Aehr Receives $4.3 Million Order for Initial FOX-XP™ Test Cell for Production Test of Mobile Sensor Devices


FREMONT, Calif., Dec. 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --  Aehr Test Systems (NASDAQ: AEHR), a worldwide supplier of semiconductor test and reliability qualification equipment, today announced it has received an initial $4.3 million order from a new customer that is a supplier of sensors to a major mobile device manufacturer consisting of a FOX-XP™ production test and burn-in system, a set of DiePak Carriers®, and a FOX Automated DiePak loader / unloader for a new high-volume application for production test and burn-in of mobile sensors. 

Shipment of the initial test cell is expected during Aehr’s fiscal third quarter ending February 2021. Aehr expects follow-on capacity orders from this customer later in the current fiscal year for additional test systems, DiePaks, and DiePak loaders.

Gayn Erickson, President and CEO of Aehr Test Systems, commented, “We are incredibly proud to have been selected for this critical new application by a major mobile device supplier that will use these tools at a subcontractor in Asia. Aehr won this application due to our unique technical capabilities and cost effectiveness of our solution critical to this application, which will require 100% test, burn-in, traceability and validation of the devices. Our highly differentiated FOX solution achieved this test requirement and the customer’s low cost of test targets due to the significantly higher parallelism that can be attained on our FOX-XP systems and DiePaks.

“Our FOX systems provide more resources to the device under test interface boards than any other solution on the market. Our FOX-XP systems and DiePaks can deliver up to 2048 individual device power supplies with individual remote sense on every channel or 2048 digital pin driver/comparators or any combination of both as our universal channels allow software programmability on a pin-by-pin basis. This performance is unique in the industry and allows an unprecedented ability to configure the system to test thousands of devices without any resource sharing or hostage failures, which is essential in many applications where quality, reliability, safety, and security is critical.

“Sensors used in mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets, wearables such as watches and fitness bands, and audio devices have become pervasive. Initially, sensors on smartphones allowed basic functions we have all come to expect such as touchscreens, rotational sensors, and fingerprint sensors, but have gotten more complex with added capabilities such as 3D facial recognition and time of flight distance measurements. We will see the addition of health monitoring sensors, 3D measurement capability, and other advanced sensors in the future. As sensors become more pervasive and add critical new functionality to devices, it becomes more and more important that the data collected be accurate and reliable, which we believe will drive more and more requirements for our solutions for production test and burn-in of these sensors.”

Features in the FOX-XP and DiePak that are critical to this application and the selection of this test solution include:

  • Individually programmable voltage and current sources per device to meet critical electrical test requirements and accuracy 
  • Continuous per DUT monitoring and data logging of voltage, current, and sensors internal to the device throughout the test and burn-in duration 
  • 100% validation and confirmation of test results and burn-in conditions without any hostage failures (where a device fails and impacts another device under test) 
  • 100% traceability of devices from industry-standard JEDEC trays through DiePak loading to testing through DiePak unloading and sorting 
  • Production proven test and burn-in system via Aehr’s FOX-XP multi-wafer and singulated die/module system and DiePak carriers that are capable of testing up to 1024 devices per DiePak
  • Fully automated loading and unloading via a FOX DiePak loader/unloader provided by Aehr in a turnkey solution

The FOX-XP system, available with multiple WaferPakTM Contactors (full wafer test) or multiple DiePak Carriers (singulated die/module test) configurations, is capable of functional test and burn-in/cycling of integrated devices such as 2D and 3D sensors, flash memories, Gallium Nitride (GaN), magnetic sensors, microcontrollers, optical modules, Silicon Carbide (SiC) and other leading-edge ICs in either wafer formfactor, before they are assembled into single or multi-die stacked packages, or in singulated die or module formfactor.

Aehr’s FOX-XP test and burn-in systems utilize Aehr proprietary DiePak Carriers to enable burn-in of singulated die and multi-die modules to screen for defects in both the die and the module assembly processes. The resulting known-good die, multi-die or stacked-die packaged parts can then be used for high reliability and quality applications such as 5G communications, enterprise solid-state drives, automotive devices, highly valuable mobile applications, and other mission-critical integrated circuits and sensors.

About Aehr Test Systems
Headquartered in Fremont, California, Aehr Test Systems is a worldwide provider of test systems for burning-in and testing logic, optical and memory integrated circuits and has installed over 2,500 systems worldwide. Increased quality and reliability needs of the Automotive and Mobility integrated circuit markets are driving additional test requirements, incremental capacity needs, and new opportunities for Aehr Test products in package, wafer level, and singulated die/module level test. Aehr Test has developed and introduced several innovative products, including the ABTSTM and FOX-PTM families of test and burn-in systems and FOX WaferPakTM Aligner, FOX-XP WaferPak Contactor, FOX DiePak® Carrier and FOX DiePak Loader. The ABTS system is used in production and qualification testing of packaged parts for both lower power and higher power logic devices as well as all common types of memory devices. The FOX-XP and FOX-NP systems are full wafer contact and singulated die/module test and burn-in systems used for burn-in and functional test of complex devices, such as leading-edge memories, digital signal processors, microprocessors, microcontrollers, systems-on-a-chip, and integrated optical devices. The FOX-CP system is a new low-cost single-wafer compact test and reliability verification solution for logic, memory and photonic devices and the newest addition to the FOX-P product family. The WaferPak contactor contains a unique full wafer probe card capable of testing wafers up to 300mm that enables IC manufacturers to perform test and burn-in of full wafers on Aehr Test FOX systems. The DiePak Carrier is a reusable, temporary package that enables IC manufacturers to perform cost-effective final test and burn-in of both bare die and modules. For more information, please visit Aehr Test Systems’ website at www.aehr.com.

Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements generally relate to future events or Aehr’s future financial or operating performance. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements because they contain words such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “expects,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “going to,” “could,” “intends,” “target,” “projects,” “contemplates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “potential,” or “continue,” or the negative of these words or other similar terms or expressions that concern Aehr’s expectations, strategy, priorities, plans, or intentions. These statements are based on information available to Aehr as of the date hereof, are based on current expectations, forecasts and assumptions, and actual results could differ materially from those stated or implied due to risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements in this press release include, but are not limited to, statements regarding Aehr’s expectations, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding its products and its business, including statements regarding future market opportunities and conditions; Aehr’s product capabilities; expected product shipment dates; customer orders, commitments or product uses; and Aehr’s collaboration with its customers. These forward-looking statements include risks and uncertainties such as, without limitation, customer demand and acceptance of Aehr’s products, the ability of new products to meet customer needs or perform as described, as well as general market conditions and Aehr’s ability to execute on its business strategy. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are also subject to other risks and uncertainties, including those more fully described in Aehr’s recent 10-K, 10-Q and other reports from time to time filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Aehr disclaims any obligation to update information contained in any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of this press release.

Contacts:

Aehr Test SystemsMKR Investor Relations Inc.    
Vernon RogersTodd Kehrli or Jim Byers    
EVP Sales and MarketingAnalyst/Investor Contact    
(510) 623-9400 x215(323) 468-2300    
vrogers@aehr.comaehr@mkr-group.com