Die shot

Die shot of an Intel Mobile Pentium II (Dixon).

A die shot or die photography is a photo or recording of the layout of an integrated circuit, showings its design with any packaging removed. A die shot can be compared with the cross-section of an (almost) two-dimensional computer chip, on which the design and construction of various tracks and components can be clearly seen. Due to the high complexity of modern computer chips, die-shots are often displayed colourfully, with various parts coloured by diffraction within the parts of the die, using special lighting or even manually.