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FormFactor’s Takao Saeki unveils Takumi CL, a new low-impact parametric MEMS probe card for low-leakage and small pad size applications. Featuring a new 2D MEMS spring and contact tip, the Takumi CL offers a consistent small scrub mark over the life of the product, with the benefits of low cost and fast manufacturing lead time.

5G has been pushing on wafer test of several years now and the test cell is evolving to more complex systems. Same as the change to multicellular life during the Phanerozoic Eon, we are seeing a concerted change to multi-DUT testing with 5G parts in order to improve the output from manufacturing wafer test. Now,… Continue reading 5G mmWave Enabling Higher Parallelism Wafer Test

5G mmWave systems are here. Advanced Antenna-in-Package modules and RFFE chipsets are integral to the latest generation of high-end smartphones and tablets, and this capability is becoming more ubiquitous in 2022. These chips, containing a massive amount of mmW content, are ramping in mass production, and the companies producing them need a way to reduce… Continue reading 5G Mmwave: Multi-site RF Probe Cards Enable Lower Cost-of-test in Mass Production

5G mmWave systems are here. Advanced Antenna-in-Package modules and RFFE chipsets are integral to the latest generation of high-end smartphones and tablets, and this capability is becoming more ubiquitous in 2022. These chips, containing a massive amount of mmW content, are ramping in mass production, and the companies producing them need a way to reduce… Continue reading 5G mmWave: Multi-site RF Probe Cards Enable Lower Cost-of-test in Mass Production

FormFactor has previously shown the Autonomous RF Measurement assistant using LRRM Calibration. Autonomous RF is used to manage the entire test flow for thermal and ambient testing. This includes the full automated calibration, monitoring to prevent measurement drift, adjustment of probe spacing to account for growth and adjust probing geometries to deal with devices of… Continue reading A Guide to Full Autonomous Operation Using MLTRL Calibration on and off the Wafer

This document describes a fully-integrated system for automated measurement and parameter extraction, based on a FormFactor’s ProberBench™ and calibration software, combined with IC-CAP software from Agilent Technologies. This combined solution provides a highly-efficient, reliable and fully-integrated measurement system for testing several different semiconductor components.

Until recently, quantum engineers operating devices at milli-Kelvin temperatures are faced with the difficulties and inconveniences of long development cycles The major bottlenecks include time-consuming wire bonding, expensive packaging processes prior to device cooldown, and long cooldown times for dilution refrigerators This workshop presents an integrated measurement solution for Pre-Screening qubit devices, allowing quantum engineers… Continue reading Accelerated Solid State Qubit Pre-Screening

This application note presents a comparison of SOLT, NIST multiline TRL, and LRRM probe-tip calibration methods for accuracy of measured and extracted figure of merits (FoM) of advanced BiCMOS HBT.

FormFactor’s unique solution for over-temperature mm-Wave and terahertz measurements incorporates a new, exclusively developed approach to overcome the challenges in precise waveguide probing. The result is highest accuracy and reliable data over a full thermal range from -60°C to +125°C. Optionally enhanced with FormFactor’s revolutionary Autonomous RF Measurement Assistant*, the system enables true hands-free calibrations… Continue reading Advanced mm-Wave and Terahertz Measurements with Cascade Probe Stations

Mike Slessor, President and CEO, FormFactor, Inc. @ TestVision – Semicon West 2019

Advanced Packaging has evolved significantly over the last few years. High Bandwidth Memory has emerged as the leading revenue growth opportunity for Memory Manufacturers, with 2.5D and 3D package technologies. This discussion is focused on problems Memory Manufacturers face when utilizing probe cards to ensure Known Good Die (KGD) test. Millions of bits are exchanged… Continue reading Advanced Probe Card Solutions to Address HBM Wafer and Stacked Die Test Challenges

This guide contains information to help prepare your facility for the arrival of your Cascade probe station.

This guide contains information to help prepare your facility for the arrival of your Cascade probe station.

This guide contains information to help prepare your facility for the arrival of your Tesla system.

The APS200TESLA, a fully-automated 200 mm on-wafer probe system, is the industry’s first dedicated probing solution focused on production performance for high-power semiconductors.

A feature overview of the APS200TESLA fully-automated on-wafer probing solution for high-power devices

As chip designers are pressed for ever-increasing data rates, the use of wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) with infrared photonic signals as a data transfer medium is increasingly finding its way into CMOS silicon-based devices. Termed “silicon photonics” (SiPh), this technology is not only being used to displace traditional electrical interconnects, but also for a broad range… Continue reading Automated Wafer-level Probing Meets Silicon Photonics

Chip Scale Review asked FormFactor CMO, Amy Leong to respond to questions that provide insights into challenges associated with automotive IC production wafer testing amid the requirement for zero-defects.

Only the Autonomous RF measurement assistant, a combination of programmable positioners, a precise digital microscopy system and advanced pattern recognition algorithms, enables fully autonomous, hands-free calibrations and measurements of RF devices over multiple temperatures.

By moving data with light — reducing power levels and decreasing the cost of cooling — silicon photonics technology is finding early adoption in data center applications. Emerging applications such as automotive LIDAR, are likely to follow. The key to making successful measurements on silicon photonic devices is the integration of probe, positioning and test… Continue reading Autonomous SiPh Measurements Brief

We will highlight the best methods for setting up, calibrating, and evaluating measurement performance in coaxial and waveguide bands spanning WR15 (75 GHz) to WR1 (1100 GHz) over a broad (-40 to 125c) temperature range A novel out single sweep measurement from 900 Hz to 220 GHz will be shown along with detailed complete automation… Continue reading Broadband over Temperature Measurement Optimization for on Wafer Test

This guide contains information to help prepare your facility for the arrival of your Cascade probe station.

Dr. Rebecca Cortez, Union College – See how the EPS150FA probe system is used to probe the electrical properties of experimental materials.

Dr. Omeed Momeni, University of California Davis – Discover how the EPS150RF facilitated progress toward the integration of RF circuitry onto relatively low-cost semiconductors.

Dr. Jacob Rosenstein, Brown University- Learn how the EPS150FA probe system aids exploration at the crossroads of microelectronics and the advances in biotechnology and nanotechnology.

Semiconductor manufacturers are on a relentless drive to reduce the total cost of test at sort. A major contributor to reducing cost of test is increasing simulations Device Under Test which requires a subsequent increase in the probe card active area. FormFactor has developed a new probe card architecture to address the challenges of fine… Continue reading Challenges of Expanding Large Area Active Array for Fine Pitch Vertical Probe Cards

The strong market demands to embed different functionalities from various semiconductor processing technologies into a single system continue to drive demands for 3DIC, in particular, shrinking micro-bump sizes to facilitate stacking of multiple dies. Probecards and Single DC probes are unable to address the measurement flexibilities and challenges needed for micro-bump wafer acceptance tests. In… Continue reading Characterization of Micro-Bumps for 3DIC Wafer Acceptance Tests

按照SJ / T 11364的规定制备的有毒有害物质或元素表—产品名: Apollo, Katana, Altius, Cantilever, Genus, Vertex

按照SJ / T 11364的规定制备的有毒有害物质或元素表—产品名: Matrix, HFTAP, PH, Series, TrueScale, Sonoma, Takumi, Hikari, Akari

按照SJ / T 11364的规定制备的有毒有害物质或元素表—产品名: ACP, ACP-Q, DCP 100, DCP-HTR, DC-Q, Eye-Pass, FCP, High Current, High Voltage, Infinity, InfinityQuad, Light Wave, UHP, Unity Probe and WHP Probe

按照SJ / T 11364的规定制备的有毒有害物质或元素表—产品名: Pyrana Probe Heads and Cards, Pyramid Probe Heads and Cards

The CM300xi probe station offers measurement accuracy and reliability in a solution that is completely modular – whether it is I-V/C-V, RTN and RF measurements in one semi-automated system, or a fully-automated dual-prober system that handles any combination of 200 mm and 300 mm wafers.

This guide contains information to help prepare your facility for the arrival of your Cascade probe station.

The CM300xi-SiPh probe station is the first verified integrated measurement solution on the market that enables production-proven, optimized optical measurements right after installation – without further development.

This guide contains information to help prepare your facility for the arrival of your CM300xi-ULN probe station.

The growing demand for more integrated and miniaturized solutions in modern wireless communication systems is driven by the increasing frequency of operation and operational bandwidths. One significant development in this direction is the integration of antennas directly onto the chip or within the package of the wireless device. This concept is known as “antenna-on-chip” (AoC)… Continue reading Complex Impedance Matching Structures for Advanced On–Wafer AiP

With version 4.5, the WinCal XE™ software goes beyond GPIB and offers a new, more flexible form of communication with all Vector Network Analyzer (VNA) instruments that support it. For those VNAs, WinCal XE offers new a driver selection with Virtual Instrument Software Architecture (VISA). This document describes the general technology and how to utilize… Continue reading Connecting WinCal XE 4.5 to a VNA with VISA options

Alignments for silicon photonics had been slow and sequential, but new fast multichannel photon alignment systems are yielding breakthroughs in parallelism, scalability and speed.

Presented at SWTest 2023 As semiconductor suppliers strive to increase their throughput and lower their test costs, probe card parallelism continues to increase. State of the art probe card designs require up to 80,000 probes and the industry is driving for as much as 150,000 probes in the future.  Where are the limitations?  Total probe… Continue reading Considerations for Vertical High Probe Count Testing

Senses, Learns and Reacts to Environments Characterized by Multiple Temperatures and Small Pad Layouts

Data centers and High-Performance-Compute (HPC) applications are quickly approaching, and even exceeding, 1 kW of total power in a single chip under normal operating conditions. In addition to new applications, the transition to new nodes further increases the total power per unit area in a semiconductor, which compounds the challenge of increased power and thermal… Continue reading Current Carrying Capacity Maximization in Probe Cards and the Path to An Unburnable Probe

General form for ordering one or multiple probes used in the same application.

This document provides examples of products the Custom Products Group designed and built up to and through 2007. Many of the items are still being quoted and sold today. Many new designs and enhancements have been quoted, designed, and shipped to our customers since 2007. Contact the Custom Products Group to discuss your customer’s applications… Continue reading Custom Products Portfolio

The DCP-100 series probe holder delivers the measurement accuracy needed for advanced on-wafer process and device characterization, as well as reliability testing. With superior guarding and shielding, DCP-100 series probe overcomes the performance limitations of non-coaxial needle probes.

The DCP-HTR probe holder delivers fA-level measurement capability from -65°C to 300°C for advanced characterization and reliability testing.

When probing small pads (40 μm and less), there is no room for excessive overtravel to overcome poor contacts. The probe simply skates out of room on the pad and either skates off the pad or catches the edge of the passivation and bends the probe tip, leading to unrepeatable measurements or damage of the… Continue reading DCP-HTR: Parametric DC probing of small pads

The DCP-HTR probe holder delivers fA-level measurement capability from -65°C to 300°C for advanced characterization and reliability testing.

As semiconductors move from the test lab to manufacturing, massive amounts of data must be extracted and analyzed to ensure ultimate success in the marketplace. It’s a process that starts before the first wafer is fabricated and continues all the way through final packaging. Each phase produces information vital to successive phases. What’s learned in the lab moves forward and becomes critical to efficiency on the production floor.

As data rates continue to increase, the difficulty of increasing clock rates for improved bitstreams becomes more challenging with ever-increasing loss. As of today, Non-Return-to-Zero (NRZ) is the standard for digital encoding, but this begins to run into problems with loss and the collapse of the digital eye beyond 40 Gbps. To counter this, Pulse… Continue reading Digital Revolution: PAM4 Wafer Test

FormFactor offers an Educational Savings Program that puts the industry's best wafer test technology within reach of departmental budgets.

This guide contains information to help prepare your facility for the arrival of your Cascade probe station.

An pictorial overview of Elite 300 system highlights

At a glance, you’ll notice its ultra-efficient, ergonomic design. Upon further inspection, you’ll discover exactly why the Elite300 is essential at 45nm and beyond. Featuring next-generation, Pureline™ performance, the Elite 300 mm wafer probe station is the world’s lowest-noise probe station.

The EPS150TESLA is a very cost-effective and simple, yet highly precise probing solution for high-voltage, high-current and high-power measurements of power devices on substrates and wafers up to 150 mm.

This guide contains information to help prepare your facility for the arrival of your EPS150TESLA probe station.

The EPS150THZ is a dedicated probing solution that comes with everything needed to efficiently achieve accurate measurement results, incorporating best-known methods and design concepts for probing up to THz frequencies.

The EPS200MMW is a dedicated probing solution that comes with everything needed to efficiently achieve accurate measurement results, incorporating best-known methods and design concepts for probing up to THz frequencies.

Learn more about the EPS200RF package, a complete 200 mm manual probe system package for RF applications up to 67 GHz.

The real value of equipment comes from having it in place and utilized rather than from ownership. Financing options allow you to get the equipment you need and conserve your working capital. Acquisition costs are spread over time and can be better matched to the value derived from equipment already installed and in use.

This guide contains information to help prepare your facility for the arrival of your ERS AirCool3 thermal system.

This guide contains information to help prepare your facility for the arrival of your AirCool thermal system.

This guide contains information to help prepare your facility for the arrival of your ESPEC ETC-200L thermal system for Summit stations.

Learn about testing the most challenging micro-bump probe targets such as HBM2 (large arrays of ~4,900 micro-bumps) and Wide I/O Mobile DRAM (40 µm pitch).

The eVue digital imaging system is the original digital imaging system optimized for on-wafer test with FormFactor’s probe stations. The revolutionary multi-optical path, multi-camera design of eVue offers the perfect balance of optical resolution, digital zoom and livemotion video. The eVue utilizes 3MP cameras to enhance optical visualization and increased color frame rate to ensure… Continue reading eVue III Data Sheet

The eVue IV digital imaging system combines extraordinary optical performance with increased productivity. It’s revolutionary multi-lens design provides the perfect balance between optical resolution, digital zoom and live motion video. The system enables to navigate, observe and measure devices faster and smarter than ever before, supporting FormFactor’s unique Contact Intelligence™.

The eVue V is the latest evolution of the successful digital imaging system. The new eVue microscope is fully integrated into the Velox™ Probe Station control software, enabling autonomous probing of a FormFactor Probe Station

Each purchase order placed FormFactor, Inc. or any of its subsidiaries is an offer by FormFactor to purchase the products from the supplier identified on the Order under these Purchasing Terms and Conditions.

Presented at SWTest 2023 Integrated silicon photonics has found extensive use in modern high speed optical links. These optical transceivers are composed of various structures which require extensive passive, DC, RF, and electro-optic characterization at wafer level. A high degree of automation in addition to minimal reconfiguration of the test setup is necessary to improve… Continue reading Fully Automated Integrated Silicon Photonic Wafer Test

Robust maturation of cryogenic electronics has been limited by the lack of high-throughput measurement capabilities, especially for electronics that operate at 4 K. Automated on-wafer probing to characterize the dc and RF performance of components and complete circuits has been a critical element in the development of room temperature electronics. We report here the development… Continue reading Fully Automatic 4K Cryogenic Probe Station for DC and Microwave Measurements on 150mm and 200mm Wafers

Perform high-performance, on-wafer S-parameter measurements at an affordable price with a probe station that is easy to purchase and fits into the smallest lab!

Explore Formfactor’s wide range of value-added service options.  FormFactor Global Service keeps your equipment operating at peak performance while reducing overall cost of ownership.

The industry-leading performance of the HFTAP K32 product joins FormFactor’s series of High Frequency Test probe cards, including the K10 and K16 and K22 used for testing 1.0 GHz, 1.6 GHz, and 2.2 GHz. Advanced PCB technology, exclusively available from FormFactor, allows the fastest communication between the Device Under Test (DUT) and Automated Test Equipment… Continue reading HFTAP Series Probe Card Data Sheet

FormFactor’s high-power probes provide a complete on-wafer solution for over-temperature, low-contact resistance measurements of power semiconductors. Together with Tesla on-wafer power device characterization system, FormFactor’s high-power probes achieve reliable and repeatable on-wafer measurements up to 300 A and 10,000 V.

Danube Integrated Circuit Engineering (DICE), a radar IC manufacturer in Austria, makes mmW receiver/transmitter ICs for automotive collision avoidance radar applications. These devices have close to 100 connections surrounding a 5 mm² die, with up to 25 mixed-signal contacts per side, limiting the size of the pads to 80 μm x 80 μm. Read our… Continue reading How InfinityQuad™ Probes Help DICE Characterize Mixed-Signal Devices with Small Pads

Cryogenic systems are a major investment. Long waits for data can slow down development cycles and hinder production schedules. Cryogenic test services allow you to avoid the high upfront capital cost of a complete system, enable immediate access to cryogenic data, and ensure you are obtaining the data you need to advance your program.

FormFactor’s HPD IQ2000 is a high throughput chip-scale prober for singulated die testing at 4 K or 2 K. The system’s load-lock design enables thermalization of the device under test from 300 K to 4 K in less than an hour – improving the device throughput by up to 10X compared to conventional chip probers.

The HPD IQ3000 Wafer Prober is a high precision fully automated probe station for 150 mm and 200 mm substrates in a 4 K environment. To accelerate the realization of commercial quantum and superconducting computers, we provide chip developers with the tools they need to intelligently iterate on their designs. TheIQ3000 integrates configurable DC and… Continue reading HPD IQ3000 Datasheet

FormFactor’s JDry cryogen-free dilution refrigerators enable easy and cost-effective cooling to temperatures below 10 mK. The JDry models have been optimized for quantum computing applications and can accommodate up to 270 semirigid cables. Generalpurpose configurations and astronomy/detector cooling are also provided.

FormFactor’s JDry cryogen-free dilution refrigerators enable easy and cost-effective cooling to temperatures below 10 mK. The JDry models have been optimized for quantum computing applications and can accommodate up to 270 semirigid cables. Generalpurpose configurations and astronomy/detector cooling are also provided.

Hybrid MEMS technology allows multiple probe designs to be used in a single probe head design, with each probe design optimized for a specific purpose. The technical innovation to enable Hybrid design is to leverage multi-layer composite MEMS fabrication technology, which allows the optimal wafer test performance by including otherwise mutually exclusive requirements such as… Continue reading Hybrid MEMS Technology 2.0

FormFactor’s IceShield™ solution is now available on the CM300xi probe station. As an alternative to a TopHat/TopChamber enclosure, the IceShield insert provides an open environment for low-temperature RF probing.

Results of S-parameters measurements (up to 110 GHz) that incorporates probe-tip power calibration for wafer-level measurements are presented in this MicroApps seminar. This new instrumentation technique, ensures accurate and consistent RF source power is applied to active devices, lengthens the post-calibration stability of the system, minimizes measurement discontinuities while maximizing the measurement throughput of a… Continue reading Improving Probe-Tip S-parameters Measurements with Power Calibrations

For repeatable and precise engineering and production of DC, logic, RF and mmWave RFIC devices, FormFactor’s InfinityQuad™ probe ensures reliable measurement results up to 110 GHz. The photo-lithographically defined fine-pitch tip structure enables automatic, over temperature probing of pads as small as 30 μm x 50 μm with minimum pad damage, and provides consistent, low… Continue reading InfinityQuad Probe Datasheet

The calibration solution presented in this document is focused on calibration of InfinityQuad™ probes, where the probes are assumed in all four quadrants of the device under test (DUT).

InfinityQuad Probe Pad Layout Rules

Smaller pads not only utilize less device real estate space, they also allow sacrificial test structures to be placed in scribe lines, meaning process control monitoring and device characterization can be performed without using valuable space for sellable circuits. Probing pads with large dimensions is no relatively simple with conventional probe technologies. However, when trying… Continue reading InfinityQuad Tech Brief: Addressing the Challenges of Small Pad Probing

InfinityXT enhances and extends FormFactor’s industry-leading Infinity probe family, which has set the benchmark for accuracy and repeatability in the device characterization and modeling community for more than a decade. The new InfinityXT series advances the industry standard with higher temperature range, better tip visibility and durability, and support for narrower pitches as the market… Continue reading InfinityXT™ Probe Data Sheet

As time-to-market demands have increased and modeling/measurement systems have become more complex and difficult to assemble, companies have been seeking fully integrated, turnkey system solutions. Microwave Journal asked some leading software and measurement companies to review their offerings in this area including their advantages for customers. Reprint

Experiments show the technical feasibility of the direct probing approach, with probe tips making proper electrical contact to the micro-bumps, causing only limited probe marks and no measureable impact on stack interconnect yield. Cost modeling indicates economic feasibility for single-site testing, with the next step to prepare the technology for volume production.

This paper presents an approach to perform automatic stepping and probing on arrays of D2D stacks pick-n-placed (PnP) on a carrier substrate. An algorithm will be described for the Cascade Microtech CM300 probe station to automatically correct small PnP misalignments. Experimental results will be presented on three types of carriers: (1) dicing tape on tape… Continue reading ITC2015 – Automated Testing Bare D2D Stacks

As markets for display backlighting and solid-state lighting grow, equipment vendors adapt to meet the needs of a rapidly changing industry. New equipment must accommodate the range of test configurations found across the spectrum of manufacturers. At the same time, the equipment must keep the cost of test low to help reduce the overall cost… Continue reading LED Test- Challenges for Equipment Manufacturers

As quantum computers based on superconducting qubit processors scale, cryogenic microwave components in the qubit control and readout chain must be appropriately tested and qualified to ensure consistent and high-fidelity quantum computation.

Gate length down-scaling of silicon-based transistor results in very small on-state drain-source resistance, making it challenging for test engineers to perform precise and repeatable wafer measurements. Size reduction of aluminum capped copper test pads to save on lithography, prototyping and production costs implies that it is very difficult to re-probe the same device with low… Continue reading Making Accurate and Consistent Wafer Measurements with Next Generation Guarded True-Kelvin MEMS DC Probes

This brochure provides an overview of our MeasureOne program

In this paper, FormFactor’s Alan Liao lookas at SoC chip packaging trends and the driving force of CuPillar packaging. The presentation includes the test challenges of fine pitch CuPillar HVM probing, and the need for MEMS probe technology for fine pitch CuPillar HVM testing.

Achieving accurate and continuous measurement for sub-THz wafer-level device characterization is particularly important for device modelling applications. This paper outlines, for the first time, challenges affecting measurement continuity and accuracy at such high frequencies. The newly proposed sub-THz measurement strategy with pre-calibration check for low probe contact resistance, combining power and S-parameter probe tip calibration,… Continue reading Minimizing Discontinuities in Wafer-Level Sub-THz Measurements up to 750 GHz for Device Modelling Applications

The semiconductor industry is at the gateway of a technology shift in the form of silicon photonics (SiPh), which holds the potential for spectacular gains in speed, power efficiency and density. The first wave of the SiPh revolution stands poised to roll over data centers around the world with optical interconnects that breach the barriers set by copper wire.

The MPS150 is a very cost-effective and simple, yet highly-precise manual probe system for wafers and substrates up to 150 mm. It supports a wide variety of applications such as C-V/I-V, RF, mm-Wave and sub-THz measurements, device and wafer characterization tests (DWC), failure analysis (FA), submicron probing, MEMS, optoelectronic engineering tests and more. Its stable… Continue reading MPS150 Data Sheet

This guide contains information to help prepare your facility for the arrival of your Cascade probe station.

A modular 150 mm manual probe system designed for upgradability

Use this file to capture your probe design (descap)

The growth of Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, BING AI, and Google BARD/Gemini has led to a rapid increase in demand for faster and more efficient optical communication. To meet this need, operating frequencies and bandwidths must increase, driving demand for more integrated and compact solutions. This manifests in the need for higher data… Continue reading Narrow Pitch Impedance Standard Substrates (ISS) for Pyramid Probe Applications

A new method is proposed for calibrating multichannel probes placed in multiple quadrants for wafer or chip level measurement. It uses an additional ground-signal-ground probe to enable thru measurements in a conventional calibration procedure, avoiding the need for custom calibration kits. The inherent delay inconsistencies in the proposed method are shown to be small enough… Continue reading New Calibration Solutions for Multi-Channel Probes using an Added Port for Thru Measurements

The emergence of 5G is changing the landscape for RF production compared to what we saw over the past 30-40 years. We explore the major requirements in this paper. – Chip Scale Review January-February 2019 Article Reprint

Traditional DRAM devices for server, mobile and commercial application require wafer test temp range from -25oC to 10oC for cold, up to 85oC to 105oC for hot test. Emerging new devices for automotive, industrial and military applications require increased test temp range from -40oC to 125 oC and higher. DRAM probe card solutions for volume… Continue reading Next Generation DRAM Temperature Requirements and Impacts to Full Wafer Contactor Probe Card |

Recent industry wide adoption of heterogeneous integrated system enabled by 2.5D and 3D advanced packaging technology is driving up the demand for known-good-die. Coupled with the advancement on DRAM and High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) native speed capability, the latest memory is running beyond 2 GHz (4 Gbps) which is pushing the limit on existing ATE… Continue reading Next Generation KGD Memory Test Achieved Wafer Level Speed Beyond 3 GHz/6 Gbps

Recent industry wide adoption of heterogeneous integrated system enabled by 2.5D and 3D advanced packaging technology is driving up the demand for known-good-die (KGD) and known-good-stacked-die (KGSD). Coupled with the advancement on DRAM and High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) native speed capability, the latest memory is running beyond 2GHz (4Gbps) which is pushing the limit on… Continue reading Next Generation KGD Memory Test Achieved Wafer Level Speed Beyond 3GHz

The DRAM technology process node continues to shrink, driven by the demand to increase bit density and reduce memory device cost. With the recent accelerated transition from the 1Y to 1Z process node, die count per wafer is increasing rapidly. Wafer sort throughput must advance to achieve the target cost without adding significant capital expenditure… Continue reading Next Generation SmartMatrix Probe Card Technology Enables 3000-Parallelism 1TD Test for 1Z DRAM Process Node|

As the field of silicon photonics applications expands, so does the demand for high-throughput optical on-wafer testing of photonic integrated circuits (PICs). The well-known grating couplers used for many years for on-wafer testing have many drawbacks such as high polarization dependence, reduced bandwidth, and relatively low coupling efficiency. Recently, the edge coupler has become a… Continue reading Optical Edge Coupling Method for Fully Automated PIC Wafer-Level

Developed with a subset of features from available Pyramid Probes, plus a simplified design and build process, P30 RF Pyramid Probe card is a superior, cost-effective alternative to coaxial-style RF probe cards for high-volume testing of RF filters and switches.

This guide contains information to help prepare your facility for the arrival of your Cascade probe station.

The PA200 BlueRay sets a new standard for high-speed accuracy, ensuring smooth probe landing with safe and repeatable electrical contact. In combination with the unique Z-profiling function, even extreme variation in height, such as the case with warped wafers, can be compensated.

This guide contains information to help prepare your facility for the arrival of your Cascade probe station.

This guide contains information to help prepare your facility for the arrival of your Cascade probe station.

This guide contains information to help prepare your facility for the arrival of your Cascade probe station.

The PA210 BlueRay™ sets a new standard for high-speed accuracy. Its precision ensures smooth probe landing with safe, repeatable electrical contact. In combination with the unique Z-profiling function, even extreme variation in height, such as the case with warped wafers, can be compensated. This test approach reduces pad damage and easily allows devices to be… Continue reading PA210 BlueRay Data Sheet

This guide contains information to help prepare your facility for the arrival of your Cascade probe station.

The PA210 BlueRay™ sets a new standard for high-speed accuracy. Its precision ensures smooth probe landing with safe, repeatable electrical contact. In combination with the unique Z-profiling function, even extreme variation in height, such as the case with warped wafers, can be compensated. This test approach reduces pad damage and easily allows devices to be… Continue reading PA210 BlueRay Product Highlights

The PA300 is a precise and flexible semi-automatic test solution for wafers and substrates up to 300 mm. It is ideal for failure analysis (FA), device characterization and modeling from DC to 500 GHz.

This guide contains information to help prepare your facility for the arrival of your Cascade probe station.

The PA300DSP is the most precise and flexible semiautomatic double-side test solution for wafers and substrates up to 300 mm. It is ideal for all applications requiring access to both the top and back sides of the wafer, such as failure analysis with emission microscopes, optoelectronic test (e.g. spectrum analysis), MEMS test (e.g. Si-microphones) and… Continue reading PA300DSP Data Sheet

This guide contains information to help prepare your facility for the arrival of your Cascade probe station.

This guide defines the facility requirements for operation of your FormFactor PAP200 probe system.

This guide contains information to help prepare your facility for the arrival of your PAV200 probe system.

This guide contains information to help prepare your facility for the arrival of your PLC50 cryogenic probe system.

The PLC50 enables cost-effective, ice- and condensation-free manual wafer probing down to 4 K.

This guide defines the facility requirements for operation of your FormFactor PLC50-CLR probe system.

The PLV50 is the most cost-effective and simple, yet highly-precise probing solution for wafers and substrates up to 100 mm in a vaccum environment. Specially designed for laboratory requirements, it provides a wide range of measurements, including I-V, C-V and RF.

This guide contains information to help prepare your facility for the arrival of your Cascade probe station.

The PLV50 manual probe system enables cost-effective wafer probing in high-vacuum environment.

The PM300 probe system is the ideal solution for engineering tests of 300 mm wafers and substrates. Whatever your application, the versatility of the PM300 meets all requirements from failure analysis (FA) to device and wafer characterization (DWC) to wafer-level reliability (WLR) testing and always ensures the highest accuracy.

This guide contains information to help prepare your facility for the arrival of your Cascade probe station.

This guide contains information to help prepare your facility for the arrival of your PM300PS probe station.

This guide contains information to help prepare your facility for the arrival of your Cascade probe station.

The PM8DSP is the most precise and flexible manual double side test solution for wafers and substrates up to 200 mm. It is ideal for all applications requiring access from both, the top and back sides, of the wafer, such as failure analysis with emission microscopes, optoelectronic test (e.g. spectrum analysis), MEMS test (e.g. Si-microphones)… Continue reading PM8DSP Data Sheet

This guide contains information to help prepare your facility for the arrival of your Cascade probe station.

The Pressure Probe Module Pressure Probe Module is the ideal solution for testing absolute and relative/differential pressure sensors at wafer level that work based on the piezoresistive or capacitive principle. Its patented design applies an air stream of up to 7 bar overpressure to the top side of the diaphragm. During test, the sensor is… Continue reading Pressure Probe Module Data Sheet

Manual and motorized probe positioners for any application from DC to terahertz measurements and beyond. Engineered for high stability and accuracy, FormFactor’s positioners enable precise, backlash-free and repeatable probe tip placements – from simple IV/CV measurements to highly challenging measurement tasks. Applications: / Device Characterization and Modeling / Ultra-low Noise Measurements (1/f) / RF, mm-Wave… Continue reading Probe Positioners Brochure

Form Factor offers a wide selection of engineering probes to meet the highly demanding and broad range of on-wafer and signal integrity applications. Our families of RF, mixed-signal and DC probes are designed to meet the many challenges of the various probing environments and provide a durable, high-performance product that exceeds expectations.

FormFactor’s Probe Station Accessory Catalog is a fully text-searchable document which lists pertinent information including features, benefits, station compatibility and ordering information for Cascade probe system accessories.

This information in this document describes a solution using the NETGEAR ProSafe FVS336GV2 Firewall to enable secure operation of Windows XP-based probe system controllers beyond the expiration of Microsoft security updates (April 8th, 2014). Check with your corporate IT department to determine if this method is approved for Windows XP-based controller operation within your corporate… Continue reading Probe System Firewall

Semiconductor manufacturers are on a relentless drive to reduce the total cost of test at sort. A major contributor to reducing cost of test is increasing simulations Device Under Test which requires a subsequent increase in the probe card active area. For wire bond applications, increasing the active area must also meet the requirements of… Continue reading Probecard Challenges for Expanding Arrays of Fine Pad Pitch Devices to Test Under Wide Temperature Range

Direct micro-bump probing is proving to be a more cost-effective and technologically complete method than dedicated prebond probe pads. However, it requires advanced probe cards and probe stations. Recent work on test wafers has resulted in successfully probing single-channel wide-I/O micro-bumps at 25 μm diameter. Work continues to further prove out this methodology on actual… Continue reading Probing 25 μm-diameter Micro-bumps for Wide-I/O 3D SICs

Amy Leong, FormFactor CMO, presented at Semicon West 2018, “Productivity Innovations for Automotive IC Wafer Test.” The presentation outlines trends and challenges in automotive IC production, and describes various ways FormFactor products help to improve test productivity from the lab to the fab. The presentation includes two case studies: 1) on LIDAR wafer test and… Continue reading Productivity Innovations for Automotive IC Wafer Test

Addressing the increasingly complex test challenges brought on by today’s SoC and RF devices, FormFactor’s Pyramid Accel debug fixture provides a unique and innovative approach for accelerating the development of test programs by up to 30%.

This document describes the recommended procedures for cleaning (online and offline) and maintaining Pyramid Probe cores and Probe Card assemblies. The procedures described here are intended for use by trained personnel. Pyramid Probe cores are part of a family of FormFactor products that are intended for use in probing devices that operate at high frequency.… Continue reading Pyramid Core Cleaning Guide

Custom contact calibration substrates for Pyramid Probes® deliver higher accuracy by matching device layout, faster calibration by reducing the number of indexing steps to measure every RF port, as well as a total solution with calibration coefficients for faster time to first data.

Learn more about our Pyramid Probe Card training options

Presented at SWTest 2023 The growth in AI (such as ChatGPT and BING AI) is requiring large investments into the expansion of data centers, driving higher and higher data rates in IO devices.  To reach these data rates, wafer test is moving to bandwidth > 60 GHz.  Pyramid Probes are widely used for wafer test… Continue reading Pyramid Probe: RF Calibration and Probe Aging Considerations in HVM High Speed IO Devices

Follow the procedures described in this guide to protect your investment, prevent probing errors and avoid device damage. This guide provides a comprehensive overview of the required materials, as well as a detailed description of the process for cleaning the parametric printed circuit board (PCB). To ensure the best results, follow all the directions thoroughly.

Follow the procedures described in this guide to protect your investment, prevent probing errors and avoid device damage. This guide provides a comprehensive overview of the required materials, as well as a detailed description of the process for cleaning the parametric printed circuit board (PCB). To ensure the best results, follow all the directions thoroughly.

For robust, lower cost and long-life production testing of 57 GHz to 81 GHz RFICs, FormFactor’s Pyramid-MW Probe is the world’s only mm-wave (mmW) RF production probe card that ensures reliable and repeatable measurement results critical for high-yield testing. FormFactor’s Pyramid-MW Probe card delivers an ultra-durable photo-lithographically defined fine-pitch tip structure that probes smaller pads… Continue reading Pyramid-MW Data Sheet

The QuadCard™ probe card is the industry’s first configurable, multi-quadrant probe adapter that employs innovative fine probe aligners – individual miniature positioners – to mount up to four FormFactor probes on a single probe card. It is designed to accommodate a combination of our probes such as Infinity Probes®, ACP probes, |Z| Probes® and Multi-|Z|… Continue reading QuadCard™ Data Sheet

This guide contains information to help prepare your facility for the arrival of your Cascade probe station.

FormFactor’s ReAlign™ technology is now available for the SUMMIT200. ReAlign has been an exclusive feature of the CM300xi for many years. It sets the benchmark in automated probe-to-pad alignment for applications with limited microscope view such as vertical and Pyramid probe cards, and enables autonomous semiconductor test at multiple temperatures.

Shrinking geometries and increasing performance requirements are driving the need for testing with reduced parasitics and cleaner power supplies. One of the unique features of Pyramid Probes is the ability to place components on the thin film closer to the DUT than with other probe technologies. This tech brief describes the reduced footprint structure to… Continue reading Reduced Footprint Bypass Capacitor on Pyramid Probe® Thin Film

Article reprint from ECN Magazine, Decmber 2013 – Timothy McMullen

Use this form and included instructions to order new RF Probe Cards.

With the 5G mobile network in full deployment, antenna transceivers operating in the 24.25 GHz to 43.5 GHz frequency bands have become integral components of high-end smartphones. These transceivers utilize advanced beam steering and beamforming techniques to optimize wireless data transmission, necessitating precise phase control across up to 32 RF signals. Ensuring these chips are… Continue reading Risk Mitigation Strategies for mmWave Production Test Environments

Technical Workshop at IMS 2023 As superconducting quantum computers scale, cryogenic microwave components in the qubit control and readout chain must be appropriately tested and qualified to ensure the consistency and high fidelity of quantum computation. Furthermore, system uptime is critical for commercialization, which is dependent on reliably predicting maintenance cycles and expediting downtime recovery.… Continue reading Scaling Measurement Methodologies Using Cryogenic TaaS Framework for Higher Quality Cryo LNAs and Reliable Qubit Readout Chains

FormFactor offers SELECTShip service for customers in U.S. With a flat rate, FormFactor will take care of all door-to-door delivery logistics, including U.S. importation services.

Measurements beyond conventional coaxial limits often means more frequent changes to the banded setup. For some time there have been requests to enable measurements to go all the way to 220 GHz in a single sweep with performance levels equivalent to conventional coaxial approaches. In this presentation we will show the new optimized single sweep… Continue reading Single Sweep Broadband S-Parameter Measurements to mm-Wave for Semiconductor Transistor and IC Test to 220 GHz

Advanced logic (SiP/SoC) production probe card solutions reduce the cost of test through enhanced throughput, reduced maintenance and increased yields; enabled through large multi-DUT probe surfaces, permanent probe alignment, superior electrical performance and long life. Pyramid Probe cards are designed for both bond pad and flip chip bump applications. Pyramid SiP/SoC logic probe card product… Continue reading SiP/SoC P-Series Pyramid Probe Card Data Sheet

FormFactor‘s SiPh-Tools is a robust software package that encompasses an extensive suite of tools to enable and streamline optical probing.

SmartMatrix 1500XP provides 300 mm full-wafer contact testing on mobile and commodity DRAM, graphic memory (GDDR), high bandwidth memory (HBM), and emerging memory devices. Specifically developed to support fast design ramps and advanced product roadmaps, this platform extends the proven Matrix™ architecture to address increased probe card parallelism up to 1536 sites per wafer on… Continue reading SmartMatrix 1500XP Datasheet

SourceOne Program Brings Industry-leading Performance to the Secondary Equipment Market. Whether you choose to purchase a reconditioned probe system or trade in your old equipment (or simply let us buy it back!), we will support you every step of the way, from order to installation.

Erik Hanson, Refurbished Products Manager, FormFactor, Inc tells Silicon Semiconductor why going straight to the OEM for refurbished equipment reduces both the risk and cost.

Quantum computing will likely utilize numerous new technologies which operate at different cryogenic temperatures. For example, a quantum computer might deploy CMOS memory modules at 77 K, superconducting control chips at 4K, and a quantum processing unit (QPU) at less than 20 mK. To develop and deploy these various subsystems and technologies, it is vital… Continue reading Strategies for Enabling Quantum Development with Test and Measurement from 77K down to milli-Kelvin

This guide defines the facility requirements for operation of your Summit 11000 probe station. Facility requirements for thermal systems are listed separately. See the Facility Planning Guide specific to your thermal system for details.

This guide contains information to help prepare your facility for the arrival of your Cascade probe station.

Summit™ series manual and semi-automated probe systems, with PureLine™ and AttoGuard® technology, allow you to access the full range of your test instruments for 200 mm and 150 mm wafers. Whatever your application: RF/Microwave, device characterization, wafer level reliability, e-test, modeling, or yield enhancement, Summit series platforms lead the industry in onwafer measurements. Summit series… Continue reading Summit Data Sheet

The new Cascade SUMMIT200 advanced probing system, is essential for collecting high accuracy measurement data on single or volume wafers; as fast as possible.

This guide contains information to help prepare your facility for the arrival of your Summit200 probe station.

Provides the current guidelines on how FormFactor conducts business with its suppliers. Close working relationships with our suppliers are critical for providing our customers with the quality products and services they expect.

Designed specifically for testing power devices on wafer, the Tesla T300 system is engineered to withstand probing levels of up to 3000 V (triaxial)/10,000 V (coaxial) and 200A (pulsed)/10 A (DC), and supports a measurement temperature range of -55° to 300°C. In combination with FormFactor’s patented Microchamber, the T300 features a state-of-the-art chuck to ensure… Continue reading T300 Data Sheet

This guide contains information to help prepare your facility for the arrival of your Tesla T300 system.

These Terms and Conditions of Sale (“Agreement”) constitute the entire agreement between FormFactor, Inc., or its affiliate identified on the quotation or other document referencing this Agreement (“Seller”), and you (“Buyer”) upon which Seller agrees to sell, and Buyer agrees to purchase, the goods or services (“Products”) that are identified in Buyer’s purchase order or… Continue reading Terms and Conditions

Up until now, power device manufacturers were forced to package their devices prior to testing due to a lack of support for higher voltage and current testing from probe station manufacturers. This was a problembecause it adds time and cost to the development schedule and gives them no real option for KGD sort. FormFactor’s Tesla… Continue reading Tesla System Q & A

Designed specifically for IGBT/power MOSFET (GaN, SiC, Si) device measurements at the wafer level, the new TESLA200 on-wafer power semiconductor probing system is engineered to provide accurate data up to 3,000 V (triaxial) / 10,000 V (coaxial) and 200 A (standard) / 600 A (high current). With nextgeneration test capabilities, anti-arcing solutions, wafer automation, and… Continue reading TESLA200 Data Sheet

This guide contains information to help prepare your facility for the arrival of your TESLA200 probe station.

The TESLA300 Advanced On-Wafer Power Semiconductor Probe System is an integrated high-power test solution that enables collection of accurate high-voltage and high-current measurement data, with complete operator safety.

300 mm On-Wafer Power Semiconductor Probing System – Fully-automatic

This guide defines the facility requirements for operation of your FormFactor TESLA300 probe station. Facility requirements for thermal systems are listed separately. See the Facility Planning Guide specific to your thermal system for details. For definitions of the icons in this document, please refer to the notational conventions described in your user guide.

300 mm On-Wafer Power Semiconductor Probing System – Semi-automatic

FormFactor’s Dr Choon Beng Sia with co-authors from GLOBALFOUNDRIES Singapore, present a technical paper on production testing of Silicon Photonics wafers at the 33rd IEEE International Conference on Microelectronic Test Structures (ICMTS). In the paper, they demonstrate incident angle optimization for optical wafer tests as well as evaluation of a fully automatic SiPh wafer test… Continue reading Test Setup Optimization and Automation for Accurate Silicon Photonics Wafer Acceptance Production Tests

Silicon photonics technologies are a particularly attractive solution for developing low-cost optical interconnects with high performance. Imec is developing a silicon photonics technology platform. Developing this platform requires continuous process optimization and design verification, both of which are enabled by the flexible wafer-level test solution that is presented in this paper.

With increasing demand to process more data and pass large amounts of data through servers, cellular devices, and even within the computer for the highest performing video cards, the need for more complex digital processing is becoming greater than ever. In this presentation, Daniel Bock and David Raschko will show some of the impacts of… Continue reading The Digital Revolution: NRZ to PAM4

This guide defines the facility requirements for operation of your ATT Systems thermal system. The thermal system discussed here is compatible with 200 and 300 mm systems.

This guide contains information to help prepare your facility for the arrival of your ATT Test Systems L40/M40 thermal system.

This guide contains information to help prepare your facility for the arrival of your ATT C60 thermal system.

This guide contains information to help prepare your facility for the arrival of your ATT C150/C200/C300 thermal system.

This guide contains information to help prepare your facility for the arrival of your ATT Systems thermal systems C300 chuck.

Article Reprint – EE Evaluation Egnineering – Timothy McMullen – Undaunted by the skyrocketing costs of new semiconductor fabs and the formidable hurdles facing the industry with each new technology node, leading IC manufacturers are continuing to strive for shrinking geometries.

Leading-edge AI/Graphic/mobile processors, DRAM devices, and heterogeneous integrated IC stacks are all facing the same set of thermal management challenges — DUT is too hot to test. Even at room temperature wafer chuck setting, a mobile SoC device junction temperature can get well above 100 to 150C. For DRAM full-wafer testing, 1-2K watts of power… Continue reading Too Hot to Test for Leading-edge SoC and Heterogenous Integrated IC Stack

FormFactor Inc. supplies probes, impedance standard substrates, and calibration software enabling our customers to achieve the best possible measurement results for their devices on wafer. Vector Network Analyzer calibration is an important step in the process. This MicroApp presentation will explain the best methods for evaluating the accuracy of the VNA calibration using FormFactor’s WinCal… Continue reading Tools and Techniques for Validation of VNA Calibrations with Wafer Microprobes

To ensure compliance with these regulations, U.S.A. and German exporters are obligated to screen all parties involved in the transaction of product regulated under these controls. We must take into consideration both the end user and the ultimate end use of the Products to determine any licensing requirements.

To ensure compliance with these regulations, U.S.A. and German exporters are obligated to screen all parties involved in the transaction of product regulated under these controls. We must take into consideration both the end user and the ultimate end use of the Products to determine any licensing requirements.

A 6-pad True Kelvin Test Structure for advanced CMOS devices is proposed in this work. It allows test engineers to make very accurate and repeatable wafer-level measurements required for SPICE modelling applications. This design helps to overcome parasitic resistance of the probe holder and probe which is found to be dependent on test temperatures. It… Continue reading True Kelvin CMOS Test Structure to achieve Accurate and Repeatable DC Wafer-Level Measurements for Device Modelling Applications

In this paper, we discuss overall industry trend of automotive IC growth and technology trends, wafer test challenges and FromFactor’s solution to enable massive parallel testing of >=128 DUT parallel test on automotive micro-controller device, from -40C to 160C. We will also share extensive engineering characterization results on prober deflection and thermal behavior, high pin… Continue reading Ultra High Temperature Probe Card Solution for Automotive IC Testing

Double-sided VCSEL Probe System with Thermally Controlled Probe Unit

Learn how Velox delivers a comprehensive and systematic means of achieving the highest levels of performance and accuracy in virtually any engineering test environment.

This guide describes the facility requirements for installation of the vibration isolation table.

FormFactor’s VueTrack technology, new on-site PTPA error correction method, dramatically increases the productivity of analytical probers in test labs, by enhancing contact reliability and automating PTPA error correction. The new on-site PTPA approach utilizes a single downward-looking microscope to measure the probe tips and wafer locations with the chuck in the same position that the… Continue reading VueTrack technology for unattended testing over multiple temperatures

WinCal XE™ goes beyond GPIB and offers a more flexible form of communication with all Vector Network Analyzer (VNA) instruments that support it. For those VNAs, WinCal XE offers a driver selection with Virtual Instrument Software Architecture (VISA). This document describes the general technology and how to utilize it with WinCal XE.

Cascade WinCalXE software from FormFactor is a comprehensive and intuitive on-wafer RF measurement calibration tool to achieve accurate and repeatable S-parameter measurement, which is crucial for precision device modeling/characterization and engineering RFIC test.