Atmel Purchases Systems from NPTest; Sapphire NP Key to Cost-of-Test Reduction.Business Editors/High-Tech Writers SAN JOSE San Jose, city, United States San Jose (sănəzā`, săn hōzā`), city (1990 pop. 782,248), seat of Santa Clara co., W central Calif.; founded 1777, inc. 1850. , Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 16, 2004 NPTest Holding Corporation (Nasdaq:NPTT NPTT National Police Transition Team (US Army, Iraq) NPTT National Police Training Team NPTT No Power Thermal Target ), a leading provider of test and diagnostic systems and product engineering services to the semiconductor industry, announced today that it has received orders from Atmel Corporation in Rousset, France. The purchase includes Sapphire NP(TM) and EXA3000 test systems for use in engineering development and production of high performance ASICs used in system level applications in consumer electronics and multimedia. The NPTest ATE (automated test equipment) were selected to extend device debug To correct a problem in hardware or software. Debugging software means locating the errors in the source code (the program logic). Debugging hardware means finding errors in the circuit design (logical circuits) or in the physical interconnections of the circuits. and characterization capabilities, expand test coverage, and reduce Cost of Test. "The NPTest EXA3000 continues to be our platform of choice for characterizing our current portfolio, due to its accuracy, yield and comprehensive test tools," stated Patrick Sauvage, director of ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) Pronounced "a-sick." A chip that is custom designed for a specific application rather than a general-purpose chip such as a microprocessor. operations, Atmel. "For next generation devices, Sapphire NP will help us reduce Cost of Test. Our complex devices are used in cost-sensitive consumer electronics. Sapphire NP offers many advantages. Efficiencies, from its multi-site test Multi-site test, or "multisite test", or "concurrent test", or "parallel test" are all semiconductor Automatic Test Equipment (ATE) terms that generally refer to testing of multiple "devices" at the same time. capabilities to its low cost infrastructure and state-of-the-art software, combine to increase test coverage at lower cost. Its easily-configurable, scalable architecture gives us the flexibility to use Sapphire NP in debug and characterization as well as wafer sort and final test." "We are delighted that Atmel has again selected NPTest systems for testing their newest ICs from the engineering stage through high volume production," stated Jean-Luc Pelissier, president of products, NPTest. "Atmel manufactures ASICs that combine high-speed digital performance and complex analog capabilities -- a daunting daunt tr.v. daunt·ed, daunt·ing, daunts To abate the courage of; discourage. See Synonyms at dismay. [Middle English daunten, from Old French danter, from Latin challenge for most ATE. Today, the EXA3000 is unique in offering the speed, accuracy and flexibility needed for characterization of these ICs. As Atmel prepares next generation ASICs, the platform efficiencies, the unique performance scalability and configuration flexibility of Sapphire NP make it an ideal choice for engineering and production." Shipments of the EXA3000 systems have started, and Sapphire NP shipments are scheduled to begin in Q2. About Sapphire NP Sapphire NP is the next generation ATE based on the NPower(TM) architecture and XTOS(TM) (eXtendable Test Operating System operating system (OS) Software that controls the operation of a computer, directs the input and output of data, keeps track of files, and controls the processing of computer programs. ). In a radical departure from traditional "big iron" testers, Sapphire NP offers supreme configuration flexibility with test capabilities optimized from DC to multi-Gigahertz -- digital and analog, structural and functional -- with fully encapsulated instruments that can be inserted into any slot in the test head. Engineered with simplicity and cost efficiency in mind, Sapphire NP provides a highly integrated, small footprint system, with reduced power requirements. Its high bandwidth bus provides advanced communications and precise synchronization between instruments, enhancing performance in any configuration. Sapphire NP is readily adaptable to a wide range of performance requirements from the characterization of high performance devices to low cost requirements for production for IDMs, fabless companies, and subcontractors. About the EXA3000 The EXA3000 semiconductor test system leads the industry in speed and accuracy, providing +/-50ps edge-placement accuracy, up to 3.2Gbps data rates, true differential pin electronics, multiple time domains, an integrated edge-aligned source synchronous timing solution, configuration flexibility up to 1280 pins and a -120dBc analog noise floor that results in the highest device output and yields on the most demanding devices. With full configuration flexibility on both digital and analog test resources, the EXA3000 system is designed to test a wide range of SOC and SIP devices that use next generation digital bus interfaces -- HyperTransport(TM), InfiniBand(TM), PCI-Express(TM), DDR (Double Data Rate) Refers to an SDRAM memory chip that increases performance by doubling the effective data rate of the frontside bus. For more details, see SDRAM. DDR - Double Data Rate Random Access Memory and high-speed datacom devices. Its easy-to-configure architecture and over 100-mixed signal test options make it an ideal candidate for test houses, contract manufacturers and integrated device manufacturers (IDM (1) See identity management. (2) (Integrated Device Manufacturer) A company that performs every step of the chip-making process, including design, manufacture, test and packaging. Examples of IDMs are Intel, AMD, Motorola, IBM, TI and Lucent. ). About Atmel Corporation Founded in 1984, Atmel Corporation is headquartered in San Jose, Calif., with manufacturing facilities in North America North America, third largest continent (1990 est. pop. 365,000,000), c.9,400,000 sq mi (24,346,000 sq km), the northern of the two continents of the Western Hemisphere. and Europe. Atmel designs, manufactures and markets worldwide, advanced logic, mixed-signal, nonvolatile memory See non-volatile memory. and RF semiconductors. Atmel is also a leading provider of system-level integration semiconductor solutions using CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) Pronounced "c-moss." The most widely used integrated circuit design. It is found in almost every electronic product from handheld devices to mainframes. , BiCMOS, SiGe, and high-voltage BCDMOS process technologies. About NPTest NPTest designs, develops and manufactures advanced semiconductor test and diagnostic systems and provides related services for the semiconductor industry. NPTest customers include integrated device manufacturers, foundries, fabless companies and assembly and test subcontractors worldwide. NPTest products and services enable companies to bring their increasingly complex integrated circuits Integrated circuits Miniature electronic circuits produced within and upon a single semiconductor crystal, usually silicon. Integrated circuits range in complexity from simple logic circuits and amplifiers, about 1/20 in. (1. , or ICs, to market faster at lower cost and without compromising IC quality. The NPTest business traces its history back to 1965 when Fairchild Semiconductor established an automated test equipment division. NPTest is headquartered in San Jose, Calif., USA. Additional information is available at www.nptest.com. NPTest, Sapphire NP, NPower, XTOS and Isochronous Time dependent. Real time voice, video and telemetry are examples of isochronous data. (communications) isochronous - /i:-sok'rn-*s/ A form of multiplexing that guarantees to provide a certain minimum data rate, as required for time-dependent data such as video or audio. Fabric Interface are trademarks of NPTest. The NPTest logo is a registered trademark of NPTest. Atmel(R) and combinations thereof are the registered trademarks of Atmel Corporation or its subsidiaries. Other marks are property of their respective owners. |
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