Harder, to be sure, but definitely possible. See http://www.lps.umd.edu/MicroelectronicsIntegration/MicroelectronicsCOTS.html http://www.lps.umd.edu/Microelect

Harder, to be sure, but definitely possible. See http://www.lps.umd.edu/MicroelectronicsIntegration/MicroelectronicsCOTS.html http://www.lps.umd.edu/MicroelectronicsIntegration/Microelec... and http://www.break-ic.com/topics/break-ic.asp http://www.break-ic.com/topics/break-ic.asp for 2 overviews. There is an entire industry built around decapping and reverse-engineering ICs, usually to make cheap clones in China or somewhere else that'll turn a blind eye to IP infringement. There's also 'Dr. Decapitator' of ROM extraction fame: http://decap.mameworld.info/ http://decap.mameworld.info/ Annoyingly, I can't find the article I remember reading, which was a look at the debugging / test labs at AMD or Intel. They had all manner of depackaging, imaging, probing, and even in-situ modification tools. They could cut traces with incredibly precise laser pulses, and use bond-wires or additional metal deposits to test faulty designs. Incredible stuff (and a nightmare for anyone who wants "tamper resistance")