FormFactor Doubles the DRAM Test Capacity of Test Equipment With New Wafer Probe Card Capability
November 11 2008 - 4:05PM
Marketwired
FormFactor, Inc. (NASDAQ: FORM) today introduced DC-Boost, an
advanced TRE(TM) test technology to increase probe test capacity.
The new wafer probe card capability enables more efficient use of
tester channels on test equipment to double the number of devices
that can be tested simultaneously. By using probe cards equipped
with FormFactor's DC-Boost technology, IC manufacturers and test
service providers can significantly increase test cell throughput
on new test equipment, extend the life of their existing test
equipment, and reduce their overall cost of test. Tera Probe, Inc.,
one of the world's largest wafer test services providers, is one of
several customers adopting the new technology.
"At Tera Probe, our mission is to provide total testing
solutions for our customers that boast greater efficiency, lower
costs and ensure higher levels of reliability in order to help them
meet their production goals," stated Masahide Ozawa, chief
technology officer at Tera Probe, Inc. "FormFactor's DC-Boost
capability supports that mission by allowing us to utilize the
latest in advanced wafer test technology to enable more efficient,
reliable testing of our customers' product wafers."
As DRAM manufacturers move to tighter design configurations, the
number of die per wafer continues to rise, in some cases
approaching 1500 die or more. At the same time, test managers are
driving to maximize the productivity of their test cells. "Reducing
the number of touchdowns in wafer testing is the primary driver for
reducing test costs," stated Stefan Zschiegner, senior vice
president of the DRAM product business unit at FormFactor. "Our
DC-Boost test technology brings a new degree of intelligence to our
wafer probe cards through the integration of application specific
ICs -- enabling FormFactor to take wafer test parallelism to the
next level. With this technology we can help our customers optimize
their existing equipment investment today and provide a clear
roadmap for further parallelism improvements on new device designs
and tester platforms."
In addition to increasing the device under test, or DUT,
capacity of test equipment, DC-Boost minimizes drops in voltage
that could lead to over-testing or under-testing of devices. The
new technology also provides the ability to test devices in
isolation to obtain precise voltage measurements. As a result,
customers can achieve a more reliable test result, thereby
improving yields.
FormFactor's DC-Boost solution is now being offered on the
company's PH150XP and Harmony XP(TM) probe cards for DRAM wafer
testing.
Forward-Looking Statements
Statements in this press release that are not strictly
historical in nature are forward-looking statements within the
meaning of the federal securities laws, including results the
company's customers' might realize when using the company's
products, demand for the company's products and future growth.
These forward-looking statements are based on current information
and expectations that are inherently subject to change and involve
a number of risks and uncertainties. Actual events or results might
differ materially from those in any forward-looking statement due
to various factors, including, but not limited to: the company's
ability to enable more efficient use of tester channels on
automated test equipment to double the number of devices that can
be tested simultaneously, to enable IC manufacturers and test
service providers to significantly increase test cell throughput,
increase probe test capacity, extend the life of existing test
equipment and reduce their overall cost of test, to optimize
existing equipment and provide for future roadmaps, to minimize
over-testing or under-testing of devices; and the ability of the
company's customers to achieve more reliable test results and
improve yields. Additional information concerning factors that
could cause actual events or results to differ materially from
those in any forward-looking statement is contained in the
company's Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 29, 2007 and
the company's Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended June 28, 2008,
filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), and
subsequent SEC filings. Copies of the company's SEC filings are
available at http://investors.formfactor.com/edgar.cfm. The company
assumes no obligation to update the information in this press
release, to revise any forward-looking statements or to update the
reasons actual results could differ materially from those
anticipated in forward-looking statements.
About FormFactor
Founded in 1993, FormFactor, Inc. (NASDAQ: FORM) is the leader
in advanced wafer probe cards, which are used by semiconductor
manufacturers to electrically test ICs. The company's wafer sort,
burn-in and device performance testing products move IC testing
upstream from post-packaging to the wafer level, enabling
semiconductor manufacturers to lower their overall production
costs, improve yields, and bring next-generation devices to market.
FormFactor is headquartered in Livermore, California with
operations in Europe, Asia and North America. For more information,
visit the company's web site at www.formfactor.com.
FormFactor, TRE, DC-Boost, Harmony and Harmony XP are trademarks
or registered trademarks of FormFactor, Inc.
Investor Contact: Michael Magaro Investor Relations (925)
290-4949 Email Contact Trade Press Contact: David Viera Director of
Corporate Communications (925) 290-4681 Email Contact
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