the sudden economic meltdown that in late 2008 plunged ledgers in Maine and most other states deep into the red. According to Pew, states held a combined $60 billion in reserve in 2008 and all together faced budget gaps nearly twice that in 2009.
In Maine, the rainy day fund — officially known as the Budget Stabilization Fund — went from a balance of nearly $129 million before the start of the Great Recession to less than $200,000 in 2009, and it never has recovered. In July of 2013, there was about $60 million in the fund.
Part of the problem, according to the Pew study, is that many states don't have regulations that force deposits into rainy day funds in boom years to prepare for busts.
"In many cases, states lack rainy day policies that prioritize savings during times of growth," said Brenna Erford, a Pew expert on state fiscal health and economic growth. "We recognize that the choice to save for states is not easy and that making that choice often comes at the expense of other programs."
The study found that, among other things, not enough states take full advantage of economically strong years and that some states have fixed rainy day fund caps that are too low to be of substantial use when revenues sour. The report finds Maine guilty of the former and not so much of the latter, although the end result is the same: not enough money set aside.
Mike Allen, the state's acting deputy commissioner of finance, said Maine's deposits to the rainy day fund come from end-of-year unappropriated surpluses, which are budgeted resources in excess of the state's appropriations limitation.
That limit increases each fiscal year through a formula that involves long-term population and personal income growth, adjusted for inflation. Since the creation of the appropriations limit in 2005, budgeted resources never have exceeded the limitation, so as a result, deposits to the fund have come solely from year-end surpluses.
"We've recognized for years that we have a fairly volatile sales tax base and a very volatile income tax base," said Allen. "Capital gains are also becoming a big part of the revenue picture and we've certainly tried to come to grips with that."
The Pew study finds that nationally, Maine ranks 32nd — meaning better than most states — in terms of its revenue volatility.
One of the core recommendations in the Pew study is that states conduct regular "volatility studies" in an effort to predict future revenues and prepare for lean times. Maine is one of the states not credited for doing that, according to the study, though Interim Finance Commissioner Richard Rosen and Allen said that in a way, Maine does that through its semi-annual revenue and economic forecasting processes.
"We need considerably more than we've historically been able to hold in that fund," said Rosen. "The fact is that the balance in the fund has not been sufficient to smooth out those kinds of dramatic impacts."
Maine's rainy day fund is capped at 12 percent of revenues in the preceding year. That means that in 2013, the cap on the fund was more than $370 million, more than six times what was actually in the account. State financial data show that the balance in the fund was at or near the cap for a few years in the late 1990s and early 2000s but since 2002 has not come close.
Rosen said his department is making year-end calculations on the fiscal year that ended June 30 — details of which will be released next week. Those calculations could make more money available for the rainy day fund.
However, budget language enacted by the Legislature this year will funnel up to $20 million into a special account to deal with any shortfalls that crop up in 2015.
"This is not an idea that came from the governor or the administration," said Rosen, who added that he sees the Pew study as a valuable reminder of the importance of planning for unforeseen fiscal catastrophes.
There's a jar on top of a bookshelf in Rosen's office that says "Rainy Day Fund" on it, which is a holdover from the legislative debate earlier this year. While it doesn't actually contain any of the state's money, Rosen said it's symbolic.
"It was cracked and had to be glued back together," he quipped.
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It won't have escaped your attention, but the world appears to have gone 'compact crossover mad'. Everywhere you look, the car parks are chockfull of the baby SUVs. And if that concerns you, I have bad news: it's about to get even worse.
However, and more importantly, the good news is the latest arrival promises to be one of — if not the — best of the bunch. It may be late to the party, but with the company estimating the compact SUV segment will double in size in the next 10 years, it seems Volkswagen has merely been keeping its powder dry.
The i newsletter latest news and analysis
VW T-Cross
Price: £16,995 to £25,055.
Engine: 1.0-litre, three-cylinder, petrol
Power: 94bhp or 113bhp
Torque: 147lb/ft
Transmission: Six-speed or seven-speed DSG
Top speed: 120mph
0-62mph: 10.2secs
Economy: 48.2mpg (Manual, WLTP), 45.6mpg DSG, WLTP)
CO2 emissions: 112g/km (NEDC)
The new front-wheel drive-only T-Cross joins the T-Roc, Tiguan and Touareg in VW's ever-expanding T-themed SUV line-up. Borrowing its floorpan from the Polo — and built on the same platform as the Audi A1 and Seat Ibiza — the T-Cross is VW's littlest SUV. It's also the sister car to the Seat Arona and the upcoming Skoda Kamiq.
In typical VW UK style, the T-Cross comes in four trims — S, SE, SEL and R-Line — with prices ranging from £16,995 all the way up to £25,055.
I'd been looking forward to driving the T-Cross. But then again, I'd also looked forward to my first experience of the larger T-Roc which was launched late 2017. That proved a slightly underwhelming experience, thanks primarily to an interior which had clearly been done to a strict, restrictive budget … and as a result felt brittle and plasticky.
First impressions were impressive. The T-Cross is actually very similar in size to the T-Roc (that one's built on a platform related to the Golf), but somehow the newcomer — certainly in my eyes — is the bolder, more striking looking car.
It shares many of the external lines of the T-Roc, but there appears to be a sharper, edgier, more imposing look to the T-Cross, both at the front, and most definitely at the rear where a 'light bar' stretches across the full width of the tailgate, accentuating the T-Cross's width.
So: to the cabin. And phew, it looks and — more importantly — feels like a proper Volkswagen. The major points of contacts, like the sporty, chunky steering wheel, gearshift and switchgear are all top quality. Of course there are areas of scratchy plastic secreted around the cabin, but it's clear the build quality of the T-Cross is higher than many of its rivals: I didn't hear one squeak or rattle in the full day's driving.
An eight-inch touchscreen, with smartphone compatibility, sits mid-dash in the top two trim levels, while the range-topping R-Line gets the clear, configurable Active Info Display digital instrument panel. Sensibly, and thankfully, VW designers have left 'good old fashioned' physical switchgear below the middle screen for the likes of the air conditioning. The whole cockpit is one of the most intuitive to use of any car currently on sale.
As for storage, the door bins are massive. There's a neat drawer under the passenger seat and a recess on top of the dashboard with a rubberised base so whatever you throw in there doesn't slip around.
Noticeably you sit higher than in the Seat Arona, and you're 100mm higher than in a Polo; the result is the VW feels more like an SUV than a tall hatchback. At 4235mm long the T-Cross is 55mm longer than a Polo, and 138mm taller. The benefit of the extra length is found in the rear seats where there's as much space as the larger T-Roc; a six-foot passenger can sit behind a six-foot driver.
Plus, the rear 60/40-split rear benchseat can be slid forwards or backwards to create either more kneeroom or, more likely, additional stowage space in the boot … the latter increases the standard 385 litres to 445 litres, which is the same as the T-Roc.
The T-Cross is currently available with the 1.0-litre, three-cylinder petrol engine, but with a choice of two power outputs: 94bhp or 113bhp. While the smaller is a capable unit, I'd recommend the larger. VW is also poised to extend the range with a 1.5TFSI petrol later in the year. A diesel remains unlikely.
Me? I'd stick with the 113bhp petrol. It's a stonking wee engine which has already proved its worth in the likes of the Polo and Ibiza. Buyers can also choose either the standard six-speed manual, or seven-speed twin-clutch DSG auto. I tried both: the manual is slick and precise, while the DSG is perfectly calibrated to maximise both the engine's performance and smoothness.
And if you have any concerns about engine noise from the three-cylinder unit; don't. It's as quiet as a quiet thing, and the cabin is beautiful isolated from any engine, tyre or wind noise.
VW may have been late coming to the compact crossover party, but the T-Cross lifts the bar and sets new standards, leaving the likes of the Renault Captur and Nissan Juke trailing far behind. If you're planning to move into the segment, then this is definitely the one to have. Welcome to the club.


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Newtown shooting prompts armored whiteboard idea (video)
A teacher, demonstrating a concept in geometry, draws a figure on a portable whiteboard. Suddenly, gunshots are heard in the hallway.
Slipping her arms through the straps on the back of the 18-by-20-inch whiteboard, which doubles as an armored shield, the teacher tells her students to go into emergency mode, which they've practiced several times in drills.
Facing the door, holding up the whiteboard, the teacher is ready to hold off the gun-wielding intruder, at least long enough to give police time to arrive.
That's the vision of George C. Tunis III, chairman of Hardwire LLC, which makes armor for military vehicles, including protecting Humvees from roadside bombs in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Hearing the news about the Dec. 14 school shooting in Newtown, Tunis thought about how his company could help improve school safety.
"What would solve the problem quickly in a way that was unobtrusive for the teachers; in fact, it's helpful to the teachers?" he asked.
The whiteboards don't look scary to students and can hang on the wall and be used in class. But Tunis said they're strong enough to stop a bullet from any handgun and even a high-powered rifle, according to National Institute of Justice ratings.
Tunis did not claim the shield would stop the rounds from the AR-15 Bushmaster semi-automatic weapon used by Adam Lanza in Newtown, but said most intruders use far less powerful weapons.
"A bad guy like that wants to carry as many weapons as he can ... in case something jams up," Tunis said.
The whiteboards, which cost $299 each, weigh less than 4 pounds and are coated with Dyneema, the only fiber stronger than spider webs and 2.5 times stronger than Kevlar.
There are 100 layers of the fiber, which essentially snares the bullet and stops it, so there's no shrapnel. And the fiber absorbs force well.
"It's startling that a 9 mm handgun (bullet) feels no worse than a 40 mph Little League pitch," Tunis said.
He said the whiteboards are only one part of a security plan that includes rearranging the classroom to lessen lines of sight, and other measures such as secure doors. (Hardwire also makes peel-and-stick armor for doors.)
And he doesn't claim the whiteboards will totally stop an intruder, but they'll buy time.
"At Newtown, if they could have bought 10 minutes ... 10 minutes matters," Tunis said.
Rather than one guard who can't be everywhere, "You're looking at $15,000 to $20,000 to put armor in the hands of every single adult," he said.
Several schools have the whiteboards, including Hardwire's home state of Maryland, Minnesota, North Dakota and California. Some of the purchases were financed with private donations.
Hardwire provides training for the school staff, with two former Secret Service agents. That is critical, Tunis said.
Barry Tull, headmaster of Worcester Preparatory School in Berlin, Md., said training made all the difference. Tunis donated whiteboards and armored clipboards to the school, which his children attend.
"It took all of the pressure off the teachers," Tull said. At first they were worried they'd be expected to act like first responders.
"What they discovered is, if somebody shows up at your door with a weapon, you are a first responder."
He said the staff was unanimously positive about the whiteboards.
"It gives them something, rather than cowering behind a filing cabinet," he said. "I think the teachers had a very enthusiastic reception to these once they had the training."
Tull said he would be willing to pay the $15,000 it would have cost, now that he's seen them and heard his teachers' reactions.
There are naysayers, however. Ken Trump, president of National School Safety and Security Services of Cleveland, said he gets pitches for many such products.
"Every time there's a high-profile school shooting, the vendors come out of the woodwork," he said.
But "there's often a disconnect" between the "practical application in a school and what educators would be receptive to purchasing."
Trump said that in an emergency, "Teachers are going to be grabbing their kids, not their (armored) whiteboards. The first and best line of defense is always an alert and well-trained staff and student body."
Trump consults with school systems, which "by and large ... need to do a better job" in creating safety measures. It would be better to "dedicate the time in planning, training, working with first responders than buying a ton of equipment that's not going to be very effective if the people behind are not well-trained in school safety."
Also, few school systems can afford to buy the equipment, said Trump, who is scheduled to testify before Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's task force on the Newtown shootings.
Scott Schoonmaker, North Branford's superintendent of schools, said, "I would be more interested in hearing about something that would fortify a door, rather than having an individual in a crisis situation doing something that Batman and Robin do."
North Branford's Board of Education hired six armed security guards, most of them retired police officers, to guard its schools.
Concerning the whiteboards, Schoonmaker said, "I guess I have a hard time asking my teachers to be a shield."
He, as well as Superintendent Sal Menzo of Wallingford, mentioned the need for state financial assistance.
Hamlet Hernandez, superintendent of Branford schools, was more emphatic.
"This is not something that I would look into -- given both my background as a career educator and as a former infantry officer, it's not something I would endorse for our schools."
Hernandez said school security needs to be a combination of collaborative efforts -- there isn't one easy tool to stop harm.
"I don't think anything will ever stop something catastrophic like (Newtown). We may be able to mitigate, we may be able to in some instances intervene before it happens, but some of the measures that we really need to look at as a state are a combination of passive and active security measures," he said.
"I think there are combinations to help us create safer environments, but they're not environments that can withstand any sort of catastrophic event unless we're willing to literally create fortresses, and I'm not a supporter of that."
Jennifer Swift contributed to this story. Call Ed Stannard at 203-789-5743.


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Creating an account is easy. Just fill in the form below and enjoy the benefits of having an account.
After you checkout, you will have the opportunity to create an account and track your order.


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Time for a Tommy Point?
For over a quarter of a century, Tom Heinsohn has been next to Mike Gorman on Celtics broadcasts. He has picked up the mantle from Johnny Most as the unabashed homer in the broadcast booth, screaming at the officials and making villains of the opponents. In the 1980's Heinsohn was alongside Dick Stockton on the CBS national telecasts, and try as he could, he never quite managed to avoid looking at the games through the green tinted lenses.
For an older generation, Heinsohn is remembered for his Hall of Fame playing career, first at Holy Cross, and then with the Celtics. He retired as a player at the age of 30, and then at the age of 35 became the Celtics coach, leading them out of the Bill Russell era and back to championship glory in 1974 and 1976.
In between his playing and coaching career, he got started in the broadcast booth, doing the play-by-play for WKBG (Now WLVI Channel 56) from 1966 -1969.
Due to advancing age and health, Heinsohn has started to scale back his workload the last two seasons, avoiding the longer road trips, and instead serving as studio analyst for those games.


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http://www.mobileapptelligence.com – With the growing demand for Android operating system, it has made an exclusive place for itself in the world of Operating systems. Enterprise Android app development and deployment has now become a necessity and it cannot be treated as an optional element. With Android occupying a share of >60% of the smartphone market in the world, it has become a necessary element to integrate Android into the enterprise mobile strategy, whether its android game development, business android development or other apps.
For Android Application Development Company – Get a Project Quote – http://www.mobileapptelligence.com/enquiry.html
With the constant rise and modification in the trend of enterprise mobility, the present trends like BYOD (bring your own device) has added to the concept. These uprising concepts have compelled the organizations to become mobile savvy. Android doesn't give the options to large organization for the way they want to engage the concept of mobile.
When we are speaking so much about mobility, it is necessary to clear the concept that lies behind the word mobility. Mobility is the process through which the organization gives the access of the data a computing to its employees, and its remains on the employees' discretion on the technologies that they want to use to put in a better performance. Android provides an excellent mobile strategy and it's beneficial for the companies to implement Android to get maximum advantage out of it.
As any other operating system, Android also contains its fair share of advantages and disadvantages. This report is written with the main intention of making the process of Android deployment easier. Take into consideration the below mention steps while planning an enterprise Android development & deployment.
Finalizing on the GOALS
For a successful deployment, well-planned and well-managed execution is very necessary. The first step should involve on deciding the goals associated with deployment and the associated actions that would help in making the deployment process successful and accomplishment of the goals. Planning is very essential when the deployment process is associated with a large organization.
You will have to be double sure that your organization is capable of handling and supporting the Android app and devices. Many organizations hesitate from bringing in Android as it has security risk associated with it. Hence security concern should be a priority. It would be very essential for the IT department to understand the Android data and connectivity architecture in order to form the data security guideline for the deployment process. A better understand would be a great help as the security model varies across the operating systems.
You can even think of using the third-party security devices like Samsung Knox or Bluebox. These would be the option when you want more security for the Android device in your network. One big help here would be knowledge about the security features of Android 5.0 Lollipop. Android for work initiative is a must read in this case.
Once decided on the approach to be adopted for Android deployment, the next step would be formation of the support team. The support team should be strong enough to tackle the problems that would arise during and after the deployment process.
One of the most eminent parts of the support system is the type of device that the organization would support. In case of Android, it has the ability of providing you with more choices, but at the cost of fragmentation. The fragmentation is for the device, model and the version of the operating system.
One more issue with Android is coping up with the constant change in the mobile environment and the complexity associated with it. It would be recommendable to have one resource who is an expert in Android, as a part of the support team. This resource would be allocated for looking out and testing of the features of the new products, and impart the knowledge to the rest of the team members. One more important point to mention over here is the associated of an analytical team along with the deployment team. The analytical team would be able to analyze the deployment process.
Shipping of the APP
An enterprise supporting the Android device also means making the proprietary enterprise apps available for the users of the Android OS. The most important part of mobile adoption is the user experience, the enterprise Android adoption would turn out to be negative if the user experience offered by the organization is not easy, not intuitive and lacks the components of consumer grade user experience. Along with user-experience, data security has to be taken care of while building the app.
One point that could help in taking care of the important elements is conducting a research about the various components that helps in differentiating an Android app from another. Writing of the code is one more important step and the most important factor to be taken care of is the compatibility of the code across different platform and different devices. Another eminent factor would involve taking care of the quality before the app is launched in the market. Android app testing is considered to be a complicated process, owing to the presence of fragmentation.
Enterprise should consider the area where the app would be distributed. There are apps store where the enterprise app could be distributed. When you get connected to an enterprise app store, it facilitates the organizational device to download apps from the enterprise apps stores.
Getting into the analytical side of the kinds of apps used, it would be interesting to know the apps that the top performers in the organization use.


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One of the first things that most people who log into the MoP beta quickly realize is that they no long have access to their lovely UI that they have slaved hours to perfect on live. There are a number of reasons for this, with the most prominent being that Blizzard needs to test things and know that when something isn't working as intended it's their problem and not some third-party addon glitch. In time, addons will be permitted, however there is a great deal of testing that you may want to do in the interim, and you want to be as functional a player as possible.
Ugh! You think. You've been healing with grid and clique, or Vuhdo, or some such similar raid frame setup for ages. How are you ever going to manage your way through anything without these tools?!?! Don't worry! It's really not all that bad and there are a few things that can make it significantly less painful!
First of all, pull out your raid frames and utilize them as your party frames. You can move them around, and you aren't constantly squinting at the top left corner of your screen to see your party. This is probably the single, most helpful, thing that you can do for yourself.
The second most helpful thing that you can do, is create mouseover macros for yourself. I know, I hear you asking "wtf is a mouseover macro, and why do I even need it, Beru?!". Well, let me tell you a little bit about what a mouseover macro does! It allows you to heal a target without having to click on that target to select them first. So basically, you just need to mouse over the target (as you would with Clique) and then activate the keybind that you've selected to bind your heals (sadly, blizzard doesn't have a way to bind to your mouse in their default UI, so everything must be keybound). It saves you from having to first having to select the target you want to heal by clicking on them, and then subsequently clicking the spell you'd like to cast.
So, how do you create these magic mouseover macro things? Well, it's pretty simple!
- Open your interface menu (click "esc") and select the "macros" option.
- When the macro menu opens up, select the "new" button.
- You will now be given the option to name your macro and select an icon. Do not worry about selecting an icon, you will not need it (more on this in a bit!), but go ahead and name it – I tend to just use the spell name.
- Once you've done that, you will now have the option to fill out the macro text. Use the following text (there are two lines in the macro, just as shown below):
/cast [@mouseover] (enter spell name)
- i.e. If I wanted to create a macro for healing touch, it would look like this:
/cast [@mouseover] Healing Touch
- Note that capitilazation and spelling are important, as your macro will only work properly if everything is spelled correctly and your spell names appear just as they do in your spell book. As an option, when you are entering the spell name, you can open your spell book and shift click the spell and it will automatically enter it into your macro.
- i.e. If I wanted to create a macro for healing touch, it would look like this:
- Now, drag the icon for the macro (it will start as a "?") onto your action bars. You are finished! Heal your way to glory!
But…won't I be looking at a bunch of "?", Beru? I'm so glad you asked! No, you won't! That first line of the macro (#showtooltip) will automatically change the icon to the default icon the first time you cast the spell, and it will look just as it does in your spellbook.
Once you become more comfortable with creating macros, you can do all kinds of crazy thing with them – but this particular macro will make healing on the beta much more intuitive and fluid. Good Luck on your early panda adventures, and don't hesitate to let me know if you have any questions!
edit: As of the current version of the beta (v._____) you will need to add an ! before the following spells for your mouseovers to work:
Healing Touch
Iron Bark
Nature's Cure
Incarnation: Tree of Life (even though it's not a mouse over, in hindsight, I'm not even sure why I'm macro-ing this…)
They would look like !Healing Touch in your spell name, for example. Note that this is likely a bug and will be fixed in future beta builds.
As an additional note – it seems that the current beta build has broken [target@self] macros for the time being as well.


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Crosslight. Services. Location
Provides GPS location services for Crosslight development.
This is a prerelease version of Intersoft.Crosslight.Services.Location.
There is a newer version of this package available.
See the version list below for details.
See the version list below for details.
Install-Package Intersoft.Crosslight.Services.Location -Version 5.0.5000.1198-experimental
dotnet add package Intersoft.Crosslight.Services.Location --version 5.0.5000.1198-experimental
<PackageReference Include="Intersoft.Crosslight.Services.Location" Version="5.0.5000.1198-experimental" />
For projects that support PackageReference, copy this XML node into the project file to reference the package.
paket add Intersoft.Crosslight.Services.Location --version 5.0.5000.1198-experimental
The NuGet Team does not provide support for this client. Please contact its maintainers for support.
- Crosslight.Xamarin.GooglePlayServices.Location (>= 22.214.171.124)
- Intersoft.Crosslight (>= 5.0.5000.1198-experimental)
Used By
NuGet packages
This package is not used by any NuGet packages.
GitHub repositories
This package is not used by any popular GitHub repositories.


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Is it safe to have an abortion with pills if you've already had one in the past?
Women are fertile for about 40 years. Some women need more than one abortion because for example contraception fails or some women cannot choose when to have sexual relations, or because contraception or information about it is inaccessible. 66
Having a safe abortion, or more than one safe abortion, has lower risk on woman's health or ability to have children in future than having a spontaneaous miscarriage.


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Universities fear freeze on grants
THE university sector has hit out at "ever-diminishing budget certainty" and fears a Commonwealth freeze on grants for higher education in the lead-up to the Federal Government's Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook.
Higher education group Universities Australia voiced its concerns about the sector's ability to plan and invest, on Wednesday, with doubt plaguing the voracity of the Federal Government's forward estimates.
Universities Australia chief executive Belinda Robinson said a "short-term, stop-go approach to funding and public investment" was becoming an increasingly alarming feature of the modern budget process.
As the government continues to look for savings, in the lead-up to the release of the MYEFO, Ms Robinson said the stop-go approach was also "seriously eroding confidence in the policy-making process".
"Clearly, universities are worried about this particular MYEFO process, but there is a deeper issue around the recent and concerning trend towards ever diminishing budget certainty," she said.
"Unfortunately, forward estimates are becoming progressively meaningless and funding predictability a thing of the past."
Ms Robinson, as CEO of UA, represents 39 Australian universities.
As part of the traditional budget process, lobbyists and interest groups usually get one chance to pitch their ideas for funding allocation to the government, early each calendar, in the lead-up to budget negotiations.
But Ms Robinson said this practice was now changing, putting everything up for grabs not just during budget submission periods, but also every six months through the MYEFO.
"Universities, like the rest of the economy, understand that public budgets are tight." she said.
"Surely though, it is the responsibility of governments to plan for the longer term and ensure a greater level of budget equilibrium can be achieved."
Ms Robinson said universities needed long lead times for budgets, to ensure higher education centres had certainty for future investments.
During Senate estimates this week, numerous budgetary freezes were revealed across many sectors, including a $150 million "pause" on Cooperative Research Centres revealed on Wednesday.
"Unfortunately, no matter the outcome from MYEFO, the freeze is already causing damage as universities move to backtrack on recruitment and investment commitments that they can no longer afford," Ms Robinson said.
"By freezing grants, and having the spectre of entire programs being cut, the government is sending the worrying message that you cannot trust its announcements to deliver what is promised."
Response was sought from the Treasurer's office, but has not yet been received.


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Filter by Size
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8 x 7 Pent Sheds
If you're looking for a contemporary storage solution for your garden, why not consider a pent roof shed. The straight lines and sharp finishes create a sleek and seamless finish to suit any style of garden. Our pent sheds have been expertly crafted using high-quality timber and pressure treated to prevent rot and decay.
Whether you live in a contemporary London terrace, a property occupying a tree-lined road or a rural estate, our pent roof sheds are the perfect addition to any garden. The sharp edges and defined lines create a sleek and contemporary finish which will create an upmarket garden appeal.
The uses for pent sheds are endless, with plenty of headroom space it is the perfect area for storing large tools and equipment or adding a workshop bench to get carried away with DIY antics. You can also transform your pent roof shed by adding a lick of paint to make it a distinct feature in your garden.
You can customise your pent shed to suit your needs by altering the door position, selecting optional cladding and framing, specifying the door type and window, and choosing your desired felt type and optional security features.
For more information about our range of sheds, installation or delivery service, please contact us online or call us on 01233822042.


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Williams apertures are standard thread size and will accommodate Williams, Redfield and Lyman receiver sights. The Twilight series are designed for shooting under poor light conditions. They create a sharp contrast that gives quick definition to the aperture hole.
Technical Information
- If included in description, the fractional dimension is the outside diameter of the metal aperture.
- The decimal dimension is the size of the hole drilled in the aperture which is actually looked through by the shooter.
- Apertures are standard thread size and will fit Williams, Lyman and Redfield receiver sights.
- The twilight aperture is specifically designed for low-light conditions.
- Big Game aperture is designed to mount on the FP or 5D receiver sight and has an extremely large opening, similar to a ghost ring type of sight.


text: The Wide Leg is RE/DONE | Levi's first fashion fit. This high-waisted jean extends down for a dramatic and broad silhouette. Made with an interior insert, the leg of this jean requires two pairs of repurposed and reconstructed vintage Levi's to achieve the shape. he inseam of the Wide Leg is 27" with an unfinished hem. Wear this jean year round with sandals or boots for a daring and chic look. Vintage Levi's made in the American South circa 90s, RE/DONE in Los Angeles. Front Rise 12 1/2"Back Rise 15" Inseam 27"Model image is for style use only.See Fit Guide Here.


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I love this map table by Cassie at Primitive & Proper
Map decoupaged headboard from Midwest Living
DIY map magnets. These were actually made from an old puzzle, but you can make your own by simply pasting an old map onto cardboard, cutting out, and adhering magnets to the reverse side. This is a great way to teach your kids geography!
You might also like...


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Having grown up in an Air Force family, Catherine Luckner feels it's appropriate to say she was "drafted" into the Siesta Key Association.
She was standing in the street one day, looking at the canopy trees in her neighborhood, when an SKA board member who also lives on that part of the Key approached her and asked if she would be interested in attending an SKA meeting.
Luckner did begin going to meetings; then, about three years ago, the SKA Nominating Committee asked her to be a board member. In February 2011, she took over as president from Lourdes Ramirez.
Observers may say Luckner is ideally suited to lead an association with such diverse membership and interests, and foster a strong relationship with other Key organizations.
After an internship in the Department of Psychiatry at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Luckner landed an internship at the federal prison in Tallahassee. She worked with the founder of a landmark method for pairing prisoners as cellmates, to minimize violence. Luckner herself started the first program of its kind to work with correctional officers and their families, as well as families of inmates, with the goals of minimizing violence and enabling inmates to get the resources they needed to be successful upon their release.
Luckner credits growing up in a military family for her ability to handle all sorts of situations.
"We lived everywhere, from one coast to the next (and overseas twice)," she said. "I think that's probably been the biggest shaper for me in my life."
Regarding her SKA work, Luckner said, "This is unique to me. … It's a different world of volunteering yourself for things … (but) it's a big learning opportunity."
Among her initiatives since she became president, Luckner has instituted regular retreats for the SKA board members, enabling them to build strong relationships with each other.
"I think our board members are ... extremely collaborative and very supportive, (but) I don't mean we always agree," she said. "We cheerfully work on things together."
The other major component of her life is her marriage to Bob Luckner, a retired chemical engineer.
"We know that we were meant to be together, and at a time of our lives we never would have imagined," she said.
Regular attendees of SKA meetings know Bob Luckner, because he's always there in the audience.
"He has been a tremendous support for me doing this work," she said.
Not only are the Luckners a team for the SKA, but also they have been regular volunteers in Sarasota Audubon's program to protect the beach-nesting birds — especially the snowy plovers — that come annually to Sarasota County's barrier islands. The Luckners shared honors with two other people as the Audubon group's Volunteers of the Year for 2011.
Yet, Luckner is quick, once again, to point to a group effort, instead of taking any personal credit. The SKA, Audubon, county staff, beach-goers and volunteers from throughout the region, she said, have stepped up to watch out for these birds.
"This partnership is another example of Siesta Key being a great place to live," she said. "Counting on your neighbors to (be stewards of) your living space directly affects tourism and property values."
Age: 59
Hometown: MacDill Air Force Base, Tampa
Family: She and husband Bob have been together for 13 years.
Education: Bachelor's degree in psychology and education from Mercer University; masters in science from Florida State University and completed doctoral work at FSU
Profession: Clinical psychologist and school psychologist
Click here to view Sarasota's "Delve into 12"
Click here to view a complete list of Siesta Key's "Delve into 12"