Jim Thompson wrote:

On Fri, 20 Jul 2012 18:40:32 -0400, "Michael A. Terrell"
wrote:


Jon Elson wrote:

Jim designs integrated circuits. Do you think you can repair them?

***Once or twice I've chipped back the encapsulation to repair a snapped
off pin.


You patched the package, not the IC itself.
Some time ago, to aid in diagnosing a prototype chip, we sent it out to have
some wires swapped in the chip. Focused Ion Beam, cost a couple thousand
bucks to have one chip rewired. The chip worked after that, so we knew
what needed to be fixed in the layout.


Not something you would do in the typical repair shop, and it wouldn't
help with a cratered chip.

You missed the "couple thousand bucks". Ion Milling is only done
during development of chips.


No, I saw it. That was the main reason you won't find it in a repair
shop. The other is that you wouldn't be able to train them how to use
the equyuipment.