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Cascade Microtech addresses power semiconductors and RFICs

By Rick Nelson, Editor-in-Chief -- EDN, 7/8/2009

Cascade Microtech is addressing the emerging energy-efficiency standards that are driving the need for accurate power-device characterization in automotive, mobile-device, transportation, and other applications. In addition, the company is targeting probing for millimeter-wave RFICs that will serve WirelessHD, automotive radar, and other applications operating in the 60- to 80-GHz range.

In the company’s most recent initiative to address power-characterization needs, it introduced a set of new probes and accessories for its Tesla on-wafer power-device characterization system, making Tesla fully compatible with the recently released Agilent B1505A power device analyzer (see “Tesla power-semiconductor characterization system debuts,” Test & Measurement World, May 29, 2007). The combined system offers an extended triaxial measurement range to accommodate low-noise probing of power devices with voltages as high as 2000V.

The Tesla system meets these demands for making measurements at increasing voltage and current levels when characterizing devices fabricated using new wide-bandgap materials, such as silicon carbide and gallium nitride. Tesla offers what the company says is the industry’s highest voltage and current range for on-wafer measurements: as much as 2000V triaxial or 3000V coaxial and as much as 60A pulsed or 20A continuous. With Agilent’s B1505A power device analyzer, the new Tesla probes take advantage of the performance of the B1505A, meeting the requirements of more advanced device characterization applications.

“Power devices are prolific in today’s semiconductor industry,” says Geoff Wild, chief executive officer of Cascade Microtech. “Our customers are constantly striving to improve the efficiency of these critical IC components. The Tesla system facilitates on-wafer CV, IV, and breakdown measurements, which in turn enables faster development cycles at an overall lower cost-of-test versus packaged test.” Unlike other approaches, he says the system allows users to realize the full potential of their B1505As with the maximum range of voltage, current and application compatibility.

Cascade Microtech has also announced two products that streamline engineering and production testing of high-bandwidth, short-range RFIC devices for WirelessHD, automotive radar, and other 60-GHz wireless applications, joining other companies at the June International Microwave Symposium addressing applications in the 60-GHz area (see “Design and test highlights at the microwave show,” Test & Measurement World). Using a combination of Cascade Microtech’s proprietary thin-film technology and coaxial-probe technology from its Infinity Probe architecture, the 110-GHz Unity-MW (millimeter-wave) RFIC engineering probe supports the precision characterization and testing of these multiple-port emerging technologies. Using the same membrane technology, the Pyramid-MW 81-GHz production probe card supports the at-speed test of known-good-die in high volume.

Cascade cites market researchers pointing to a surge in demand for devices operating in the 60- to 80-GHz range: ABI Research says 1 million wireless high-definition TVs will be installed worldwide by 2012, with double-digit growth rates, and Strategy Analytics  reports that more than 2.3 million cars will have collision-avoidance radar systems by 2011, requiring more than 30 million radar sensors.