Teradyne Highlights SerDes Port Qualification in Test Solutions Seminar; Advanced Technology for SerDes, SONET and High-Speed Device Test

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 10, 2001--Teradyne (NYSE:TER) will be hosting several customer seminars that focus on the features of the Catalyst Tiger 3.2Gbps SerDes Port Qualification technology. Teradyne's proprietary SerDes Port Qualification, the only solution available that meets the needs of exponentially increasing SerDes data rates, can test more than 60 SerDes ports simultaneously at high speeds. The SerDes Port Qualification methodology tests devices for a growing host of networking, data processing, and communications applications. Teradyne's ongoing customer seminars highlight innovative technologies providing economical and highly efficient parallel test solutions for SerDes, SONET, and high-speed device test.

"The escalating pressure on semiconductor manufacturers to bring new products to market faster and at increasingly competitive prices requires creative, high speed, flexible test solutions. The integration of SerDes cells into VLSI devices is happening now, and Teradyne is meeting these heightened test challenges with SerDes Port Qualification technology," said Tony Mandia, Datacom Business Unit Manager, Teradyne. "These high-speed devices are at the edge of the process limits. To ensure device quality, manufacturers need the capability to perform characterization-type testing in production. Teradyne's Catalyst Tiger and the SerDes Port Qualification techniques provide highly efficient, economical test solutions using leading edge technology that underscores Teradyne's proven leadership in ATE."

About SerDes Port Qualification and Catalyst Tiger

The Catalyst Tiger, using 3.2Gbps SerDes Port Qualification, can test more than 60 SerDes ports simultaneously at high speeds. It is the only solution available today that meets the needs of exponentially increasing SerDes data rates. The first integrated test system architecture specifically designed for the demanding requirements of high-speed SerDes type devices, the Catalyst Tiger delivers cost effective production testing of complex SOC devices. The challenges of characterization type testing at production speeds, including all jitter testing, are met using Catalyst's mixed-signal capabilities. Tiger provides unrivaled flexibility and scalability required by leading fabless subcontractors and integrated device manufacturers. With up to 1024 digital pins and data rates to 3.2Gbps, Tiger combines unequaled analog test capability, timing flexibility, and programmable speed-enabling in one versatile platform.

About Teradyne's Technology Seminar Series

The San Jose-based seminar series focuses on specialized instrumentation solutions and methodologies that enable customers to achieve their test objectives without compromise. Earlier seminars covered Catalyst Quadsite Bluetooth and Catalyst 802.11a WLAN testing. By providing an instrumentation suite for the complete range of RF/microwave tests and answering both RF performance and low price-points challenges, Teradyne's Catalyst test system is the worldwide leader for Bluetooth test. Catalyst's 802.11a WLAN test solution meets the growing market for Wireless Local Area Networking device test, using wideband modulations at frequencies up to 5.8 GHz. A future seminar topic is economical, differential, at-speed test for high-speed data standards, including USB2, IEEE 1394, 1 GHz, DDR, HyperTransport(TM) and Rapid IO TM technology. The technology moves data from processors to peripherals at speeds up to 60 times faster than a PCI bus (32-bit bus operating at 66 MHz) and improves the performance on a variety of computing and networking devices.

"Teradyne's seminar series features the latest technology for testing today's increasingly complex devices. These new instruments and methods provide our customers with a substantial competitive advantage by greatly improving production efficiency," said Wayne Ponik, Fabless/Subcon Marketing Manager, Teradyne. "Whatever the test requirements - high speed processors, data communications, wireless, broadband, or consumer chips, Teradyne's advanced test technology is there to meet our customers test challenges."

About Teradyne

Teradyne (NYSE: TER) is the world's largest supplier of automatic test equipment and is also a leading supplier of high performance interconnection systems. Teradyne's test products are used by manufacturers of semiconductors, circuit assemblies, and voice and broadband telephone networks. Teradyne's backplane assemblies and high-density connectors are used by manufacturers of communications and computing systems central to building networking infrastructure. The company had sales of $3.0 billion in 2000 and currently employs about 8000 people worldwide. For more information visit www.teradyne.com.

HyperTransport is a trademark of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. Rapid IO is a trademark of Motorola, Inc.

“The escalating pressure on semiconductor manufacturers to bring new products to market faster and at increasingly competitive prices requires creative, high speed, flexible test solutions. The integration of SerDes cells into VLSI devices is happening now, and Teradyne is meeting these heightened test challenges with SerDes Port Qualification technology”