FormFactor Introduces Wafer Probe Solution For 300mm Flash Wafer Testing

Livermore, CA -- FormFactor, Inc. formally unveiled its Harmony OneTouch probe card for 300-mm Flash memory production. The Harmony OneTouch solution is engineered from the ground up to address the unique challenges associated with one-touchdown 300-mm Flash wafer probing at the lowest overall cost of test. The new solution utilizes the Harmony architecture to maximize test cell uptime, ease-of-use and throughput. FormFactor is partnering with prober and tester suppliers -- including Accretech, Advantest, and others -- to bring this new technology to market.

"Our customers are looking for new ways to reduce their test costs and improve their yields," stated Igor Khandros, FormFactor's chief executive officer. "At 300 mm, simply scaling existing wafer probe solutions is not enough to deliver the most cost-effective testing. For one-touchdown testing, minimizing non-productive time in test cell operation is critical. FormFactor has succeeded in improving the productivity in the entire cell, and developed a one-touchdown solution that truly maximizes test cell output."

Reducing the number of touchdowns that a probe card must make to test all devices on a wafer is critical to improving test throughput and lowering the overall cost of test. To realize the benefits, however, test cell utilization must be optimized. Under normal operating conditions, setup and maintenance can lead to hours or even days of lost productivity or downtime. At one touchdown, this downtime represents a greater percentage of total test cell time and has the potential to erode productivity gains. This can equate to a loss of test throughput of several thousand die per hour. With the Harmony OneTouch product, FormFactor tackles test cell utilization from a total system approach -- addressing issues that impact not only the probe card but also the prober and tester -- to enable Flash manufacturers to achieve optimal productivity from one-touchdown 300-mm probing.

FormFactor's proprietary Harmony OneTouch wafer probe solution enables fast setup and low maintenance 300-mm testing in two ways. First, to optimize setup, an innovative bridge capability provides enhanced planarity to quickly adjust the tilt of the probe card relative to the wafer. In addition, the bridge reduces thermal setup time from hours to just minutes. This quick setup also enables system-to-system portability, providing more flexibility on the test floor. The Harmony OneTouch card also incorporates a new MicroSpring(R) contactor that is more robust and specifically designed for long-life in a high volume flash environment.

"Harmony OneTouch extends FormFactor's most advanced technology in a system approach that enables our NAND Flash customers to achieve high uptime and high productivity," Khandros said.

The Harmony OneTouch wafer probe solution is available now. First customer shipments are scheduled for June.

SOURCE: FormFactor, Inc.