TOKYO, Oct. 30, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Leading semiconductor test equipment supplier Advantest Corporation (TSE: 6857) has introduced its new V93000 SMU8 parametric tester to meet chip makers’ process-characterization and monitoring needs for the exacting measurements required on the 28 nm to 3 nm process nodes and beyond.  With per-pin source measurement units (SMU) for next-generation DC parametric testing, the system allows users to quickly measure and verify electrical and timing characteristics at any device pin, thereby enabling more cost-efficient manufacturing and faster time to market for new IC designs.

The versatile V93000 SMU8 helps to ensure process quality by performing either in-line or end-of-line testing in both product-development and production environments.  In labs, the system’s ability to handle very large volumes of data enables fast and cost-efficient parallel testing of new designs.  On the production monitor floor, its serial-testing capabilities has shown it can evaluate entire wafers in 30 minutes or less.

“Our new test solution offers parallel throughput at the price of a serial tester,” said Ben Morris, marketing and applications manager at Advantest. “It’s ideal for meeting the needs of fast-growing semiconductor markets by ensuring the electrical and timing performance of today’s low-current logic, mixed-signal and memory processes all the way from engineering through manufacturing.  As a parallel-ready tester, the SMU8 can generate large volumes of process data when the fab is ready for it.”

Using Advantest’s C-Class test head, the small-footprint V93000 SMU8 operates over a voltage range of +10 volts with a current range of +50 milliamps per channel.  It is available in 24-pin to 112-pin configurations with per-pin source-measurement resources.  Each SMU card has eight channels capable of 500 microvolt voltage-setting accuracy and 500 femtoamp current-measuring accuracy.

Equipping the V93000 SMU8 with the optional DC Scale AVI64 universal analog pin module extends the system’s voltage capability to -40 volts to +80 volts to accommodate an even wider range of ICs processes including memory. The module’s per-pin arbitrary waveform generator (AWG) can produce virtually any waveform while running multiple pulse generators simultaneously, especially useful for floating-gate processes.

Several of Advantest’s strategic partners have already installed V93000 SMU8 units in their R&D facilities.  Use of the new tester in volume production is expected to begin in the first quarter of 2019.

About Advantest Corporation
A world-class technology company, Advantest is the leading producer of automatic test equipment (ATE) for the semiconductor industry and a premier manufacturer of measuring instruments used in the design and production of electronic instruments and systems.  Its leading-edge systems and products are integrated into the most advanced semiconductor production lines in the world.  The company also focuses on R&D for emerging markets that benefit from advancements in nanotech and terahertz technologies, and has introduced multi-vision metrology scanning electron microscopes essential to photomask manufacturing, as well as groundbreaking 3D imaging and analysis tools.  Founded in Tokyo in 1954, Advantest established its first subsidiary in 1982, in the USA, and now has subsidiaries worldwide.  More information is available at www.advantest.com.

ADVANTEST CORPORATION
3061 Zanker Road
San Jose, CA 95134, USA
Judy Davies
Judy.davies@advantest.com

All information supplied in this release is correct at the time of publication, but may be subject to change.