VRGY Verigy Ltd. (MM)

Verigy (NASDAQ:VRGY), a premier semiconductor test company, has introduced the Programmable Interface Matrix for the Verigy V5000e Engineering Workstation to bring the parallel test capabilities of the Matrix to memory manufacturers using the popular V5000e for engineering, test development and debug. With the Matrix, the V5000e can test 12 devices under test (DUT) in parallel, dramatically increasing overall throughput, while reducing operator intervention. The Matrix also increases the pin count of the V5000e to 768 tester resource pins, making it possible to test higher-pin-count memory devices of multiple memory types (NOR, NAND, DRAM, SRAM, and MCP). As product life cycles continue to shorten, manufacturers need to keep test development time to a minimum. At the same time, there is an ever greater mix of memory devices on test floors. To meet the challenges of testing all of these devices, manufacturers need test systems for engineering development with parallelism and flexibility. However, using a full-blown production system in the engineering development environment is not cost effective and often not feasible. The V5000e with Matrix addresses those challenges while reducing test development time. �Until now, the best option for memory manufacturers looking for a characterization or test development system was spending millions on an additional final test system,� said Gayn Erickson, vice president and general manager, Memory Test Solutions, Verigy. �With the Matrix, these capabilities are now available to our V5000e users in the test development and debugging environment.� The Matrix was originally designed to bring down the cost-of-test during final production test and until now was only available with the Verigy V5500 Final Test system. Verigy developed the new version of the Matrix for the V5000e to meet the increasing need for a powerful, flexible solution in the characterization or test development setting that can handle multiple memory types (NOR, NAND, DRAM, SRAM, and multi-chip packages, or MCP). Available since 2005, the V5000e is the leading engineering workstation for testing the full spectrum of memory devices and features a scalable platform architecture, office environment design and the power and flexibility necessary for engineering development. Advanced Features for Maximum Return on Investment and Lower Cost-of-Test With the Matrix, the V5000e offers users expanded functionality and performance, now able to test 12 DUT in parallel. The Matrix also increases the pin count of the base V5000e test system from 128 I/O pins to 768 tester resource pins, making it possible to test higher-pin-count memory. This offers the flexibility to address current and emerging test methodologies with the V5000e. The Matrix allows the tester to automatically shift resources from pin to pin without manual reinsertion, which shortens overall test times and also lowers the amount of manual intervention required. This feature is valuable when testing MCP devices since tester resources can be moved from one DUT to the next � when devices are tested serially � without requiring manual reinsertion of the DUT. For lengthy program and erase steps, tester resources can be fanned out in parallel automatically and then switched back to serial mode for read tests. The Matrix also supports use with thermal environmental chambers for both extreme hot and cold characterization testing, expanding its usability for characterization. About Verigy Verigy designs, develops, manufactures, sells and services advanced test systems and solutions for the memory and system-on-chip segments of the semiconductor industry. Verigy�s scalable platform systems are used by leading semiconductor companies worldwide in design validation, characterization, and high-volume manufacturing test. Formerly part of Agilent Technologies, the company began doing business as Verigy on June 1, 2006, and completed its initial public offering on June 13, 2006. Information about Verigy can be found at www.verigy.com.