The majority of attendees were suppliers of final test equipment. Several equipment users, such as IDMs and test houses, also attended the workgroup and expressed their commitment. The workgroup defined the general goal of its activities as follows:
- Improve time to market
- Improve efficiency and save cost
- Ease supply chain management
These targets must be achieved by reducing the complexity of the communication between equipment users and vendors, as well as minimizing the danger of miscommunication and communication errors.
Based on the recent workgroup, the next steps will be to work on standard terminology and reference points for the mechanical interfaces of probers, handlers, testers, dockings, contactors and load boards. All companies that use or supply test equipment are invited to actively contribute. A similar session will be held during SEMICON Europe in October 2010.
For more information about the Collaborative Alliance for Semiconductor Test (CAST), visit http://www.semi.org/cast.
Multitest (headquartered in Rosenheim, Germany) is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of test equipment for semiconductors. Multitest markets test handlers, contactors, and ATE printed circuit boards. Globally, more than 700 employees serve the company’s customers in offices and branches in North America, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, China and Thailand.
www.multitest.com