Industry-Leading Capabilities Offer High-Speed, Precision Positioning Handling for LCD Driver ICs TOKYO, May 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Advantest Corporation (TSE:6857TSE:NYSE:TSE:ATE), the world's leading supplier of semiconductor test equipment, today announced its new M7522 dynamic test handler. The unit offers the industry's highest processing speed and positioning accuracy for fine-pitch tape automated bonding (TAB) and chip-on-film (COF) package devices used in liquid crystal display (LCD) panel ICs. The M7522 dynamic test handler will be available from August 2008 and, alongside the T6373 LCD driver test system, will be displayed as part of the company's LCD Driver IC Test Solution at the "Advantest Tour de Force 2008" exhibition to be held at the Tokyo International Forum, June 3-5. Rising demand and increased competition in the LCD market Advancements in technology and changes in semiconductor industry business models are contributing to the continuing fall in price of LCD panels used in flat-screen televisions and computer monitors. Conversely, increasing demand for higher-definition capabilities is driving the need for higher-pin-count devices, which are more costly to produce. With the LCD market expected to expand in the coming years, not only in industrialized countries, but also in developing nations, it is predicted that growth in the flat-panel television market will be particularly strong, with demand surpassing 100 million units in 2009 and 150 million units in 2012. Because of this, worldwide shipments of the driver ICs that these LCD panels rely on are also expected to increase. However, as demonstrated by the drop in price of flat-screen televisions, competition between manufacturers has become increasingly fierce, making yield improvement and test processing speed major issues for high-volume manufacturers of LCD driver ICs. With its enhanced handling capabilities, Advantest's M7522 dynamic test handler addresses such issues. Features and Benefits -- Industry's fastest index time of 0.7 seconds for improved test efficiency The M7522's newly-developed feed mechanism incorporates a high-performance servo motor, enabling an industry-leading 0.7-second index time for tape and film mounted package devices. With the fastest processing speeds in the industry, it contributes to test cost reductions. -- Advanced positioning technology for industry-leading performance -- Enhanced positioning accuracy offers significant yield improvements The unit's optical lens, which works to recognize the position of the device and the test probe, is now twice as powerful as that of Advantest's earlier model, offering a positioning accuracy of +/-3um -- the best in the industry. It supports even the fine-pitch driver ICs necessary for increasingly high- definition LCDs, thus contributing to great improvements in yield. -- Precision contact eliminates need for test pads Contact between the device and the test probe is currently achieved through the use of test pads on the tape of the device. Once testing is complete, these test pads are removed. With the enhanced positioning accuracy of the M7522, high precision contact is possible even without test pads, leading to a significant reduction in materials costs. -- Automated needle alignment facilitates operation The M7522's new automated device and test probe positioning capabilities afford greater precision and eliminate the problems associated with manual operation. Automating the process also enables more highly accurate positioning to be achieved in a shorter timeframe, and the handler's precision contacts give it the ability to support many of the newer tape trends. -- Automated maintenance for test probe Checking for bends in the needle tip and cleaning operations can now be performed automatically by the unit as necessary, offering improved yields and a considerable reduction in working hours. Key Specifications: Target Packages: TAB, COF (35mm/48mm/70mm) wide and super-wide types Reel Diameter: Up to 620mm Device Length: Up to 28-perforation pitch Pricing from $240,000, depending upon configuration. About Advantest Advantest Corporation is the world's leading automatic test equipment supplier to the semiconductor industry, and also produces electronic and optoelectronic instruments and systems. A global company, Advantest has long offered total ATE solutions, and serves the industry in every component of semiconductor test: tester, handler, mechanical and electrical interfaces, and software. Its logic, memory, mixed-signal and RF testers and device handlers are integrated into the most advanced semiconductor production lines in the world. Founded in Tokyo in 1954, Advantest established its first subsidiary in 1982, in the USA, and now has subsidiaries worldwide. Among them, Advantest America, Inc. is based in Santa Clara, CA., and Advantest (Europe) GmbH is based in Munich, Germany. More information is available at http://www.advantest.com/. DATASOURCE: Advantest Corporation CONTACT: Amy Gold of Advantest America, Inc., +1-212-850-6670, Web site: http://www.advantest.com/

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