Yes, a microwave should be very effective at destroying the gates in a simple flash chip, unless the flash chip was "shielded" like a PCMIA type flash chunk or a SDD, in those situations it would probably destroy the controller, push power back into it well, and might not destroy everything.
Why? Both of those items can be effectively destroyed with a rock caveman style or a hammer for the more civilized individuals
What better location to find it already tried: USB Drive + Microwave 9seconds
SD flash drive in microwave http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVliHMvIOmY
- USB Drive + Microwave 9 seconds
- [SD flash drive in microwave][2]
The very popular http://www.youtube.com/show/isitagoodideatomicrowavethis?s=10[YouTube show, “Microwave This?”][3] has microwaved many products with flash in them, but strangely enough, they haventhaven't done the flash card. (and probably need another episode)
More Data:
Remember that electromagnetic theory is not a fact, even if certain outcomes/examples are. With that said, here are 2 articles that discuss it. The first being more simple concentrated on electromagnetic specific, and the second going for the whole picture from end to end. And no I did not read all of them.
Here is [a presentation on “Electromagnetic Waves”][4] from the University of Texas, Arlington.
Here is [a chapter on “Electromagnetism”][5] from Simple Nature, by Benjamin Crowell.
[This is a bit different][6], and wouldn't be in "the Book".
And [here are some pics][7] of the nand gates.
) [2]: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVliHMvIOmY [3]: http://www.youtube.com/show/isitagoodideatomicrowavethis?s=10 [4]: http://www.uta.edu/physics/main/faculty/fazleev/teaching/1442Fall11/Lecture%2016%20Fall%202011.pdf
[5]: http://www.lightandmatter.com/html_books/0sn/ch11/ch11.html [6]: http://lofi.forum.physorg.com/Electo-mechanical-Theory-Of-Electromagnetic-Energy_5488.html [7]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NAND_flash#NAND_flash
This is a bit different, and wouldn't be in "the Book":
Pics of the nand gates:
