Aehr Test Systems Announces Qualification of Wafer-Level Burn-In System for VCSELs
FREMONT, Calif., July 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Aehr Test Systems (Nasdaq: AEHR - News), a leading supplier of test and burn-in equipment to semiconductor manufacturers, today announced the completion of development and successful qualification of its FOX(TM) full-wafer burn-in system for VCSELs (vertical cavity surface emitting lasers). The result of a development partnership between Aehr Test and Avalon Photonics Ltd., the qualification testing included confirmation of successful burn-in of Avalon's VCSEL wafers in Aehr Test's WaferPak(TM) full-wafer burn-in cartridge, and acceptance of the cartridge by Avalon.
Acceptance of the WaferPak cartridge, utilizing enhanced FOX system technology, follows demonstration of successful full-wafer contact to over 10,000 VCSELS using Aehr's state-of-the-art nanospring contactor. Aehr Test made significant hardware and software enhancements to its standard FOX system to fulfill the unique requirements of burning in VCSELs, which are packed very densely on the wafer.
This signifies completion of the first phase of a development partnership between Aehr Test and Avalon, which was announced about a year ago. (See "Aehr Test Systems Receives First Wafer-Level Burn-in Order," June 7, 2001.)
Dr. Karlheinz Gulden, chief technology officer of Avalon, said, "We wanted a way to burn-in our VCSELs with maximum efficiency to achieve our reliability goals and enhanced product specifications. So, that is why we decided to use wafer-level burn-in and test, with its obvious advantages in time and cost. The main issue was whether it could actually be done, but with this qualification we have the confidence to implement this extraordinary technology in our manufacturing process."
C.J. Meurell, president and chief operating officer of Aehr Test, said, "We set out to achieve the extremely difficult goal of producing a full-wafer burn-in system and cartridge which meet these kinds of requirements. No one should underestimate the importance of the achievement, because it's the cartridge that makes this type of full wafer contact burn-in and test system truly functional and reliable."
Carl Buck, vice president of Aehr Test, said, "Aehr Test's FOX systems combine the most advanced interconnect technologies for contacting wafers with the world's leading burn-in and test electronics. The WaferPak cartridge, including the high-density wafer contactor and signal distribution substrate, is a key part of our FOX(TM) full wafer contact burn-in and test system."
VCSELs are used in high-speed local-area data communications, and represent the latest technology in semiconductor laser diodes. The market for semiconductor lasers is projected by some industry analysts to have a compound annual growth rate of greater than 40% over the next few years.
Aehr Test will be displaying its FOX full wafer contact burn-in and test system for VCSELs at Semicon West, July 17-19, 2002, at the San Jose Convention Center in San Jose, CA.
About Aehr Test Systems
Headquartered in Fremont, California, Aehr Test Systems is a leading provider of systems for burning-in and testing DRAM and logic integrated circuits and has an installed base of more than 2,000 systems worldwide. Aehr Test has developed and introduced several innovative products, including the FOX, MTX, MAX3 and MAX4 systems and the DiePak® carrier. The FOX system is a full wafer contact burn-in and test system. The MTX system is a massively parallel test system designed to reduce the cost of memory testing by performing both test and burn-in on thousands of devices simultaneously. The MAX system can effectively burn-in and functionally test sophisticated devices, such as digital signal processors, microprocessors, microcontrollers and systems-on-a-chip. The DiePak carrier is a reusable, temporary package that enables IC manufacturers to perform cost-effective final test and burn-in of bare die.
About Avalon Photonics Ltd.
Avalon Photonics Ltd is a venture-capital funded enterprise with headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland. Previously part of CSEM (Swiss Center for Electronics & Microtechnology SA) the company was founded in June 2000 with the aim of developing and manufacturing semiconductor high-speed VCSEL arrays and other optoelectronic products.
Safe Harbor Statement
This release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties relating to projections regarding industry growth and customer demand for the Company's products. Actual results may vary from projected results. These risks and uncertainties include economic conditions in Asia and elsewhere, world events, acceptance by customers of the FOX, MTX, MAX and DiePak technologies, the Company's development and manufacture of a commercially successful wafer-level burn-in system, and the potential emergence of alternative technologies, which could adversely affect demand for the Company's products in fiscal year 2003. See the Company's latest 10-K and 10-Q reports filed with the SEC for additional risks affecting the Company.
SOURCE: Aehr Test Systems |
