News: Suppliers
19 September 2023
New customer orders Aehr FOX-NP multi-wafer test and burn-in system for silicon carbide MOSFETs
Semiconductor production test, burn-in and reliability qualification equipment supplier Aehr Test Systems of Fremont, CA, USA has received an initial customer order for a FOX-NP wafer-level test & burn-in system, multiple WaferPak Contactors, and a FOX WaferPak Aligner to be used for engineering, qualification and small-lot production wafer-level test & burn-in of silicon carbide devices.
The customer is a US-based multi-billion-dollar semiconductor supplier serving several markets including automotive, computing, consumer, energy, industrial and medical applications. The FOX-NP system, including the FOX WaferPak Aligner and initial WaferPaks, are scheduled to ship by the end of 2023, per the customer’s requested accelerated schedule.
The FOX-NP system is configured with the new Bipolar Voltage Channel Module (BVCM) and Very High Voltage Channel Module (VHVCM) options that enable new advanced test and burn-in capabilities for silicon carbide power semiconductors using Aehr’s proprietary WaferPak full-wafer Contactors. Aehr says that the new order highlights its continued progression within the growing silicon carbide global power market.
“After conducting a detailed financial evaluation and multiple onsite visits to Aehr’s application lab, this new customer selected our FOX-P solution for engineering, qualification and production of their silicon carbide power devices. This evaluation included cost of ownership and system throughput, as well as device test, burn-in and stabilization coverage,” says president & CEO Gayn Erickson. “As their production capacity increases, they told us that they will quickly move to our FOX-XP multi-wafer test & burn-in systems for high-volume production. In addition to the automotive electric vehicle device opportunity, this customer in particular sees the enormous opportunity for silicon carbide power devices in industrial, solar and other power applications,” he adds.
William Blair forecasts that, in addition to the 4.5 million six-inch-equivalent wafers that will be needed to meet the demand for electric vehicle-related silicon carbide devices in 2030, another 2.8 million wafers are needed to address industrial, solar, electric trains, energy conversion and other applications in 2030. “Most of these applications will be served with discrete MOSFETs in single die packages,” says Erickson. “The cost of ownership of our solution proved to be more cost-effective and efficient for these devices than package part burn-in after the die are packaged in packages such as TO-247 or other discrete packages. This is a strong testimony of the advantage of wafer-level burn-in as a better alternative to package part burn-in. This expands our silicon carbide test and burn-in market even more, and this new customer helps expand Aehr’s presence in this market as our total addressable market (TAM) continues to grow,” he adds.
“Aehr’s FOX-P systems and proprietary WaferPak full wafer Contactors enable our customers to do economical production volume test and reliability burn-in with processes such as high-temperature gate bias (HTGB) and high-temperature reverse bias (HTRB) very cost-effectively and ensure extremely high device quality,” continues Erickson. “Our systems are typically used for long burn-in times lasting up to 24 hours or more. We can do this for under $5 per hour per wafer capital depreciation cost while testing and burning-in up to several thousand devices at a time per wafer. This is also in a test system footprint that is up to 94% less than a typical test system on a standard semiconductor wafer prober, which in a precious cleanroom wafer facility is extremely important and saves a great deal of cost.”
“The FOX family of compatible systems including the FOX-NP and FOX-XP multi-wafer test and burn-in systems and Aehr’s proprietary WaferPak full-wafer contactors provide a uniquely cost-effective solution for burning in multiple wafers of devices at a single time to remove early life failures of silicon carbide devices, which is critical to meeting the initial quality and long-term reliability of the automotive, industrial and electrification infrastructure industry needs,” Erickson concludes.
Aehr receives $13.7m follow-on orders from its lead silicon carbide test & burn-in customer
New silicon carbide customer and initial order for Aehr’s FOX-XP multi-wafer test and burn-in
