SAN JOSE, Calif., March 14, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Electroglas, Inc. (Nasdaq:EGLS), a leading supplier of wafer probing and software solutions for the semiconductor industry, today announced that Electroglas, Inc. has been awarded a patent for its proprietary Microtouch probe card impact control algorithm.
With the introduction of both copper and Low-K dielectrics in leading edge semiconductor processes, the control of the contact position and impact velocity have become critical to wafer testing. In addition, as the race to produce more chips in the same square area of silicon continues, a new design process has incorporated the use of the area underneath the device pad as "active" silicon. With this new design process along with the introduction of Low-K materials, the forces applied to the surface of the device, if not controlled, can crush or crack the underlying structures or in the case of copper interconnects potentially expose the copper underneath the aluminum capped bond pad causing "punch through."
The EG6000 with Microtouch employs a high-speed feedback system that closely monitors and adjusts the velocity of the Z stage. When driving the device into contact with the probe pin(s), the velocity of the Z-axis stage is reduced prior to the final contact position. This reduction in contact velocity directly relates to reduced impact forces. When using the Microtouch feature on the EG6000 wafer prober customers are experiencing less pad damage and, with tighter control of impact forces, have all but eliminated the Low-K crushing and cracking issues.
Uday Nayak, Electroglas, Sr. Director of Engineering states: "This patent approval for Microtouch is a significant reward for Electroglas Inc. and solidifies our technological leadership in the wafer probing, and specifically in the probe pin to bond pad, arena. We have strived here at Electroglas to produce the most technologically advanced wafer prober that meets or exceeds the next generation process requirements of the semiconductor test industry."
About Electroglas
Electroglas is a leading supplier of wafer probers and software solutions and services for the semiconductor industry. For more than 40 years, Electroglas has helped integrated device manufacturers (IDMs), wafer foundries and outsourced assembly and test (OSAT) suppliers improve the overall effectiveness of semiconductor manufacturers' wafer testing. Headquartered in San Jose, California, with offices throughout the world, Electroglas has shipped more than 16,500 systems worldwide. Electroglas' stock trades on the NASDAQ Global Market under the symbol "EGLS." Additional information about Electroglas is available at www.electroglas.com.