PVI8

In 2014, Advantest announced its new PVI8 floating power source for the V93000 universal per-pin test platform. The new instrument adds high-voltage and high-current test capabilities to Advantest’s universal V93000 platform, and broadens its market to embedded power devices. Typical target applications in this area are motor controller ICs for automotive and industrial usage and a broad range of power-management devices, including high-power buck and boost converters.

The PVI8 features high channel density and lower test time compared to competitive systems. Designed with eight floating channels and four-quadrant operation, the new instrument can be used to provide up to 80 volts and up to 10 amps per channel. The eight-channel PVI8 can be ganged up to ±80 amps for high-power stress testing of devices. For high-voltage tests, the PVI8 can be stacked up to ±160 volts due to its floating design. The power source supports native pattern controlled operation and therefore leads to extremely fast test times with stable parametric measurements.

Current customers for the PVI8 are leading IDMs in the automotive area. One of these IDM customers is using the power source to test a series of embedded Power MCUs for automotive body electronics. The high channel density, rich feature set and high-throughput of the V93000 power solution provides compelling test cost for embedded power devices.

Efficient test development is essential for these complex applications to meet their short time-to-production requirements. A software package for automatic creation of high-throughput-pattern controlled setups and measurements enables the creation of high-throughput test solutions with reduced engineering effort.

For more information, visit Advantest.com.

TS9000

Growing global adoption of smartphones and tablets with thin form factors is driving demand for semiconductor devices to be smaller and more highly integrated. Extremely precise mold thickness management is necessary for these cutting-edge semiconductor processes. However, quality management in the molding process has been challenged by the fact that non-destructive mold thickness measurement tools were not available, meaning that engineers must extract individual device samples during the trim and form process, cut them destructively, and inspect the cross sections by microscope. This is a time-consuming process typically involving a long wait time due to a bottlenecked queue.

Advantest’s TS9000 Mold Thickness Analysis (MTA) System solves these issues by utilizing terahertz waves to measure mold thickness non-destructively, rapidly, and with a high degree of precision. The system’s high throughput enables users to test large volumes of samples and readily grasp the mold thickness distribution of entire lots. For the first time, users can inspect mold thickness during volume production.

The TS9000 works by placing the semiconductor devices to be measured on the measurement unit’s XY stage. It rapidly evaluates multiple “measurement points” and analyzes the mold thickness distribution. By re-using files containing sets of measurement points (“recipes”), the system can easily inspect devices of the same type without reprogramming. During measurement, it can display thickness measurements and reflection waveforms from each measurement point in real time. These data are recorded in files for each production lot, and can be used for online data management.

The system over­comes the limita­tions of traditional measurement methods by enabling repeatable and highly accurate measurements, even when analyzing the opti­cally opaque mold polymer materials typically employed in circuit packages. It can handle die in strips or singulated units and is also fully compatible with industry-standard JEDEC trays. During testing, the display shows the status of samples being analyzed along with other important information, allowing the operator to fully monitor test progress.

Fully non-contact and non-destructive, the TS9000 can be configured for partial or 100-percent inspection of the product. Analysis points are fully user defined, ranging from one to 20 points per unit. In addition, the system is fully adaptable for use at various points in the assembly and packaging process, including earlier stages where it can improve product quality and yield.

For more information, please email THz_info@advantest.com or visit Advantest.com.