FormFactor Announces Breakthrough Test Technology.Future MEMS (MicroElectroMechanical Systems) Tiny mechanical devices that are built onto semiconductor chips and are measured in micrometers. In the research labs since the 1980s, MEMS devices began to materialize as commercial products in the mid-1990s. Contactors Will Enable Ultra Fine Pitch Wafer (1) A small, thin continuous-loop magnetic tape cartridge that has been used from time to time for data storage and specialized applications. (2) The base unit of chip making. It is a slice taken from a salami-like silicon crystal ingot up to 12" (300mm) in diameter. Probing LIVERMORE, Calif. -- FormFactor, Inc. (Nasdaq:FORM) today announced that it has developed a breakthrough probing contact technology capable of full area wafer probing of high pin density, ultra fine pitch devices. Compared to today's probing capabilities, FormFactor's new technology will provide a 10x reduction in pitch (spacing between contacts), and potentially allow the probing of 1000x more contacts on a 300 mm wafer in a single touchdown. The new technology can be leveraged across memory, logic, SOC and parametric See parametric modeling, parametric symbol and PTC. test applications, with either area array or peripheral test contacts. "This fine-pitch full-wafer contactor con·tac·tor n. An electrical relay used to control the flow of power in a circuit. technology is well suited to address the future testing needs of all semiconductor devices, without the trade off between testing pad pitch, density and throughput," says Ben Eldridge, FormFactor's chief technology officer. "This demonstration is another significant milestone in our strategy to develop complete product solutions with the most advanced technology available. FormFactor's technology roadmap The context of product management The existence of product managers in the product software industry indicates that software is becoming more and more commercialized as a standard product. continues to stay ahead of our customers' needs, enabling them to optimize design that can reduce their die size and maximize their test throughput." Following Moore's Law "The number of transistors and resistors on a chip doubles every 18 months." By Intel co-founder Gordon Moore regarding the pace of semiconductor technology. He made this famous comment in 1965 when there were approximately 60 devices on a chip. , device die size has been continuously shrinking while the number of testing pads for new device function and performance has increased. In order to cope with this trend, semiconductor device designers will need to reduce the physical dimensions of the testing pads while maintaining high throughput. FormFactor's new technology can reduce the contactor pitch for an area array from approximately 200 microns to less than 20 microns. The breakthrough technology, leveraging FormFactor's leading MEMS expertise, employs a true vertical spring, improving contact precision well beyond existing capabilities. The spring has been demonstrated in FormFactor's advanced development laboratory in Livermore, California Livermore is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. The population was 80,723 as of January 1, 2007.[2] Livermore is located in the San Francisco Bay Area. Livermore is a "major suburb" of the Bay Area. . The new MEMS contactor technology is anticipated to be commercially available within three to five years. Forward-Looking Statements forward-looking statement A projected financial statement based on management expectations. A forward-looking statement involves risks with regard to the accuracy of assumptions underlying the projections. Statements in this press release that are not strictly historical in nature are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws, including statements regarding the performance of our products. These forward-looking statements are based on current information and expectations that are inherently subject to change and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Actual events or results might differ materially from those in any forward-looking statement due to various factors, including, but not limited to, the company's ability: to develop a commercially available contactor incorporating the new probing contact technology; to introduce a commercial product that reduces the contactor pitch for an area array from a typical 200 microns to 20 microns; to leverage the new contact probing technology across memory, logic, SOC and parametric test applications, with either area array or peripheral test contacts; to introduce a product incorporating the new technology that meets customers' needs and requirements. Additional information concerning factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those in any forward-looking statement is contained in the company's Form 10-K Form 10-K A report required by the SEC from exchange-listed companies that provides for annual disclosure of certain financial information. Form 10-K See 10-K. for the fiscal year ended December 30, 2006 and the company's subsequent 10-Q and 8-K filings, which the company files with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). Copies of the company's SEC filings are available at http://investors.formfactor.com/edgar.cfm. The company assumes no obligation to update the information in this press release, to revise any forward-looking statements or to update the reasons actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in any forward-looking statements. About FormFactor Founded in 1993, FormFactor, Inc. (Nasdaq:FORM) is the leader in advanced wafer probe cards A probe card is an interface between an electronic test system and a semiconductor wafer. Its purpose is to provide an electrical path between the test system and the circuits on the wafer, thereby permitting the testing and validation of the circuits at the wafer level, usually , which are used by semiconductor manufacturers to electrically test ICs. The company's wafer sort, burn-in and device performance testing Performance Testing covers a broad range of engineering or functional evaluations where a material, product, or system is not specified by detailed material or component specifications: Rather, emphasis is on the final measurable performance characteristics. products move IC testing upstream from post-packaging to the wafer level, enabling semiconductor manufacturers to lower their overall production costs, improve yields, and bring next-generation devices to market. FormFactor is headquartered in Livermore, California with operations in Europe, Asia and 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. . For more information, visit the company's web site at www.formfactor.com. FormFactor and inPartner are trademarks or registered trademarks of FormFactor, Inc. |
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