NEWS DESK
9
Rochester expands
FormFactor
recreation service
doubles DRAM
test capacity
ROCHESTER ELECTRONICS has Rochester acquires all remaining
expanded its semiconductor recreation manufacturer end of life (EOL) inventory,
services with the establishment of a new including finished devices, die, and FORMFACTOR introduced DC-Boost,
Design and Technology Group. While selected intellectual property. an advanced TRE test technology to
specialising in ASIC designs, the Group The D&T Group’s semiconductor increase probe test capacity. The new
can also reverse engineer products where recreation services and the resulting parts wafer probe card capability enables
original tooling and intellectual property still retain the authorisation and support more efficient use of tester channels
are missing or unavailable, ensuring all of the original semiconductor on test equipment to double the
customers, including those in Europe and manufacturer. number of devices that can be tested
Asia, genuine, quality parts that meet all The re-design service costs only a simultaneously. By using probe cards
performance expectations. fraction of the cost for an original equipped with FormFactor’s DC-Boost
Rochester Electronics’ design equipment manufacturer (OEM) to technology, IC manufacturers and test
engineers de-construct and electrically replace the obsolescent device by working service providers can significantly
analyse a part, then recreate it for a near with the original semiconductor increase test cell throughput on new
identical and well matched existing manufacturer, who may no longer have test equipment, extend the life of their
foundry process. This expanded service access to the intellectual property and is existing test equipment, and reduce
centralises Rochesters’ recreation services unlikely to invest considerable engineering their overall cost of test.
while broadening its product offering to time and talent to meet the intermittent “At Tera Probe, our mission is to
customers around the world. demand for EOL products. provide total testing solutions for our
“The new Design and Technology Counterfeit devices are affecting customers that boast greater
Group was established in part due to a manufacturers around the world and can efficiency, lower costs and ensure
growing demand from both the domestic significantly damage reputations and higher levels of reliability in order to
and international markets, particularly market share, such that the help them meet their production
manufacturers, who are searching for Semiconductor Industry Association, the goals,” stated Masahide Ozawa, chief
effective semiconductor re-design EU, the United States government, and technology officer at Tera Probe,
programmes that result in high quality, custom officials in countries around the As DRAM manufacturers move to
low cost, and efficiency,” said Curt globe have implemented initiatives to curb tighter design configurations, the
Gerrish, Rochester founder and CEO. counterfeits. By turning to Rochester number of die per wafer continues to
When devices are discontinued by the Electronics’ extensive parts inventory and rise, in some cases approaching 1500
original manufacturer, customers who use re-design services, customers can continue die or more. At the same time, test
them in critical systems or long term production planning without concern for managers are driving to maximise the
programmes need a support solution. line shut down or dwindling supply of productivity of their test cells.
Rochester’s solution provides a certified parts. More importantly, they “Reducing the number of
continuous, long term source for these avoid the risk of turning to unauthorised touchdowns in wafer testing is the
devices. Having authorisation to stock suppliers who provide questionable primary driver for reducing test
finished product and licensed to recreate products, the use of which may result in costs,” stated Stefan Zschiegner,
devices from the manufacturer’s IP or production delays, system failure or brand senior vice president of the DRAM
through device reverse engineering, destruction. product business unit at FormFactor.
IMEC and Panasonic sign comprehensive joint research contract
IMEC and Panasonic Corporation have Now, a joint research programme Recently, thanks to the evolution of
signed a joint research contract covering most of the research domains of systems on chip, consumer electronics
concerning the most advanced IMEC will start by expanding the have advanced with higher performance,
technologies in the semiconductor, collaboration scope from advanced smaller size and lower power
networks, wireless, and biomedical fields. semiconductor process technology to consumption. Future evolution of
Research will be carried out at the Leuven include application of semiconductors. semiconductor technologies and
facilities and IMEC’s research unit at For this purpose, the Panasonic IMEC integration with various other
Holst Centre in Eindhoven. Centre will be established at the IMEC technologies is expected to further
Since 2004, Panasonic has been premises in December 2008. broaden application domains.
participating in IMEC’s joint research The centre will conduct R&D on Panasonic is enhancing its R&D in
platform on the most advanced current network technology such as networks, healthcare devices and
semiconductor process technologies as a dynamically reconfigurable software semiconductor technologies in order to
core partner to accelerate its open defined radio, ultra low power realise an environmentally friendly
innovation in this field. The world’s first consumption wireless communication ubiquitous networked society. Panasonic
mass production of the system on chip technology for healthcare and lifestyle will make further acceleration of R&D on
with 65nm and 45nm processes uses the monitoring and biomedical technology technologies by expanding the scheme of
results of the joint research with IMEC. such as next generation biosensors. joint research with IMEC.
November 2008 www.euroasiasemiconductor.com
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