- Inside an unusual 7400-series chip implemented with a gate array (righto.com)
When I look inside a chip from the popular 7400 series, I know what to expect: a fairly simple die, implemented in a straightforward, cost-effective way. However, when I looked inside a military-grade chip built by Integrated Device Technology (IDT)4 I found a very unexpected layout: over 1500 transistors in an orderly matrix. Even stranger, most of the die is wasted: less than 20% of these transistors are used, forming scattered circuits connected by thin metal wires.
- Selenium (Wikipedia)
Selenium is a chemical element; it has the symbol Se and atomic number 34. It has various physical appearances, including a brick-red powder, a vitreous black solid, and a grey metallic-looking form. It seldom occurs in this elemental state or as pure ore compounds in Earth’s crust. Selenium (from Ancient Greek σελήνη (selḗnē) ‘moon’) was discovered in 1817 by Jöns Jacob Berzelius, who noted the similarity of the new element to the previously discovered tellurium (named for the Earth).