Proprietary probe card technology enables more die per wafer

LIVERMORE, Calif. – June 04, 2007 – FormFactor, Inc. (Nasdaq: FORM) today announced a major milestone for its Takumi parametric wafer probe card, which has now been adopted by 20 leading device manufacturers worldwide. Takumi probe cards are an advanced probing solution used by IC manufacturers for in-line and end-of-line parametric testing. The Takumi probe card extends FormFactor’s probe card technology and expertise further into the front end of the semiconductor manufacturing process—giving IC manufacturers earlier insight into opportunities to validate their designs, verify process performance and achieve higher yields. The high contact precision of the company’s Takumi probe card allows IC manufacturers to use smaller test pads and narrower scribe lines on their product wafers, which frees room to produce more die per wafer.

Process margins continue to shrink with new device generations, increasing the need to minimize deviations in device and process performance. Performing parametric test with FormFactor’s Takumi probe card provides rapid, cost-effective parametric measurements that enable IC manufacturers to quickly identify the source of process problems and minimize their impact on production yields. The Takumi probe card allows low-current measurements down to the femtoampere*-level, enabling its use for a wide variety of parametric test applications.

To maximize the number of die that can be produced per wafer, IC manufacturers are not only driving to smaller design rules, but are also narrowing the scribe lines that separate each device on the wafer. Since the test structures that are required for wafer probing are built into these scribe lines, wafer probe card technology must be sufficiently scalable to make robust and repeatable contact with these smaller test pads without damaging adjacent product die. The Takumi probe card incorporates FormFactor’s proven, proprietary 3D micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS)-based MicroSpring® contact technology, which provides excellent contact precision to support pad sizes as small as 30×30 micron with a roadmap for further reductions in pad size. This precision enables its use for leading-edge parametric test applications. The low contact force enabled by the unique MicroSpring contact design also minimizes digging into the metal layer during probing—thereby reducing contamination and protecting device performance.

The Takumi probe card also features an interchangeable probe interface that greatly improves total cost of ownership and probe card uptime. If a Takumi probe interface requires repair or replacement, IC manufacturers can simply replace the old interface with a new one within a few minutes instead of repairing or replacing the entire probe card.

“Since its introduction 18 months ago, our Takumi parametric solution has seen significant adoption among leading IC manufacturers worldwide due to its ability to meet the stringent performance and cost-of-ownership requirements for parametric testing in today’s advanced production fabs,” stated Igor Khandros, chief executive officer of FormFactor. “Our Takumi parametric solution brings many of the benefits of our wafer sort probe card technology to parametric test, and represents a key component in FormFactor’s strategy to lower the cost of test in both mainstream and emerging wafer probe applications.”

* Editor’s Note: A femtoampere is 10-15 amperes or 0.000000000000001 amperes.

 

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 statements regarding the performance of our products. 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 scale its Takumi parametric wafer probe card products and solutions with customer needs and requirements; to help its customers lower their overall cost of test; and to develop and deliver innovative technologies for its customers. 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 30, 2006 and the company’s subsequent 10-Q and 8-K filings, which the company files with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). 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 any forward-looking statements.