Electroglas Announces Qualification of 300mm Prober by Agilent Technologies' Parametric Tester Division.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

SAN JOSE, CALIF.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 28, 2001

Testing of EG5|300e Demonstrated Extremely

Low System Noise, Leakage and Capacitance 

At Temperatures From Cold to Hot

Electroglas, Inc. (Nasdaq:EGLS), a leading supplier of process management tools for the semiconductor industry, has completed full qualification of their EG5|300e automatic wafer prober designed for the parametric test area. Technology jointly developed with Electroglas' strategic partner, Cascade Microtech, resulted in extremely low system noise, leakage and capacitance, thereby shortening measurement settling times to values unrivaled by other automatic production wafer probers. The qualification testing was completed at Agilent Technologies' Hachioji, Japan facility and encompassed a full range of tests, including software driver compliance tests, noise tests, signal settling time tests, and capacitance tests. Tests were done at ambient, hot and cold temperatures.

"The performance of the EG5|300e prober allows the precise measurement capabilities of our 4073A parametric test system to be fully utilized in a production environment," said Kazu Nishitsuru, Marketing Manager for Agilent's parametric test products. "Measurements not possible or practical before, can now become part of the normal measurement flow."

Parametric testing is a critical process for semiconductor manufacturers. Manufacturers need to precisely measure voltages, currents and capacitances on specialized test structures built into the wafer surface. Information obtained during the testing is essential for developing and optimizing new processes, as well as monitoring existing process behavior. These very precise measurements can take a long time to perform and are highly susceptible to outside noise sources.

The reduced settling time of the EG5|300e allows faster tests increasing the throughput of the parametric test process. Noise testing at Agilent also demonstrated that the innovative wafer-chuck technology and patented designs of Cascade Microtech, ensures reliable and repeatable signal measurements.

"Our joint development efforts with Cascade Microtech have resulted in an automatic prober with measurement performance previously only found in specialized laboratory systems," said Wayne Woodard, General Manager of Electroglas' Prober Products Division. "Agilent's extensive evaluation and qualification of the EG5|300e system confirms this capability. The capabilities of the EG5|300e prober, when coupled with the measurement performance of Agilent's 4073A parametric tester, will allow new 300mm fabs to ramp more quickly and achieve higher yields faster."

Concluded Woodard, "The EG5|300e enables the latest and future semiconductor fabrication processes to be monitored with greatly improved resolution, accuracy, and automation thereby reducing manufacturing costs and time to market for the industry's most-advanced semiconductors."

About Electroglas, Inc.

Electroglas delivers essential tools for process management to enhance the profitability of semiconductor manufacturers. The company's wafer probers, inspection systems and software solutions serve as data collection, management and analysis tools that semiconductor manufacturers depend upon to improve their productivity and process control by optimizing sort-floor efficiency. Electroglas has been a leading supplier of wafer probers for over 40 years and has an installed base of more than 15,000 systems. The company's stock trades on the Nasdaq National Market under the symbol "EGLS." The company's website is located at www.electroglas.com.

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