Cascade Microtech and Roos Instruments Announce 80 GHz Wafer Test
Collaboration Partnership
Technology leaders explore strategies to address emerging automotive radar and wireless
HDTV markets
BEAVERTON, Ore.— October 28, 2008— Cascade Microtech, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCD)
and Roos Instruments today announced an ongoing collaboration partnership to provide
complete and focused solutions for engineering and production test applications
addressing 60 GHz through 80 GHz RF millimeter-wave components. Application
approaches will include Cascade Microtech engineering probes and production probe
cards, paired with Roos Instruments’ ATE platforms and tester instrument modules. Both
companies will provide integration software and complete calibration capability to ensure
that customers can perform complete characterization and performance tests enabling
production of Known-Good-Die (KGD) for automotive radar and wireless HDTV
applications.
According to Strategy Analytics, over 2.3 million cars will be equipped with collision
avoidance radar systems by 2011, requiring over 30 million radar sensors. In addition, ABI
Research reports that one million wireless HDTVs will be installed worldwide by 2012, with
double digit growth rates.
“Automotive radar and wireless multimedia applications are now moving from their
embryonic stage into higher volume growth applications,” says Geoff Wild, CEO, Cascade
Microtech, Inc. “The need to precisely characterize millimeter-RF components and then
produce a cost effective KGD production wafer test capability at 80 GHz requires a unique
partnership between Cascade Microtech and Roos Instruments – two companies who are
the leaders in very high frequency testing.”
“Roos Instruments has pioneered the development of RF ATE operating at 80 GHz RF
millimeter-wave frequencies. In order to fully characterize in engineering and validate
device functionality during production test, the transmission paths to the device-under-test
have become critical,” says Mark Roos, CEO, Roos Instruments. “Cascade Microtech is
the only partner who has the experience and tools to provide product solutions that
operate in both engineering labs and production environments.”
Cascade Microtech and Roos Instruments will host a Millimeter-wave IC Test Solution
Seminar Series beginning December, 2008. The first workshop in the series, entitled “77
GHz RFIC Test and the Latest RFIC Test Techniques,” will be held in Chiba-City, Japan.
This seminar will introduce millimeter-wave IC test solutions now being used for 60 GHz
wireless HDTV and 77 GHz automotive radar, as well as the latest high-frequency IC test
and contact for WiFi, WiMAX and mobile devices. For information on this or future
seminars, please visit www.cascademicrotech.com or email [email protected].
About Roos Instruments
Founded in 1989, Roos Instruments, www.roos.com, based in Santa Clara, CA with offices
in Salem, NH, Seoul, ROK and Chiba, Japan, develops, manufactures and supports
characterization and production test solutions for the semiconductor industry. RI systems
provide RF manufacturers the lowest "cost of test" with unmatched throughput, and uptime.
RI's ability to improve time to market with a unique, fast, reusable test development
method provides customers with a critical benefit. RI equipment tests devices, modules
and SiPs used in all forms of wireless communications. If you need to test Fiber Optic,
Radio, or Microwave Integrated Circuits at production volumes and you want steady,
reliable performance from a system with the highest MTBF in the industry, choose Roos
Instruments to provide the fastest available ATE solution.
About Cascade Microtech, Inc.
Cascade Microtech, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCD) is a worldwide leader in the precise electrical
measurement and test of integrated circuits (ICs) and other small structures. For
technology businesses and scientific institutions that need to evaluate small structures,
Cascade Microtech delivers access to, and extraction of, electrical data from wafers,
integrated circuits (ICs), IC packages, circuit boards and modules, MEMS, biological
structures, electro-optic devices and more. Cascade Microtech’s leading-edge
semiconductor production test consumables include unique probe cards and test sockets
that reduce manufacturing costs of high-speed and high-density semiconductor chips. For
more information visit www.cascademicrotech.com.