Gregory's ServerIntel's 386 processor (1985) was an important step toward today's computers, moving the x86 architecture to 32 bits. The chip came in a 132-pin ceramic package. There's more going on in this package than you'd expect. Let's take a look. 1/13
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Historically, Intel had been very stingy with pins, using the "God-given 16 pins" for the 4004 processor even though it made the chip slower and harder to use. When Intel was forced to use 18 pins, Federico Faggin said it "was like the sky had dropped from heaven". 3/13  @kenshirriff tbh i can't see anything other than the bent pin, as i find those deeply upsetting lol @noah Don't worry about the bent pin. I had to cut off all the pins anyway to get the chip under the microscope :-) |
Here's an X-ray of the 386 package. The pins are bright white. The gray square in the middle is the silicon die. Inside the package, the grayish traces connect the pins to the contacts surrounding the die. Thin bond wires connect these contacts to the die. 2/13