New Members and Working Groups Continue to Drive Development of Open Test
Standards for Peripheral Areas Surrounding Automated Test Equipment
NIWOT, Colorado, June 26 /PRNewswire/ -- The Semiconductor Test
Consortium, Inc. (STC), the leading proponent of the development and
adoption of value-added open test standards that benefit the semiconductor
industry, today announced that major progress has been made with a new
initiative to enable the development of automatic test equipment (ATE)
peripheral interface standards. Designed to foster pre-competitive
collaboration among the entire global semiconductor test supply chain, the
Semiconductor Test Interface eXtensions (STIX(TM)) initiative addresses
rising cost and efficiency challenges that impact areas around the ATE,
such as enabling greater portability of test collateral through higher
level abstraction of user programming, equipment integration and device
interconnect.
Over the past 12 months, 11 new corporate members, six new individual
members and 15 new university members joined the STC in support of the
consortium's expanded scope to encompass the entire test process through
the STIX initiative. The roster of new members includes corporate and
individual members from companies such as FormFactor, Wright Williams &
Kelly, and Infineon.
The STIX initiative encompasses both open hardware and software
specifications for all peripheral areas around the ATE, regardless of
tester architecture or vendor. By standardizing these interfaces,
integrated device manufacturers (IDMs) and outsourced semiconductor
assembly and test (OSAT) service providers can benefit by gaining higher
equipment utilization and easier line balancing. In addition, equipment
suppliers can benefit by reducing the need for redundant research and
development (R&D) efforts in non- differentiating product areas.
Key to the STIX initiative is the continual formation of new technical,
industry-driven working groups to address these peripheral areas that are
strategically created to appeal to a broad audience critical to test. The
new working groups will join a handful of STC working groups already
focused on hardware docking, probe cards, Standard Test Interface Language
(STIL), and joint industry-university research projects.
"The STIX initiative was created in response to calls from our
membership as well as the industry at large for a comprehensive and united
effort to address the need for ATE interface standards," explained Bob
Helsel, STC manager. "Through the STIX initiative, STC members now have the
opportunity to help define ATE interface standards and implement them
sooner, which will in turn accelerate their return on investment. At the
same time, STC efforts supporting the OPENSTAR(R) initiative continue
unabated, with additional progress being made through the recently formed
Solutions working group."
Klaus Luther, vice president of test technology at Infineon
Technologies and STC co-vice chairman, added, "This is an exciting time for
the STC. The STIX initiative represents a major expansion in the scope of
our organization to address growing technical and economic issues that
affect the entire global semiconductor test supply chain. The consistent
industry-wide feedback that we've received has been exceedingly supportive
of this new direction to develop and adapt value for all of the peripheral
areas around the ATE through open test standards. Significant activity from
the newly formed STIX working groups has already resulted."
The STC will be exhibiting at SEMICON West 2007, in the West Hall,
Level 2 at booth #8622 in the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco.
Editors interested in meeting with the STC during the show may contact
Ellen Van Etten by phone: 970.778.6094, or e-mail: evanetten@mcapr.com.
About the Semiconductor Test Consortium
The Semiconductor Test Consortium was founded in 2003. Open to all
companies throughout the semiconductor supply chain with a vested interest
in the test sector, the consortium is focused on the following goals:
formalizing a broadened STC scope with new working groups and specification
structure; fostering pre-competitive collaboration among industry
participants toward development of value-added standards; emphasizing the
value of work being accomplished and the contributions to the industry; and
continuing efforts to fully enable the STC Ecosystem, through its OPENSTAR
and STIX initiatives. Today, 46 semiconductor, equipment and
instrumentation companies worldwide and 40 university members in Europe,
Japan, China and the United States, in addition to five STIL users and nine
individuals support the STC. More information can be found at
http://www.semitest.org.
OPENSTAR and STIX are trademarks or registered trademarks of the
Semiconductor Test Consortium.
SOURCE Semiconductor Test Consortium
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Related links:
http://www.semitest.org
CONTACT:
Consortium Contact, Bob Helsel, Semiconductor
Test Consortium, +1-303-652-1311, or bhelsel@semitest.org; or
press, Ellen Van Etten, MCA, +1-650-968-8900, or
evanetten@mcapr.com
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