# Has anyone ever heard of the "cyber zoo" microscopic pics put on chips by programmers **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 20, 2001, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-heard-of-the-cyber-zoo-microscopic-pics-put-on-chips-by-programmers/94318 "2001-11-20T00:46:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![clayton\_e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c57346/32.png) [@clayton\_e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clayton_e)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2001, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-heard-of-the-cyber-zoo-microscopic-pics-put-on-chips-by-programmers/94318/1 "2001-11-20T00:46:27Z")
I saw an article on it and was interested. They are put there by programmers who did it as a signiture, just something to show that they could. Does anyone have any sites that I can learn more about them? ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2001, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-heard-of-the-cyber-zoo-microscopic-pics-put-on-chips-by-programmers/94318/2 "2001-11-20T01:41:18Z")
Here is the link for the cyber zoo: [http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/creatures/index.html](http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/creatures/index.html) More links regarding the subject are there also. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2001, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-heard-of-the-cyber-zoo-microscopic-pics-put-on-chips-by-programmers/94318/3 "2001-11-20T04:59:07Z")
I work in the semiconducter bussiness. (thats micro-chips for the lay person) Its not uncommon for one of our engineers to put microscopic pictures on our chips. And usually what ever the picture is on the chip is what that particular device gets nick-named. Some of the pictures we’ve had at my corp: Snoopy a man on skies a bull taking a dump. (WTF?) space shuttle. And many more I can’t think of right now. ---
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2001, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-heard-of-the-cyber-zoo-microscopic-pics-put-on-chips-by-programmers/94318/4 "2001-11-20T05:32:45Z")
Wow !!! I have a buddy who collects Cyber-Zoo. He has: Space Shuttle Gorilla Happy face road runner Coyote fist cigarette pipe beer bottle sad face Twin Towers (more recent) frog Bull Skull I have seen quite a few. I will get his site and post it. I just can’t remeber any more than what I wrote. I just don’t understand how the ‘zoo’ is put on the chips??? ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2001, 8:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-heard-of-the-cyber-zoo-microscopic-pics-put-on-chips-by-programmers/94318/5 "2001-11-20T08:55:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Phlosphr \* > \*\* > I have seen quite a few. I will get his site and post it. I just can’t remeber any more than what I wrote. I just don’t understand how the ‘zoo’ is put on the chips??? \*\* Its done thruogh a process called photolithography[spelling?] Anyway, basically what they do is take a picture of the object then they keep shrinking and shrinking it until they get the size they want. Now I’m sure I don’t have to tell you, its a very complex process; I’ve oversimplified it here to say the least. ---
**Author:** ![clayton\_e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c57346/32.png) [@clayton\_e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clayton_e)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2001, 10:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-heard-of-the-cyber-zoo-microscopic-pics-put-on-chips-by-programmers/94318/6 "2001-11-20T10:35:19Z")
Thank you all much. ---
**Author:** ![Astroboy14](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/df705f/32.png) [@Astroboy14](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astroboy14)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2001, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-heard-of-the-cyber-zoo-microscopic-pics-put-on-chips-by-programmers/94318/7 "2001-11-20T11:00:48Z")
That is SO cool! I just spent the past 20 mins. or so looking at them…😃