[SIGCIS-Members] Historic chip???

[Deborah Douglas]

Recently the MIT Museum was offered a unique artwork based on an  
integrated circuit designed by NMS and currently sold by Agere  
Systems (formerly Lucent Microelectronics) as their Ambassador Series  
T8100.  The original circuit was created by Jonathan Pollack and  
Chuck Linton in 1996-97.

The company commissioned an artist to create an enlarged and stylized  
version of this chip.  The 48" x 44" piece is a glass plate sandwich  
that includes many but not all of the layers of the circuit.  The  
piece is sufficiently interesting visually that I've been thinking  
about making the acquisition but am appealing to the thought  
collective for suggestions on how to assess the historic significance  
of circuits such as this.  The company claim is that this HMIC  
microchip helped NMS become one of the leading providers of  
communication technology.

I would certainly welcome your thoughts and can provide more  
information (including a photograph) if interested.

Many thanks,

Debbie Douglas

Deborah G. Douglas, Ph.D.
Curator of Science and Technology
MIT Museum, N51-209
265 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02139-4307
ddouglas at mit.edu •  617-253-1766 phone  •  617-253-8994 fax
http://web.mit.edu/museum  •  http://webmuseum.mit.edu




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