Multitest Reports Successfully Deployment of Wafer-Scale Contactors Using Mercury Probes to Subcontractors in Asia

Multitest announces that one of the world’s largest fabless semiconductor manufacturers has evaluated mercury-based wafer-scale contactors and found them superior to its previous traditional, POGO-style spring pin solution. According to Multitest, its wafer-scale contactors provide up to a six percent yield improvement over traditional spring pin contactors with eight sites and nearly 200 spring probes per site. More than 30 contactors have been purchased to support increasing production volumes.

The contactors have been deployed to multiple testing subcontractors in Taiwan and Singapore. The subcontractors report that the mercury contactors provide a four to six percent yield improvement over the previous contacting solution, resulting in a significant cost-of-test savings. Additionally, the subcontractors are pleased with the mercury contactors’ long life, low maintenance requirements and low replacement probe price.

Another fabless manufacturer in Great Britain has purchased several 32-site mercury wafer-scale contactors and sent one to a testing subcontractor in Taiwan where it is being used with great success, said Multitest.

The mercury success story includes thousands of contactors for singulated devices, strip test and wafer-scale test. Mercury is popular because of its superior mechanical and electrical performance that results from its unique architecture and manufacturing process.

To quantify the performance, the probes have a bandwidth of approximately 20 GHz, a current carrying capacity of over 2, an inductance of approximately 1 nH and a life of 500-800k insertions (values are pitch-dependent).

www.multitest.com/Mercury