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Press Releases
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back to 2004
Contact:
Dave Quane,
inTEST Corporation |
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inTEST’s Temptronic Division Announces Low-Temperature
Conversion Kit For Probers
Many of the automatic probers installed by semiconductor manufacturers
to test 200mm silicon wafers are unable to test at low temperature. That’s
about to change.
SHARON, MA, October 7, 2004 –
A new conversion kit is being offered by Temptronic®, a division
of inTEST® Corporation, which will significantly increase the usefulness
of a type of hardware installed throughout the semiconductor industry.
The hardware in question is the “automatic prober” that semiconductor
manufacturers use to test the integrated circuits on silicon wafers up
to 200mm in diameter. Temptronic’s new Low-Temperature Kit gives
these 200mm automatic probers the ability to conduct moisture-free tests
at temperatures as low as –55°C.
The semiconductor industry currently has an installed base of approximately
ten thousand 200 mm automatic probers. Unfortunately, when test temperatures
go below ambient, many of them run into a problem. Approximately eighty
percent of the installed 200mm automatic probers – eight thousand
units – cannot perform low-temperature tests.
According to Ken Cole, Manager of ThermoChuck® Products at Temptronic,
this inability to test at low temperature is a very important limitation.
“These 8,000 automatic probers can’t be used to do low-temperature
tests on the ICs that go into cell phones, PDAs – the whole multitude
of hand-held devices that have swept into the consumer market in recent
years,” said Cole. “Cell phones, for example, are used year-round
in all sorts of climates, from the equator to the poles. They can encounter
low temperatures when used outside in winter, when they’re left in
a cold car overnight, when they’re shipped, or even while in storage.
Their ICs have to be tested for low-temperature performance,” explained
Cole.
“The big advantage of Temptronic’s new Low-Temperature Kit is
that it allows semiconductor manufacturers to economically reconfigure
their existing 200mm probers to do this low-temperature testing,”
said Cole.
The Temptronic Low-Temperature Kit is currently available for reconfiguring
the Electroglas 4090 automatic prober for moisture-free low-temperature
testing. Kits for other major prober brands are being prepared now and
will be available in coming months.
The Temptronic Low-Temperature Kit includes:
• ThermoChuck temperature-controlled precision platform.
• Sealing Kit, used to close the numerous openings in the prober
to provide a sealed, dry environment.
• Dry gas distribution system to get dew points inside the prober
below the test temperature, to avoid moisture condensation and frost.
• Gas drier to dry factory compressed air.
• Dew point monitor.
• Labor to install the kit.
• Certification that the prober works properly at low temperature.
For full information on the Temptronic Low-Temperature Kit, interested
parties should contact Ken Cole at Temptronic Corporation in Sharon, MA,
USA. Telephone: (781) 688-2319. Email: kcole@temptronic.com
.
About Temptronic® Corporation
Temptronic Corporation (see www.Temptronic.com ), an inTEST Company, is
a worldwide leader in localized thermal test solutions. Founded in 1970,
the Company provides high-precision temperature-management systems for
advanced, localized thermal testing in a wide variety of applications
and industries. Temptronic service and support facilities are located
around the world.
About inTEST® Corporation
inTEST Corporation (www.intest.com) is a leading independent designer,
manufacturer, and marketer of products that enable semiconductor manufacturers
to improve profitability by increasing the speed and efficiency of the
semiconductor manufacturing process. The company’s products, used
by semiconductor manufacturers to perform final testing of integrated
circuits and wafers, include manipulators and docking hardware products,
temperature management systems, and customized interface solutions. Headquartered
in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, inTEST has manufacturing facilities in New
Jersey, Massachusetts, California, Germany, the UK, and Singapore. In
addition, inTEST has offices in Japan for design, sales, service, and
support, with additional support personnel in Arizona and Texas.
inTEST, Temptronic, and ThermoChuck are trademarks
of inTEST Corporation.
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