TOKYO, May 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Advantest Corporation
(TSE: 6857, NYSE: ATE), the world's leading supplier of semiconductor test
equipment, today announced its new M7522 dynamic test handler. The unit offers
the industry's highest processing speed and positioning accuracy for
fine-pitch tape automated bonding (TAB) and chip-on-film (COF) package devices
used in liquid crystal display (LCD) panel ICs. The M7522 dynamic test handler
will be available from August 2008 and, alongside the T6373 LCD driver test
system, will be displayed as part of the company's LCD Driver IC Test Solution
at the "Advantest Tour de Force 2008" exhibition to be held at the Tokyo
International Forum, June 3-5.
Rising demand and increased competition in the LCD market
Advancements in technology and changes in semiconductor industry business
models are contributing to the continuing fall in price of LCD panels used in
flat-screen televisions and computer monitors. Conversely, increasing demand
for higher-definition capabilities is driving the need for higher-pin-count
devices, which are more costly to produce. With the LCD market expected to
expand in the coming years, not only in industrialized countries, but also in
developing nations, it is predicted that growth in the flat-panel television
market will be particularly strong, with demand surpassing 100 million units
in 2009 and 150 million units in 2012. Because of this, worldwide shipments of
the driver ICs that these LCD panels rely on are also expected to increase.
However, as demonstrated by the drop in price of flat-screen televisions,
competition between manufacturers has become increasingly fierce, making yield
improvement and test processing speed major issues for high-volume
manufacturers of LCD driver ICs. With its enhanced handling capabilities,
Advantest's M7522 dynamic test handler addresses such issues.
Features and Benefits
-- Industry's fastest index time of 0.7 seconds for improved test
efficiency
The M7522's newly-developed feed mechanism incorporates a
high-performance servo motor, enabling an industry-leading
0.7-second index time for tape and film mounted package devices.
With the fastest processing speeds in the industry, it contributes
to test cost reductions.
-- Advanced positioning technology for industry-leading performance
-- Enhanced positioning accuracy offers significant yield
improvements
The unit's optical lens, which works to recognize the position
of the device and the test probe, is now twice as powerful as
that of Advantest's earlier model, offering a positioning
accuracy of +/-3um -- the best in the industry. It supports
even the fine-pitch driver ICs necessary for increasingly high-
definition LCDs, thus contributing to great improvements in
yield.
-- Precision contact eliminates need for test pads
Contact between the device and the test probe is currently
achieved through the use of test pads on the tape of the
device. Once testing is complete, these test pads are removed.
With the enhanced positioning accuracy of the M7522, high
precision contact is possible even without test pads, leading
to a significant reduction in materials costs.
-- Automated needle alignment facilitates operation
The M7522's new automated device and test probe positioning
capabilities afford greater precision and eliminate the
problems associated with manual operation. Automating the
process also enables more highly accurate positioning to be
achieved in a shorter timeframe, and the handler's precision
contacts give it the ability to support many of the newer tape
trends.
-- Automated maintenance for test probe
Checking for bends in the needle tip and cleaning operations can now
be performed automatically by the unit as necessary, offering
improved yields and a considerable reduction in working hours.
Key Specifications:
Target Packages: TAB, COF (35mm/48mm/70mm) wide and super-wide types
Reel Diameter: Up to 620mm
Device Length: Up to 28-perforation pitch
Pricing from $240,000, depending upon configuration.
About Advantest
Advantest Corporation is the world's leading automatic test equipment
supplier to the semiconductor industry, and also produces electronic and
optoelectronic instruments and systems. A global company, Advantest has long
offered total ATE solutions, and serves the industry in every component of
semiconductor test: tester, handler, mechanical and electrical interfaces, and
software. Its logic, memory, mixed-signal and RF testers and device handlers
are integrated into the most advanced semiconductor production lines in the
world. Founded in Tokyo in 1954, Advantest established its first subsidiary in
1982, in the USA, and now has subsidiaries worldwide. Among them, Advantest
America, Inc. is based in Santa Clara, CA., and Advantest (Europe) GmbH is
based in Munich, Germany. More information is available at
http://www.advantest.com.
SOURCE Advantest Corporation
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