[kens]

There's a reason I mostly stick to chips from the 1970s. Moore's law makes reverse engineering (literally) exponentially harder for later chips. Multiple layers of metal on the make it much more difficult; you can remove layer-by-layer but it's very hard. An electron microscope helps, and you can get one for semi-hobbyist prices if you try. X-ray tomography looks like a cool technology but it is very cutting edge and extremely expensive. See: https://spectrum.ieee.org/chip-x-ray

[pcblues]

My Dad used to do and teach VLSI design from the 1970s on. Later in his life he designed environmental microphones and recording systems using Excel and assembly respectively because, "I don't need software tools because I know the equations" and "I don't need compiled languages because I know where the bits need to go."

Sorry for the thread-jack. Three years on since the passing of a true polymath.

[CyberRabbi]

Kudos to your dad, sounds like he was a great engineer.