Some of the common IC types and what's in them.

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Just for whatever it is worth here is a pic of a batch of ceramic chips (different then those being discussed here) that I processed about 4 years ago

The chips weighed 1.6 kg or about 3.5 pounds - the recovery was right at 52 grams so about 14.85 grams per pound

Edit to add; - as you can see these are quad type chips rather then the two sided (dual in line) - they went direct to AR for gold recovery

Kurt
 

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Those smaller ones in the green bin are great yielding chips. I've got some still on the boards. I'll have to dig up a photo. Very nice Kurt!

Steve
 
lazersteve said:
Those smaller ones in the green bin are great yielding chips. I've got some still on the boards. I'll have to dig up a photo. Very nice Kurt!

Steve
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Yes that was a nice batch ;) ;)

Like you - over my years of recovery/refining E-scrap I processed many pounds of ceramic & every type of ceramic including the oscillators you mentioned (LOVE those little guys)

No were near the (about) 10,000 pounds you have processed but certainly several hundred pounds

For the most part ceramics are some of the best recovery material you can get your hands on with the exception being those PROMs/EPROMs/EEPROMS (the one with the legs sandwiched between two ceramic plates) VERY low recovery & not worth the time & acid IMO

When it comes to chips ceramics & BGAs (other then flip chip BGAs) are certainly the best

Kurt
 
Hey guys, did anyone had any success disassembling a ceramic cpu?.. I mean taking off the layers of the ceramic cpu to see the connections between layers?
I did try with no success...i believe the traces to the legs are also gold an not copper.
I might be wrong, but logic says it is counterproductive to use copper traces if the die attachment is with gold bonding wires, the legs are gold plated, why introduce copper between which has increased rezistance and changes electrical conductivity under increased heat? Even a difference in mOhm's can slow down the signal exchange.. in precision electronics every micro or mOhm should count...
Just a guess..I ciuldnt find specific info on google...does anyone have more info on this?
I'm just curious..

Pete.
 
GoIdman said:
Hey guys, did anyone had any success disassembling a ceramic cpu?.. I mean taking off the layers of the ceramic cpu to see the connections between layers?
I did try with no success...i believe the traces to the legs are also gold an not copper.
I might be wrong, but logic says it is counterproductive to use copper traces if the die attachment is with gold bonding wires, the legs are gold plated, why introduce copper between which has increased rezistance and changes electrical conductivity under increased heat? Even a difference in mOhm's can slow down the signal exchange.. in precision electronics every micro or mOhm should count...
Just a guess..I ciuldnt find specific info on google...does anyone have more info on this?
I'm just curious..

Pete.
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I think that has been discussed here on the forum in the past, but I don't remember who posted the discussion.
 
lazersteve said:
Search for the combined cpu thread.
Steve
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Thank you Steve and eaglekeeper, i found what i was looking for, just didn't insist enough..

g_axelsson said:
The technology used to make ceramic CPU bodies are called HTCC (High Temperature Co-fired Ceramic). Wires inside the ceramic CPU body are made of screen printed tungsten, molybdenum or manganese in various combinations. It is printed on thin layers of unfired ceramics (green tape), stacked and then fired with the ceramics to form the internal traces. Next step is to cover the exposed traces with a metal, often nickel and then plated with gold. Then the die is brazed in place in the cavity. Among the last steps is wire bonding where bond wires are used to connect the chip to the internal traces. Bond wires are never used inside the ceramic body.

I'm on the firm conviction that properly leached ceramic CPU bodies does not have any amount of gold to talk about. Maybe traces of absorbed gold chloride but that would be a result of the leach process and not from the manufacturing. Gold is used sparingly and only where there is a real technical need for it.

If the IC chip is still attached to the ceramic body after leaching, then there is probably some gold braze hiding beneath it. Undissolved parts of heat spreaders and lids will also hold back some of the gold by cementing it.

There are some special applications that uses LTCC (Low Temperature Co-fired Ceramic) with internal wires of one or several different precious metals, but for a mass product as ceramic CPU bodies (386, 486, Pentium, PPro, Motorola, Sparc....), HTCC is the only technology used.

I'm willing to sell any left over ceramics from my refining, shipping plus something to cover the work to pack it basically.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Co-fired_ceramichttp://www.ecrimpower.com/products/high-temperature-co-fired-ceramic-htcc.htmlhttp://www.ecrimpower.com/products/low-temperature-co-fired-ceramic-ltcc.html
Göran
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Info is here if anyone else wants a good read.

Thanks to Göran as well for the info.
 
GoIdman said:
Thank you Steve and eaglekeeper, i found what i was looking for, just didn't insist enough..


Info is here if anyone else wants a good read.

Thanks to Göran as well for the info.
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Not the best photo, was taken through a loupe. Here’s one I broke open once though, and you can see the different layers of ceramic which the non-PM traces run between.
 

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Can one of you tell me the dimensions of a 20 leg EPROM? And is there gold inside the ceramic?
 
Wonka said:
Can one of you tell me the dimensions of a 20 leg EPROM? And is there gold inside the ceramic?
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Why not measure it?
Regarding values I'd guess it would depend on age and intended use.
Why do you ask?
 
Yggdrasil said:
Why not measure it?
Regarding values I'd guess it would depend on age and intended use.
Why do you ask?
Click to expand...
I was thinking about buying some but i need the dimensions to calculate optimal gold output and if there’s gold inside the ceramic.
 

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