I don't see how that will help.

Wouldn't it be harder to try to get a good picture of the chip in such an angle that you could read the etching?

I assume this angle will most likely be "from the top", such that it basically turns into a scanner, and then it's easier to do it with an actual scanner.

But with the camera you have control over the lighting, and can move the lighting such that the etching has more contrast.

I'll just assume that they tried the camera and the scanner works better.

Edit: So maybe you do have better control, but what if the etchings are so small that there's no significant contrast change when viewing from different angles?

I'm just basing my speculation on the fact that these guys probably have tried a lot of things and this is most likely the best way they've found.

It would be interesting to hear from them what were the results of other setups.

A camera on a tripod and a light source would give infinite flexibility as to angle and illumination. Once optimized, the setup could be left as such.

Because taking accurate reproductions of small flat objects boils down to three things: zero distortion, even illumination, flat focus plane. Even if you can find a well-corrected macro lens, building the physical setup is a major PITA and you'll still have ugly shadows all over. Scanners have been getting these things right since forever and for next-to-nothing; a 15 year old $300 film scanner easily beats any DSLR film scanning attachment you can find, and not only quality-wise - but especially in terms of ease of operation. If you don't believe me, try "scanning" a document using your camera.