New, low-cost, high-throughput production line IC test system

ProductionLine Testers Inc. (PLT) has announced availability of an affordable, general-purpose integrated circuit (IC) test system, in the form of its newest, smallest footprint product, IC-100. PLT attributes IC-100’s “very low” initial price to “architecture and features designed to provide only those functions required for production testing of low pin-count integrated circuits.

By Control Engineering Staff June 9, 2005

IC-100 integrated circuit (IC) test system from PLT Inc. simplifies production testing of ICs with pin counts up to 128.

ProductionLine Testers Inc . (PLT) has announced availability of an affordable, general-purpose integrated circuit (IC) test system, in the form of its newest, smallest footprint product, IC-100. PLT attributes IC-100’s “very low” initial price to “architecture and features designed to provide only those functions required for production testing of low pin-count integrated circuits. IC-100 is specifically designed to fit the price needs for today’s low-margin IC production costs,” according to the company.

With its compact 11 x 14 in. (280 x 360 mm) size, IC-100 can sit atop most IC handlers and probers, and hence works as a “zero footprint” bench-top IC test system. Moreover, IC-100 combines a powerful and flexible architecture with a fast, easy-to-use graphical software interface that reportedly allows high throughput end-of-line testing. Those features make the system more affordable than many in-house testers for production wafer sorting and final testing of various analog, optical, and digital circuits, says PLT. The system comes with three standard test heads; other custom heads are available.

IC-100’s streamlined software package helps minimize testing costs. Most internal calculations are precompiled before a device actually is tested, and many setups and housekeeping tasks are done during the prober/handler cycle time, thereby reducing test times. Test program development is done using an intuitive fill-in-the-blanks spreadsheet that can be written and compiled offline.

Maintenance is minimized through fast, easy module swapping that covers every major module and cable, which also applies to field upgrades. “These benefits alone reduce lifecycle costs associated with maintenance and test development, among other cost-effective measures in IC-100’s list of benefits,” says PLT.

An IC-100 system, with everything needed for out-of-the-box testing, starts at $30,000—configured with test heads for dc-only testing, serial transceivers, or digital logic. Delivery is 6-8 weeks after receipt of order. For full specifications, click here .

—Frank J. Bartos, executive editor, Control Engineering, fbartos@reedbusiness.com