Advantest Enters MEMS Testing Market With Multiple System Installations at Freescale(R) Semiconductor's Facilities in Arizona and Asia

TOKYO--(Marketwire - Mar 28, 2013) - Leading semiconductor test equipment supplier Advantest Corporation (TSE: 6857) (NYSE: ATE) has entered the high-growth market for testing micro-electromechanical system (MEMS)-based sensors by installing V93000 Smart Scale™ systems at several of Freescale Semiconductor's facilities around the world. In addition to using Advantest's testers for engineering development at Freescale's Sensor and Actuator Solutions Division engineering center in Tempe, Arizona, the semiconductor manufacturer has started to employ the V93000 platform in production testing of its newest generations of MEMS-based sensors being manufactured in Asia.

Advantest's versatile V93000 Smart Scale platform, equipped with Pin Scale 1600 digital channel cards, can be configured to provide the lowest cost of test for high-volume sensors. While the ultra-compact A-Class test head enables a small footprint, the V93000's robust system resources and its unique, processor-based universal pin architecture combine to deliver unmatched parallelism and high multi-site efficiency in testing all current and emerging sensor technologies.

The tester is equipped with drivers for all major MEMS handlers and can communicate with the handler during the test flow. This is a key performance attribute in testing MEMS, which requires the handler to move between different orientations during test runs.

"In extensively evaluating testers for its MEMS applications, Freescale conducted comparative reviews of various systems to find the solution that would meet its technical requirements," said Sae Bum Myung, executive vice president of worldwide sales at Advantest. "The combination of the V93000 platform's cost efficiencies, the high-volume productivity enabled by our Pin Scale 1600 cards and our around-the-clock engineering support services were instrumental in winning this business."

The Advantest V93000 tester has a successful track record with Freescale. The company contracts with outsource semiconductor assembly and testing (OSAT) facilities throughout Asia that are using V93000 systems.

"Using Advantest's V93000 systems in MEMS testing will enable us to continue to lower our cost of test and improve the time to market for our newest sensor products," said Seyed Paransun, vice president and general manager of Freescale's Sensor and Actuator Solutions Division.

The V93000 platform has the flexibility to test a wide range of semiconductor devices used in a variety of applications, from sensors to wireless communications. The tester's per-pin accuracy and high throughput enable customers to quickly ramp to production volumes, shortening their time to market. For nearly two decades, the V93000 platform has been used in developing and producing multiple generations of logic and high-speed memory ICs by fabless companies, OSAT foundries and integrated device manufacturers (IDMs) around the world.

About Advantest Corporation
A world-class technology company, Advantest is the leading producer of automatic test equipment (ATE) for the semiconductor industry and a premier manufacturer of measuring instruments used in the design and production of electronic instruments and systems. Its leading-edge systems and products are integrated into the most advanced semiconductor production lines in the world. The company also focuses on R&D for emerging markets that benefit from advancements in nanotech and terahertz technologies, and has introduced multi-vision metrology scanning electron microscopes essential to photomask manufacturing, as well as a groundbreaking 3D imaging and analysis tool. Founded in Tokyo in 1954, Advantest established its first subsidiary in 1982, in the USA, and now has subsidiaries worldwide. More information is available at www.advantest.com.