Tag Archives: Advanced Packaging

March 23, 2012 – BUSINESS WIRE — Test system supplier Keithley Instruments Inc. introduced the Model 2657A High Power System SourceMeter instrument, adding high voltage test to its line of high speed, precision source measurement units for power semiconductors. The test tool sources up to 5x power to the device under test (DUT) than competitive systems, Keithley asserts.

The Model 2657A uses a built-in 3,000V, 180W source. Its high-speed 6-1/2-digit measurement engine enables 1 femtoamp (fA) current measurement resolution. It tests power semiconductor devices — diodes, FETs, and IGBTs — as well as gallium nitride (GaN), silicon carbide (SiC), and other compound semiconductor materials. It can characterize high-speed transients and perform breakdown and leakage tests on a variety of electronic devices at up to 3,000V.

The Series 2600A family offers four-quadrant voltage and current source/load coupled with precision voltage and current meters. The Model 2657A combines functionality from multiple instruments in a single full-rack enclosure: semiconductor characterization instrument, precision power supply, true current source, 6-1/2-digit DMM, arbitrary waveform generator, voltage or current pulse generator, electronic load, and trigger controller, and is fully expandable into a multi-channel, tightly synchronized system via Keithley

March 20, 2012 – BUSINESS WIRE — Teradyne (NYSE:TER) uncrated its Magnum semiconductor test system with a proprietary scalable chassis design and tester-per-board architecture for high compound parallel test efficiency (PTE) on consumer digital devices (microcontrollers, touch screen controllers, standard logic, FPGAs and embedded memory).

An optional Magnum Precision Analog Channel (MPAC) enables the system to test embedded peripherals, including ADCs and DACs found in many consumer digital SoCs. The MPAC instrument includes analog source, analog capture and precision voltage reference resources.

The MPAC can configured with up to 48 channels of source/capture/Vref, or 24 channels of source/capture/Vref plus 32 device power supply channels. Multiple MPAC instruments can be configured in a single system to enable massive multi-site test.

The Magnum offers high-accuracy measurements and throughput for common DC tests such as contact, IDD and leakage. It has an algorithmic pattern generation feature for Flash memory and functional tests with various logic vector pattern depths. 12-bit ADC testing includes INL, DNL, gain and offset; 12-bit DAC testing includes INL and DNL.

Also read: Tektronix buys Teradyne testers for better test dev, IC test range

Teradyne will showcase the Magnum test system with high density precision analog instrumentation for consumer digital device test in Booth #2169 at SEMICON China in Shanghai, March 20-22. The demonstration will highlight multi-site scalability and test for a 32-bit microcontroller from Atmel

March 19, 2012 — The media tablet computer market took off when Apple launched the first iPad in April 2010. Apple uses a 9.7" display; Amazon’s Kindle Fire uses a 7" screen: Samsung offers Galaxy Tabs with 7", 8.9" and 10.1" displays. NPD In-Stat analyzed the tablet market by display size.

Also read: Does Apple’s new iPad display technology go far enough?

In a competitive sector, dominated by the Apple iPad, screen size is a "key differentiator," said Stephanie Ethier, Senior Analyst, NPD In-Stat. Display size is also the leading indicator of different tablet usages, Ethier said.

NPD In-Stat analyzed top tablet usage scenarios based on device screen size:
The iPad’s continued success will ensure that tablets in the 9.7

March 19, 2012 – GLOBE NEWSWIRE — ATE provider LTX-Credence Corporation (Nasdaq:LTXC) released the Diamondx test platform for application-specific standard products (ASSP) and the DragonRF for radio frequency (RF) devices. In addition, LTX-Credence launched a SerDes test instrument and new testing software.

The Diamondx tool increases tester throughput, offers better multi-site test capability, and has lower capital expenditure and operations costs than comprable tools, according to LTXC. The tool boasts a small footprint with an energy-efficient, air-cooled design. Diamondx is a universal slot architecture that allows for 20-slot, 40-slot and 60-slot configurations. It is compliant with Integrated Multi-System Architecture (IMA) technology, making it upgradeable on the production floor as needed. The tester can accommodate over 5000 pins, and be configured with a range of instruments. Its high-speed data bus is based on PCI-Express-2 industry standard to support high data, high site count and the emergent adaptive test data payload requirements

The Diamondx SerDes instrument Dx-HSIO debuts with the Diamondx platform. It offers 8 lanes of SerDes test capability to 6.4Gbps, enabling lower-cost embedded-clock SerDes lane testing. The Dx-HSIO performs parametric testing of SerDes Tx and Rx ports, aiming for the mobility and consumer ASSP markets.

The Diamondx platform was designed with customer input, and purchase orders are in for testers, said David Tacelli, president and CEO at LTX-Credence. Deployment will soon occur at key outsourced semiconductor assembly and test (OSAT) providers.

LTX-Credence’s next-generation RF tester, DragonRF, targets low cost-of-test for RF devices. Universal RF ports with optional Port to Pin adapter enabling configurations up to 128 RF pins. DragonRF can be configured with 16, or 32 universal vector RF ports per module, with an optional port to pin expander doubling the number of RF ports to 64 pins. The flexible architecture enables price, test coverage, and time balancing. LTXC boasts that the tester’s RF switching technology provides industry-leading settling times. DragonRF provides 6GHz modulated source, 8GHz measure, less than 1ms settling time, and up to 8 receiver paths each with an analog bandwidth exceeding 200MHz for octal site parallel RF measurements. The RF generators are compact to save power and space. DragonRF has been designed to work across multiple test platforms. It will be available in Q2 2012.

The LTXC semiconductor testing software platform Unison features a common graphical test programming environment for Diamond, X-Series, and future product offerings; fast test program development with tools to streamline the validation process of complex system-on-chip and system-in-package devices; a flexible test program structure to serve an entire device family across wafer sort, final test, and different site counts; and the ability to run legacy test programs in the Unison software environment without modification.

Unison is currently available for Diamond test platform and will be available on other test systems later this year.

The Diamondx supports the DragonRF and the Unison test program development environment runs on the Diamondx along with existing Diamond and X-Series test platforms.

LTX-Credence is a global provider of ATE products for wireless, computing, automotive and entertainment market segments. Additional information can be found at www.ltxc.com.

Subscribe to Solid State Technology

March 16, 2012 — Tokyo Electron Limited (TEL) will acquire semiconductor packaging equipment supplier NEXX Systems Inc. NEXX makes advanced deposition equipment, including electrochemical deposition (ECD) and physical vapor deposition (PVD) tools, for wafer-level packaging (WLP).

TEL is acquiring the company to expand its position in advanced packaging interconnect toools. TEL praised NEXX’s ECD and PVD technologies for high performance, low cost of ownership, development flexibility and extendibility to future applications. Hiroshi Takenaka, president and CEO of TEL, called electrochemical deposition "a key differentiating technology" in wafer-level packaging.

These tools will now be available alongside TEL’s broad range of front-end semiconductor manufacturing equipment for global customers. "NEXX provides TEL with an immediate presence in the high growth, back-end packaging arena, while NEXX gains access to front-end growth markets and an unparalleled repository of cutting-edge intellectual property," summarized Tom Walsh, president and CEO of NEXX.

NEXX has 139 employees and is based in Massachusetts, USA. Its 2011 sales totaled $76.5 million. THe company has installed about 140 systems at 40 customers. Learn more about the company at www.nexxsystems.com.

Subscribe to Solid State Technology

March 15, 2012 — Semiconductor assembly and test services (SATS) provider Amkor Technology Inc. (Nasdaq:AMKR) added Mike Liang as president of Amkor Technology Taiwan. Liang’s background includes stints with Phoenix Semiconductor, Ti-Acer, UMC, and others.

Liang and his team will serve packaging and test customers and execute Amkor’s strategies in Taiwan. Taiwan recently took the global lead in wafer fabrication capacity, beating out its Asian neighbors and the Americas. Taiwan also leads in 300mm wafer capacity installed.

Liang brings "a proven track record in operations, sales and marketing for semiconductor packaging, wafer processing and testing services," said JooHo Kim, Amkor EVP, worldwide manufacturing operations. Liang was most recently president and CEO of King Yuan Electronics Corporation in Hsin-Chu, Taiwan, and has held executive and operational roles at Phoenix Semiconductor International, AbelLink Technology, Mosel-Vitelix, Ti-Acer, and United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC). Liang holds a Bachelor of Science in physics from National Cheng Kung University and an MBA from National Taiwan University.

Amkor provides semiconductor packaging and test services to semiconductor companies and electronics OEMs. More information on Amkor

March 15, 2012 — Semiconductor test and engineering services provider Presto Engineering selected an LTX-Credence Corporation (Nasdaq:LTXC) X-Series platform for testing wireless communications, automotive and industrial customer devices.

Presto Engineering based the tool expenditure decision on cost-of-test advantages, test time, and capabilities for advanced RF wireless, power management, and application-specific device test. Presto Engineering is seeing "constant growth for RF-related integrated test and product engineering services," said Dr. Michel Villemain, Presto Engineering founder and CEO.

Also read: Handling and test for RF devices by J. R. Schenk and Ken Kolden

The X-Series test platform, available in multiple configurations, supports a suite of DC, power, DSP, RF and digital instrumentation for mixed-signal device tests.

The tool was installed at the Presto Engineering Hub in Grenoble. "Europe is an important market for…wireless, communication, and automotive applications," said Steve Wigley, VP of marketing at LTX-Credence. Presto Engineering Hubs complement their wafer-level and packaged-part test services with test program generation, special probe technology development for high-frequency/RF applications, probe cards and load board development. Turn-key offerings include qualification (reliability testing for temperature, environmental and electrical stresses) both physical and electrical fault isolation and failure analysis, supply chain management, and more.

LTX-Credence provides semiconductor test products. Additional information can be found at www.ltxc.com.

Presto Engineering, an ISO 9001 company, delivers comprehensive test and product engineering solutions to IDM and fabless companies, with hubs in Silicon Valley, Europe and Israel. More information can be found at www.presto-eng.com.

Also read: Presto Engineering semiconductor service hub opens in Israel

Subscribe to Solid State Technology