New PH150 probe card reduces cost of test and capital equipment outlay while increasing test capacity for 300mm wafer fabrication facilities

SEMICON West, San Jose, Calif. – July 17, 2002 – FormFactor, the world’s leading provider of advanced wafer probe cards, today introduced the PH150TM probe card that enables testing of 300mm dynamic random access memory (DRAM) wafers in just six touchdowns. The ability to test a wafer in fewer touchdowns means customers can increase wafer throughput and reduce the overall cost of test and equipment capital outlay for 300mm wafer fabrication facilities (fabs). The PH150 probe card incorporates FormFactor’s scalable MicroSpringTM interconnect technology, which is widely used in DRAM wafer test today. DRAM leaders in Europe and Taiwan are using the PH150 probe card to test 300mm wafers in their high-volume manufacturing facilities. FormFactor’s PH150 is on display at the SEMICON West Conference at booth number 15208.

“Semiconductor test vendors in the 300mm DRAM market face new technology and business challenges,” said Dan Hutcheson, president of VLSI Research. “300mm fabs in production this year will more than double the number of DRAM die per wafer, requiring two and a quarter times the test capacity. FormFactor has more than met these new challenges, breaking through a major performance barrier with its six-touchdown achievement. The company is enabling 300mm DRAM manufacturers to rein in test costs while increasing capacity, both of which are critical in the price-sensitive DRAM market.”

“Our technological breakthrough with the PH150 probe card will create wafer-level economies of scale for 300mm DRAM manufacturers,” said Mark Brandemuehl, FormFactor vice president of marketing. “The large area, six-touchdown capability of our PH150 probe card enables wafer test capacity that scales to accommodate shrinking DRAM die sizes, without requiring additional capital investment. This scalable capacity makes it possible for 300mm manufacturers to more quickly realize a return on their multi-billion dollar fab investments.”

Scalable MicroSpring Interconnect Technology, Rapid Product Evolution

The PH150 probe card is FormFactor’s latest innovation in a line of advanced DRAM wafer probe cards that have rapidly evolved to meet the demands of 200mm and 300mm wafer test. “Our goal is to respond quickly to market demands with technologically superior solutions that reduce the cost of test,” said Brandemuehl. “Just a year and a half ago we achieved four touchdowns on a 200mm wafer. Today, with our six-touchdown success on a 300mm wafer, we continue to prove our technology leadership.”

The PH150 probe card is built with FormFactor’s proprietary, scalable MicroSpring interconnect technology. FormFactor’s MicroSpring interconnect technology, in combination with its proprietary design processes, are proven in production to improve yield and tester uptime through superior signal integrity, enable precise probing for increasingly smaller bond pad sizes and reduced pitches, and lower contact force which can significantly minimize chip damage during probing.

PH150 Supports Leading Semiconductor Test Platforms

The PH150 probe card supports leading 300mm automated test equipment from Advantest, Ando and Teradyne. 300 mm probers supported by the PH150 probe card include models from Accretech, Electroglas and Tokyo Electron. With as many as 11,000 probes, the PH150 probe card is equipped to meet the needs of current and next-generation automated test equipment and probers.