New Solution Available for System-Level Testing of Advanced, High-Speed Semiconductor Memories for Mobile Applications

Advantest unveiled its new T5851 STM16G memory tester for evaluating high-speed protocol NAND flash memories including UFS3.0 universal flash storage and PCIe Gen 4 NVMe solid-state drives (SSD), both of which are expected to be in high demand for the LTE 5G communications market.

The mobile and automotive communication markets are booming.  It is estimated that soon almost all NAND memory in smart phones will use high-speed serial protocol interface controllers such as PCIe and UFS, the majority of which will require system-level testing (SLT).  In addition, shipments of UFS memories are expected to nearly triple in the next three years and surpass embedded multi-media cards (eMMC), the current market leader.  By 2021, more than 800 million total eMMC, UFS and NAND smart phone units will be shipped, according to the market research firm IHS Markit.

The new T5851 STM16G system’s multi-protocol architecture makes it suitable for testing all SSDs with ball grid arrays (BGA) or land grid arrays (LGA) in both engineering and high-volume production environments.  Using one common platform reduces deployment risks while the system’s modular upgradability enhances users’ return on investment.

The universal, extendable platform has the versatility to test multi-protocol NAND devices with speeds up to 16 Gbps. The system’s tester-per-DUT architecture supports the test flows required for fast SLT of up to 768 devices in parallel.

The configuration and performance of the T5851 STM16G can be optimized for any generation of devices. Advantest’s FutureSuite™ software ensures that the new tester can be easily integrated with all other members of the T5800 product family.

As additional benefits, the new memory tester can be combined with Advantest’s M6242 automated component handler to create a turnkey test cell, it has a liquid-cooling system for reliable thermal management and it delivers superior reliability.

Shipments to customers are scheduled to begin in the second quarter of calendar 2019.