FormFactor Autonomous RF

Introducing the FormFactor Autonomous RF

FormFactor introduces a new assistant for autonomous calibration and measurement of RF devices over multiple temperatures. New RF devices for applications such as 5G, autonomous driving and next generation Wi-Fi, need to have the most accurate device models for their IC designs. Normal testing of RF device modelling test structures requires large amounts of time from the engineer to perform re-calibrations whenever the system drifts beyond a usable limit. Re-positioning of the probes when changing temperature, also requires user intervention.

Key Features

Contact Intelligence

• Ease of use –  Less experienced operators can perform an RF calibration up to 330 GHz by simply pushing a button. This reduces the need of experienced users full time on each system.
• Reduced Soak Time – The system will automatically re-align the probes to the pads if they drift from alignment. This reduces test time and increases throughput.
• Unattended Use – Measurements can be left running over night or the weekend, testing all devices on the wafer, and at different temperatures without the need of an operator.
• Calibration Monitor and Re-calibration – System will continuously monitor calibration drift, and automatically re-calibrate the system should the drift exceed a predefined limit.

Key Benefits

With FormFactor’s Contact Intelligence, the operator can start a test and leave the probe station measuring during the whole shift, overnight or even over the weekend, without any user intervention. Contact Intelligence offers true hands-free and autonomous RF calibrations and measurements over multiple temperatures. Programmable positioners and, probe tip recognition algorithms coordinate with our WinCal XE calibration software to automatically recalibrate if the system performance drifts beyond a usable limit. Probes are dynamically corrected for the most accurate pad placement on-the-fly to compensate for any thermal expansion of the probes or device when changing temperature. This results in testing more devices in a shorter period of time, with a higher degree of confidence in the RF measurement performance, leading to more accurate design models and faster time to market.

Specifications

Velox Software Is Key to the Autonomous Operation

FormFactor’s Velox software allows the system to automatically detect probe tip location with reference to probe pads and alignment marks on the calibration substrate. Velox then controls the programmable positioners to place the probes accurately on the pads or calibration standards for each touchdown.