Teradyne Delivers Proven Performance and Reliability with VHDM and VHDM-HSD Connector Design for Manufacturability -DFM-.

Business/Technology Editors

NASHUA, N.H.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 29, 2002

Based on Real Life Applications and More than 2 Billion Pins

Installed, DFM Guideline Improves Quality and

Speed to Market for High Volume Applications

Teradyne, Inc. (NYSE:TER) Connection Systems Division (TCS), a global supplier of high-performance connectors, multi-gigabit backplanes, and systems integration and test, today announced DFM Guidelines for its VHDM and VHDM-HSD connector platforms. TCS's DFM Guidelines are unique in offering a detailed level of design assistance based on real life applications and volume manufacturing expertise.

The extended VHDM product family has effectively become the industry standard for high-speed backplane connectors, with measured system performance of 5 Gb/s and higher and more than two billion pins installed since first introduced in 1997. This added design support for the connectors compliments the face-to-face design work performed by TCS's Field Applications Engineers for customers to help produce the best design on the first pass.

"Teradyne's application engineering team provides essential DFM support, helping us determine optimal connector configurations and keying systems," commented Joel Appelbaum, Manufacturing Engineering Manager, Equipe Communications. "As a result we have had no assembly issues with VHDM and VHDM-HSD and the connectors have proven reliable through hundreds of insertions on our chassis."

Teradyne's DFM Guideline for the VHDM and VHDM-HSD connector platforms includes daughtercard and backplane considerations, recommendations for guidance and keying, power issues, and other specific information to improve reliability. The DFM Guideline also addresses complex design issues such as very long connectors with hundreds of signals and heavy daughtercards.

"The Connector DFM Guidelines are the culmination of lessons learned during the more than four years of applications experience with VHDM and VHDM-HSD," said Jack Gullage, Teradyne's Applications Engineering Manager. "Applying this DFM tool to the system design - both electrical and mechanical - early in the process can help improve robustness and reduce defects during volume manufacturing, which translates into significant cost savings as well as reduced time-to-market for our customers."

Teradyne also offers a DFM Guideline for Backplane Assembly and plans to release additional DFM tools on printed circuit board fabrication later this year. To request a copy of Teradyne's DFM Guideline for VHDM and VHDM-HSD or Backplane Assembly, visit www.teradyne.com/dfm.

About Teradyne Connection Systems Division

Teradyne Connection Systems (TCS), a division of Boston-based Teradyne, Inc. provides a total interconnect solution with a broad suite of technologically differentiated capabilities including printed circuit boards, high-speed, high-density connectors, multi-gigabit backplane assemblies and complete systems integration and test. Teradyne's high-technology components and electronic manufacturing services are used by manufacturers of communications and computing systems central to building networking infrastructure. For more information visit www.teradyne.com/tcs.