New FLASH 750 Lowers Test Cost for Memory Chips in the Mobile Market

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 12, 2000--

High-Parallel Test Enables High-Volume Test for Memory Devices Used In Mobile Cell Phones, PDAs, MP3 Recorders, Automotive Parts and

Digital Cameras

Teradyne, Inc. (NYSE: TER) introduced the FLASH 750 memory test system. The FLASH 750 is an integrated test cell which features a new architecture to reduce the cost of test for flash memory. The new system is the first flash memory tester with the capability of testing 32 devices in parallel for cell phone NOR flash devices. The new test system is an innovative high-volume manufacturing solution that delivers the lowest cost of ownership and highest throughput for today's cell phone flash while providing up to 100 MHz performance for advanced probe testing.

Flash device shipment growth, driven in particular by growing demand for wireless, is among the fastest of any semiconductor device type. Industry forecasters are predicting that memory bit-volumes for cell phones will increase at a compound annual growth rate of over 50% through the year 2003.

"The cellular phone industry is evolving with innovative features like internet access and voice recognition," said Mike Palumbo, Marketing Manager of Teradyne's Memory Test Division. "Demand for these added features is driving advances in today's flash technology. At the same time, costs are falling more in line with the kind of commodity based costs experienced by DRAM manufacturers. Existing flash testers are underpowered for today's flash technology and cost too much. The flash focused design of the new FLASH 750 allows semiconductor manufacturers to meet the economic challenges with technology that keeps up with the industry's high level of innovation. The FLASH 750 will get manufacturers there first in a very competitive environment," continued Palumbo.

Distributed Flash Processing(TM)

Distributed Flash Processing (DFP), the system's proprietary architecture, significantly reduces test times. DFP uses a processor-per-site architecture allowing each device-under-test to run asynchronously. This feature accommodates the non-deterministic test flows of flash devices. "One key challenge for flash specific test applications, such as trim testing, is keeping the tester from getting in the way," Mike Palumbo said. "Test times are lengthened because all devices must wait for the slowest device at each step in the test flow. And with flash devices you can never be sure when you start a test step how long it will take to complete. The FLASH 750's DFP architecture breaks through that barrier. There are no wait times in the test flow. For typical flash devices, this architecture reduces test times by more than 40 percent compared to other tester architectures."

32, 64, or 128 Devices in Parallel Testing

The FLASH 750 breaks the high parallelism at sort test barrier with 32 devices in parallel for cell phone NOR flash devices. Existing flash testers permit only 8 or 16 NOR flash devices to be tested in parallel. In addition, the FLASH 750 is capable of testing up to 128 devices in parallel on a single prober for some low pin count serial memory devices. Most importantly, the increase in parallelism is provided without compromising test times due to the asynchronous advantage provided by DFP.

Proven J750 Technology

Field proven technology from Teradyne's highly successful J750 is incorporated into the test system. ISOChannel(TM) technology leveraged from the J750 results in higher integration, 100 MHz performance, and higher reliability. The FLASH 750's +/-500pS accuracy is delivered to the bond pad through high parallelism probe card and interface technology leveraged from Teradyne's DRAM product group. The FLASH 750 integrated test cell employs the IG-XL(TM) software platform from the J750 system. IG-XL is a Windows NT Platform designed for ease of programming and optimized sort software development.

Pricing and Availability

The FLASH 750 is available now and the first order received. [Editor's Note: See related press release "SanDisk Selects Teradyne FLASH 750 for Flash Memory Storage Solution"]. Pricing starts at $750,000 USD.

About Teradyne

Teradyne is the world's largest supplier of automatic test equipment and related software for the electronics and telecommunications industries and a leading supplier of high-performance backplane assemblies and connectors. Its products and services address the test requirements of a broad range of semiconductors, electronic assemblies, telephone access networks and software applications. Teradyne supports its products through an extensive service and applications engineering network, with technical centers located throughout the United States, Europe, and the Pacific Rim. Headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, Teradyne reported sales of approximately $1.8 billion in 1999 and currently has approximately 8,000 employees worldwide. Teradyne's World Wide Web address is http://www.teradyne.com.

“SanDisk Selects Teradyne FLASH 750 for Flash Memory Storage Solution”