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YouTuber Builds Working 20-Bit DRAM Array in a Backyard Cleanroom

The proof-of-concept shows core chipmaking steps can be adapted at home with lower-cost methods.

Overview

  • Dr. Semiconductor showed a shed-made 5×4 DRAM array in a new video, positioning the project as a response to high 2026 memory prices.
  • The cells work yet lose charge in a few milliseconds, whereas commercial DRAM typically refreshes about every 64 milliseconds.
  • Testing measured roughly 12 picofarads of capacitance per cell, and micromanipulator probes touched down because the features are too small for wires.
  • The build followed oxide growth, photolithography, etching, and metallization using hazardous wet chemistries, and it swapped ion implantation for a spin-on-glass dopant.
  • He plans to stitch far more cells and try a PC interface, though scaling, fast refresh, yield, and safety keep it a proof-of-concept rather than a practical DRAM replacement.