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Apple A6 Teardown

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Apple A6 Teardown, The A6 Processor: crwdns2935265:00crwdnd2935265:01crwdnd2935265:03crwdne2935265:0 Apple A6 Teardown, The A6 Processor: crwdns2935265:00crwdnd2935265:02crwdnd2935265:03crwdne2935265:0 Apple A6 Teardown, The A6 Processor: crwdns2935265:00crwdnd2935265:03crwdnd2935265:03crwdne2935265:0
The A6 Processor
  • Let's start by cutting into the A6 to see what drives it.

  • What does the top of a metal die of the A6 processor look like? To us it looks like a Wheat Thin.

  • So how were these photos created, you may ask? Well, we took a picture of a Wheat Thin. Chipworks opted to go the long route:

  • The A6 is first decapsulated in a fuming sulfuric acid solution, heated to a temperature designed to get best results.

  • Then, Chipworks engineers use a microscope to take images of the die. The die is loaded onto a servo controlled X-Y table, and focus is set and maintained by laser monitoring.

  • Image coordinates are programmed into the system. The microscope moves the die automatically and takes several images, which are stitched together to create the full die photo.

  • One of the machines used for the process can be seen in the third image.

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