How to extract old P4/Celeron CPU die

[mackerel]

I'm not mechanically minded. I have in my possession a P4 era Celeron CPU, which I had previously stuck to a heatsink using Arctic Silver Epoxy. I want to extract the die in good condition if possible. I don't care if the rest of the package is destroyed in the process.

So far I've tried to mechanically separate the CPU from the heatsink. In the absence of a vice, I put the edge of the CPU against an external brick wall of my house, and hit the heatsink with a hammer in the hopes of shattering the epoxy. No luck. Now the substrate is looking a bit rough on the edges.

Was Intel still using "solder" in this era? I'm wondering if heating it would help the die/substrate detach from IHS and that would be easier than trying to separate IHS from heatsink.

 

[Johan45]

Only thing I have ever heard that might be somewhat successful is freezing it then trying to pry the two apart

 

[Mr.Scott]

You won't get that off. That AS thermal epoxy is like iron.

 

[mackerel]

I don't necessarily need to separate the ihs from heatsink. It will be sufficient for me to separate the die from ihs. I'm just thinking that might be far enough back for them to still solder, so that could be a problem.

 

[Mr.Scott]

What socket?, 478 or 775?

478 = unsoldered
775 = mostly soldered

 

[mackerel]

The CPU has pins, that 478? If my memory is working 775 is LGA. Unsoldered is a big plus then. I'll just see if I can force the IHS off the substrate.

Edit: success! It looks like my previous attempt at hitting it against my house loosened the seal, and I was able to make a gap between the IHS and substrate and get a knife in to finish the job. Next step, can I extract the die from the substrate?

 

[trents]

The CPU has pins, that 478? If my memory is working 775 is LGA. Unsoldered is a big plus then. I'll just see if I can force the IHS off the substrate.

Edit: success! It looks like my previous attempt at hitting it against my house loosened the seal, and I was able to make a gap between the IHS and substrate and get a knife in to finish the job. Next step, can I extract the die from the substrate?

I'm pretty sure that's correct.