Contact Information: FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: Laurie Winton Cascade Microtech, Inc. 503-601-1934
Cascade Microtech Announces New Device-Footprint G80 Grypper(TM) Socket to Lower Test Costs for BGA Devices
Exclusive Test Socket Technology Accelerates Engineering Development and Failure Analysis/QA for BGA Devices in the ASIC, FPGA and Embedded Markets
| Source: Cascade Microtech
BEAVERTON, OR--(Marketwire - August 12, 2009) - Cascade Microtech, Inc. (NASDAQ : CSCD ) today
announced its G80 Grypper BGA test socket to deliver substantial time and
cost savings for the testing of 0.8mm+ pitch, higher-ball-count BGA
packaged devices. The G80 Grypper employs a unique contact design that
significantly lowers the forces required to insert higher-ball-count BGA
devices into the device-footprint G80 socket. The G80 Grypper solders
directly to the device footprint and requires no socket lid, allowing
increased utilization of development and FA boards that traditionally have
limited life due to the soldering and de-soldering of devices. Eliminating
special test boards and decreasing the amount of boards used through
development typically increases utilization by a factor of five, reducing
overall test cost to IC developers and manufacturers.
More transistors per chip with increased functionality require complex test
hardware to validate and debug silicon at the device and system levels.
Test hardware solutions are required that lower the cost of test, from
generation to generation of IC development. In a business environment where
speeding time to market and minimizing costs have become the mantras for
survival, the G80 Grypper introduces immediate and tangible benefits for
the testing of higher-ball-count BGA devices in the FPGA, ASIC and embedded
markets. Engineering development and characterization can rapidly proceed
on packaged devices without added expense or delays. Device failure
analysis capability can lead to speedy problem resolution with improved
time-to-market turnaround. The device-footprint G80 Grypper eliminates the
added time and expense of designing and producing separate test boards for
in-package test.
The use of the G80 Grypper allows customers to evaluate, debug and
characterize chipsets in the actual system environment without the cost of
soldering and de-soldering new devices. Grypper technology can be leveraged
across multiple platforms to maximize time-to-market improvements and cost
savings.
"Helping semiconductor companies cost-effectively solve their toughest test
and measurement challenges is a hallmark of Cascade Microtech," said Geoff
Wild, CEO, Cascade Microtech, Inc. "The G80 Grypper exemplifies this
through its innovative socket technology that delivers accurate and
reliable test data while providing customers the time and cost savings that
are so essential to staying competitive in today's market."
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 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.
Information about Cascade Microtech can be found on the Web at
www.cascademicrotech.com.
Cascade Microtech is a registered trademark, and Grypper is a trademark of
Cascade Microtech, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their
respective owners.