Semiconductor Manufacturing Rituals

When semiconductors were being researched at Bell Labs in the 1940s, mysterious component failures were eventually traced to researchers who had touched copper door knobs; the tiny number of copper atoms that migrated from the door the workers hands was enough to ruin their work material. Early semiconductor manufacturers found that their processes were influenced by, among other things, the phase of the moon, whether workers had recently visited the bathroom, and female workers’ menstrual cycles.

The meme presents a pseudo-historical account of early semiconductor research at Bell Labs, claiming that microscopic contamination and bizarre environmental factors affected manufacturing. The joke is that semiconductor fabrication is portrayed as a mysterious ritual governed by moon phases, bathroom visits, and menstrual cycles, echoing the uploader’s observation that chip manufacturing feels supernatural. EN: The meme presents a pseudo-historical account of early semiconductor research at Bell Labs, claiming that microscopic contamination and bizarre environmental factors affected manufacturing. The joke is that semiconductor fabrication is portrayed as a mysterious ritual governed by moon phases, bathroom visits, and menstrual cycles, echoing the uploader’s observation that chip manufacturing feels supernatural.

• @gentoomemes / 14313 2024-10-27