Accurate, Repeatable IV/CV Measurements. When Precise Models and Data Matter.
The Best Decisions Are Only Made with the Best Data
DC parametric measurements are important contributors to decisions made at each stage of semiconductor product development and production, for nearly every device type and semiconductor technology. They play a key role in advanced materials research, process characterization, device characterization and modeling, design debug, process monitoring, and production wafer sort.
Accurate and repeatable DC parametric measurements (IV, CV, pulsed, and high-power) reduce uncertainty. Trustworthy results accelerate device qualification and produce more precise models and design toolkits. In turn, these allow designers to deliver more competitive products to market faster.
We've revolutionized the analytical probe system for exactly this purpose – to provide an electrically pristine environment for on-wafer measurements. By eliminating environmental factors which can corrupt test results, the prober becomes effectively “invisible” to the measurement instrument. Since the first MicroChamber® probe station in 1991, FormFactor’s Cascade probe system products have always had the same mission – enabling customers to succeed by making the best decisions with the best data.
Measurement Integrity Faces Threats from All Directions
A myriad of factors can corrupt DC electrical measurements. Electrical noise can appear in the data due to influence from the external environment – e.g., electromagnetic interference and radio frequency interference from cellular networks, radio/TV towers, and nearby electronics and equipment, as well as physical factors like temperature and vibration.
Factors internal to the measurement system can also impact results – e.g., current leakage through poorly designed signal paths, resistive or thermal voltage shifts, materials energy storage, and electrical noise from essential probe system components like power supplies, stage motors, thermal systems, and computers.
If not properly managed, these factors can substantially degrade electrical performance with data offsets and increased statistical spread across the sample set. And bad data is expensive – time to re-test, extra modeling cycles, delayed product launch, and undervalued/underperforming products.
| MEASUREMENT INTEGRITY INNOVATIONS AND PATENTS | |
|---|---|
| 1990s | MicroChamber®and TopHat AttoGuard®and PureLine™ Technology Low-noise FemtoGuard™ Thermal Chuck Low-noise triax cables |
| 2000s | Tesla 10kV FemtoGuard HV/HC Kelvin Chuck System MicroVac™ Wafer Contact Thermal noise filtering |
| 2010s | Contact Intelligence™ Technology High Position Accuracy High Thermal Stability Low-noise eVue IV digital microscope Low-noise Thermal System Flexible Shielded TopHat Feedthrough Optical Stability Shield |
High Quality Data Doesn’t Happen by Accident
FormFactor’s experienced design team has repeatedly raised the performance bar for electrical measurements. Innovation after innovation, carefully developed alongside our valued customers, have resulted in an extensive toolkit of highly effective technologies: EMI/RFI and light shielding, electrical noise filtering, signal guarding, single-point grounding, noise decoupling, contact resistance reduction, capacitance and inductance management, and more. All of these technologies are proven successful across a wide temperature range and in fully automated operation, where challenges rise exponentially.
This meticulous attention to electrical measurement integrity is what distinguishes a FormFactor analytical probe system, enabling customer success with data integrity.
FormFactor Leads the Industry for Data Integrity
Decades of rigorous application, by thousands of customers, have qualified these tools and made FormFactor the world market share leader, by a large margin, in analytical probe systems. Others might claim measurement performance, but FormFactor can prove it. See these technologies first hand at FormFactor’s worldwide demo centers.
FormFactor provides the full ecosystem for collecting high-quality, on-wafer electrical measurements – complete solutions with probe stations, chucks, probes, and cables.
Available Today – a Full Suite of Solutions
Skilled sales, applications, and design engineers are ready to work with you on your latest measurement challenges. Whether testing a single sample on a manual, room temperature probe station, or managing a high-volume engineering program using fully-automated, multi-temperature tools – FormFactor quickly delivers the data integrity needed for today’s fast-paced and demanding business environment.
FormFactor offers a broad, configurable, scalable lineup of high-performance analytical probe stations and analytical probes to meet your performance and price requirements for precision electrical measurements, including:
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