Vector™ product enables NAND Flash manufacturers to test first silicon faster with lower cost of test.

FormFactor, Inc. today announced the introduction of its Vector™ NAND Flash Memory probe card, a novel MEMS-based probe card designed to test cost-sensitive NAND Flash devices. With an innovative vDock™ architecture that enables test floor flexibility through multiple-device reusability, Vector addresses customers’ stringent performance and uptime requirements, as well as their aggressive cost targets and time-to-market imperatives. Vector is already delivering these benefits and economic efficiencies to a leading NAND Flash device manufacturer.

The NAND Flash market is growing steadily. Demand is being driven by smart mobile devices and solid-state drives (SSDs) used in both personal computers (PCs) and enterprise data centers, with Gartner predicting a 37 percent CAGR in bits growth from 2013 through 2018. This NAND Flash growth trend has made probe cards for NAND Flash devices a fast-growing part of the advanced probe card market, with VLSIresearch reporting that probe card sales for NAND Flash devices will reach nearly $220 million by 2018.

FormFactor’s Vector product addresses customers’ NAND Flash test cost and efficiency requirements, with extendibility to meet future requirements, through the implementation of a new, scalable product architecture. The Vector product incorporates a reusable vDock docking station, and custom interchangeable 300-mm MEMS-based probe heads. With vDock, the high-uptime MEMS probe head specific to each customer device can be quickly changed on site with minimal production downtime. This innovation increases test floor flexibility to test different devices, and delivers meaningful cost-of-test improvements.

Mike Slessor, President at FormFactor said: “The world’s leading semiconductor manufacturers have long relied on FormFactor’s technology capabilities and roadmap to enable their next-generation device production ramps. Now, a new group of customers can similarly benefit by using Vector to test their NAND Flash devices. We believe that the product’s breakthrough capabilities will help these manufacturers bring their products to market faster by providing test efficiencies and lowering test costs.”

For more information on the Vector Probe Card, please visit www.formfactor.com .