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Sheets.works has published an interactive catalog of 356 processor dies photographed from 1972 through 2024 and made publicly available. The collection credits photographers and links to original publications; 114 chips with known dimensions can be viewed at a shared scale.
Sheets.works has published an interactive catalog of 356 processor dies photographed between 1972 and 2024, gathering images released by chip photographers and linking each entry to its source. The project offers a way to browse silicon that is normally hidden inside a processor package, with a shared-scale view for the 114 dies whose dimensions are known.
The catalog draws on work by photographers including Pauli Rautakorpi, Fritzchens Fritz, John McMaster and ZeptoBars. Sheets.works credits Rautakorpi with 162 images, Fritzchens Fritz with 68, McMaster with 36 and Martijn Boer with 20. Cole L contributed 16, while ZeptoBars contributed 10. The remaining entries include work by other named photographers and 18 additional contributors.
Each image retains its individual license, which the site says is shown when a visitor opens a chip. Entries link back to where the image was published, including Wikimedia Commons, Flickr, ZeptoBars, Siliconpr0n and the CPU Graveyard wiki. The catalog says die-size data comes from photographers’ notes and Wikipedia’s transistor-count tables.
Visitors can select a chip to view its image at a larger size. The true-scale display compares 114 dies for which dimensions are known, making the size differences across the collection visible. The project’s description says a processor must be opened by sanding or dissolving its package before the silicon die can be photographed under a microscope.
The catalog makes a dispersed body of technical photography easier to browse. Processor dies are generally concealed by their packages, and seeing their layouts requires both physical preparation of a chip and specialized imaging. Bringing photographs from multiple contributors into one index gives readers, educators and hardware enthusiasts a consistent starting point for exploring designs across decades.
The shared-scale option adds a useful comparison, but only for entries with documented dimensions. The images and measurements can help readers observe how chip layouts and physical footprints differ over time; the site does not present the collection as a complete record of every processor or as a systematic technical analysis. Its value lies in making available images discoverable while preserving links and licensing information.
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How the Collection Was Assembled
The project is built from photographs that contributors have already released publicly, rather than from a single imaging effort. Sheets.works identifies multiple photographers and publication sources, and says each entry links back to its original location. The credits show that the catalog is concentrated among a few contributors: Rautakorpi’s 162 images make up the largest listed share, followed by Fritzchens Fritz’s 68.
The collection spans 1972 to 2024, according to its description. It is not described as a census of all processors made during those years. Instead, it records dies for which a freely available photograph has been published. The site says that if a chip is absent, nobody has released a free photograph of it yet—a statement about the catalog’s publicly available material, not proof that the chip has never been photographed privately.
““These are the 356 processors they have photographed, from 1972 to 2024.””
— Sheets.works
Limits of the Photo Record
The supplied project description does not give a publication date, explain how entries were selected, or say whether the catalog will be updated. It also does not identify which processors are absent, or establish that every existing free image has been found. The stated count of 356 entries should be read as the catalog’s current collection, not as the total number of processor dies ever photographed.
Dimensions are known for only 114 of the 356 entries. The source says size information comes from photographers’ notes and Wikipedia tables, but does not provide a uniform measurement method or discuss uncertainty in individual measurements. Readers should check an entry’s linked source and license for details about a specific image.
Further Catalog Updates to Watch
Sheets.works does not announce a schedule for additions or name a next milestone. Any future expansion will depend on the project adding more publicly available die photographs and recording their sources, permissions and dimensions. For now, readers can browse the existing entries and follow each link to the original publication for image-specific details.
Key Questions
What does the Sheets.works catalog contain?
It lists 356 processor-die photographs dated from 1972 to 2024, with links to the places where the images were published.
Who contributed the most photographs?
Sheets.works credits Pauli Rautakorpi with 162 images, the largest number among the listed contributors. Fritzchens Fritz is credited with 68.
Can the processor dies be compared at the same scale?
Yes. The site offers a true-scale view for 114 dies with known dimensions. The source does not say that dimensions are available for every catalog entry.
Does an absent processor have no die photograph?
Not necessarily. The site says a missing chip has no free photo released, which does not rule out unpublished or privately held photographs.
Who owns or licenses the images?
The catalog says each photo keeps its own license, displayed when a visitor opens that entry. Readers should consult the individual listing and source before reusing an image.
Source: sheets.works
