BladeRunner175 Flip Chip Wafer Probe Solution deploys new MicroForceTM technology for demanding high-performance logic applications

SEMICON WEST, SAN JOSE, Calif. – July 16, 2003 – FormFactor, Inc. (Nasdaq: FORM), a leading provider of advanced wafer probe cards, today announced BladeRunner175 (BR175), a 175-um pitch wafer probing solution that increases wafer test yield and throughput for high-performance 90-nanometer flip chip logic devices. The BR175 introduces FormFactor’s new MicroForceTM probing technology to test high-performance logic devices built with advanced semiconductor processes and materials.

With the 90-nanometer technology generation, manufacturers of advanced logic devices are moving to low-k dielectrics to increase performance. However, low-k dielectrics have a cracking threshold as low as one order of magnitude below that of standard dielectrics. In addition, flip chip design techniques used in a growing number of high-pin-count SoCs place off- chip interconnect bumps over active circuitry to accommodate higher I/O requirements. The introduction of delicate low-k dielectrics under bumps creates the need for a probe solution that provides lower-force probing at wafer test.

FormFactor’s BR175 features MicroForce technology—a revolutionary probing method that combines low probe force with stable contact resistance to address wafer test challenges for high-performance, flip chip applications. MicroForce technology provides one-tenth the probing force (~1g per contact) versus conventional probe solutions, reducing the risk of damage to both interconnect bumps and the low-k dielectrics that lie beneath them. By combining a newly developed MicroSpringTM contact structure with a specialized movement of the automated wafer prober chuck, MicroForce technology allows the BR175’s probe contacts to gently slide across flip chip bumps. MicroForce technology also creates a stable, low-resistance (<0.25 Ω) electrical contact on flip chip bumps to achieve a higher level of test accuracy, potentially increasing overall electrical yields by minimizing false failures.

The BR175 adds a new design to FormFactor’s growing library of MicroSpring contact structures, each optimized for specific probing applications. The new BR175 MicroSpring structure reliably probes bump pitches down to 175 um in demanding high-performance applications by leveraging FormFactor’s technology, which provides superior bandwidth, signal integrity and maximum current delivery. With these capabilities and FormFactor’s proven delivery of reliable, long-life, low-maintenance products, the BR175 is a robust solution for high-volume, high-throughput, flip chip logic test environments.

“FormFactor is extending its years of experience and leadership in flip-chip wafer test to address the probing challenges of 90-nanometer logic devices,” said Frans van Wijk, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Business Development for FormFactor. “MicroForce technology coupled with the MicroSpring interconnect’s outstanding reliability and performance enables production-level wafer test for even the most demanding 90-nanometer devices.”

Product Availability

The BR175 Flip Chip Wafer Probe Solution with the MicroForce probing option will be available to customers during the third quarter of 2003. Prototype BR175 probe cards have proven effective during trials in demanding wafer sort production test environments. Results of these trials were presented at the Southwest Test Workshop in June 2003, and are available on the Web at www.formfactor.com.

More information on the BR175 and other FormFactor products may be found on the Web at www.formfactor.com.

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