SAN JOSE -- Schlumberger Semiconductor Solutions here today rolled out its new low-cost structural tester, while also announcing that it has shipped the system one month ahead of its original schedule.
One of the first customers for the Schlumberger DeFT line of automatic test equipment (ATE) is reportedly Intel Corp. Recently, Intel awarded Schlumberger a major contract to develop and ship a new, low-cost structural tester in order to combat the soaring costs of test (see June 19 story ).
Schlumberger Semiconductor, a business unit of French-based Schlumberger Ltd., claims it has shipped 10 best units to undisclosed customers. A spokesman for the San Jose-based company declined to identify the customers for the system.
The company did say the tester is designed for low-cost, high-volume production, wafer sort, and final test applications. "The shipment of this revolutionary new system underscores Schlumberger leadership in driving lower cost of test through comprehensive (design-for-test) and distributed test methodologies," stated Ashok Belani, president of Schlumberger Semiconductor.
Schlumberger, which is currently engaged with several major chip makers to consult and help define their distributed test strategy, developed its new DeFT system in response to the soaring cost of test. Distributed test enables chip makers to reduce the cost of test, thereby lowering their capital-equipment expenditures.
The Schlumberger DeFT system is designed as a single bay machine. The system incorporates a new technology that improves both footprint and reliability. Its operation is enhanced by a simple interface for docking to a handler or prober for high volume manufacturing applications.
The DeFT system features the industry's most advanced scan and automatic pattern generation capabilities for shifting data at speeds up to 200-MHz. Its device-under test (DUT) power supply technology is capable of up to 400 Amps. Its DFT clocks provide less than 20-ps jitter.
The new DeFT starts from $1,000 per pin in configurations up to 320 pins.
