Aehr Test Systems, Inc. develops and manufactures test and burn-in equipment used in the semiconductor industry. The company’s principal products are the FOX-XP, FOX-NP, and FOX-CP wafer contact and singulated die/module parallel test and burn-in systems, the WaferPak full wafer contactor, the DiePak carrier, the WaferPak aligner, the DiePak autoloader, and test fixtures.
The company operates in one business segment, the designing, manufacturing, marketing and selling of advanced test and burn-...
Aehr Test Systems, Inc. develops and manufactures test and burn-in equipment used in the semiconductor industry. The company’s principal products are the FOX-XP, FOX-NP, and FOX-CP wafer contact and singulated die/module parallel test and burn-in systems, the WaferPak full wafer contactor, the DiePak carrier, the WaferPak aligner, the DiePak autoloader, and test fixtures.
The company operates in one business segment, the designing, manufacturing, marketing and selling of advanced test and burn-in products to the semiconductor manufacturing industry in several geographic areas. The company provides test solutions for testing, burning-in, and stabilizing semiconductor devices in wafer level, singulated die, and package part form, and have installed thousands of systems worldwide. The company has developed and introduced several innovative products, including the FOX-P family of test and burn-in systems and FOX WaferPak Aligner, FOX WaferPak Contactor, FOX DiePak Carrier and FOX DiePak Loader. The FOX-XP and FOX-NP systems are full wafer contact and singulated die/module test and burn-in systems that can test, burn-in, and stabilize a wide range of devices, such as leading-edge silicon carbide-based and gallium nitride power semiconductors, 2D and 3D sensors used in mobile phones, tablets, and other computing devices, memory semiconductors, processors, microcontrollers, systems-on-a-chip, and photonics and integrated optical devices used in artificial intelligence. The FOX-CP system is a single-wafer compact test solution for logic, memory and photonic devices and the newest addition to the FOX-P product family. The FOX WaferPak Contactor contains a unique full wafer contactor capable of testing wafers up to 300mm that enables IC manufacturers to perform test, burn-in, and stabilization of full wafers on the FOX-P systems. The FOX DiePak Carrier allows testing, burn-in, and stabilization of singulated bare die and modules up to 1,024 devices in parallel per DiePak on the FOX-NP and FOX-XP systems up to nine DiePaks at a time.
Markets
The company’s semiconductor test and reliability qualification solutions address multiple test and burn-in markets, including Silicon Carbide (SiC) and Gallium Nitride (GaN) devices for power semiconductors, electric vehicles, electric vehicle charging infrastructure, solar and wind power, silicon photonics for data center infrastructure and worldwide 5G infrastructure, 2D/3D sensors for consumer electronics and automotive applications, the data storage and memory and artificial intelligence markets.
Power Semiconductors (Silicon Carbide and Gallium Nitride)
Silicon carbide power semiconductors have emerged as the preferred technology for battery electric vehicle power conversion in on-board and off-board electric vehicle battery chargers, and the electric power conversion and control of the electric engines. These devices reduce power loss by as much as greater than 75% over power silicon alternatives like IGBT (Insulated-Gate Bipolar Transistor) devices, which has essentially changed the entire market dynamic. With the power efficiency advantages of SiC, the company sees most, if not every electric vehicle automotive company moving to silicon carbide-based powertrain and charging systems in the near future.
The gallium nitride market appears to be a potentially significant growth driver for the company’s systems and WaferPak full wafer contactors, particularly for automotive, photovoltaic and other industrial applications where burn-in appears to be critical for meeting the initial quality and reliability needs of those markets.
The company’s FOX-P family of products are cost-effective solutions to help ensure the critical quality and reliability of devices in this market, where quality and reliability can provide assurance against failure of a vehicle whose power semiconductor fails in the power drive train.
Silicon Photonics
Silicon photonics devices are highly integrated silicon-based semiconductors that have embedded or integrated the non-silicon-based laser transmitters and receivers to enable a smaller, alternative to traditional fiber optic transceivers used in data center and telecommunication infrastructure. These require a process step in manufacturing called stabilization where the devices are subjected to high temperatures and power to stabilize their output power. The company’s solution makes it feasible to burn-in integrated silicon photonics devices. In the case of silicon photonics, the laser devices are bonded directly to a silicon-based device that has all the logic multiplexing and de-multiplexing, and other high-speed communication subsystems, all integrated into a silicon-based integrated circuit.
Data Storage and Memory
The company also sees new developments in the data storage and memory markets as new opportunities for its systems where these end markets and customers require devices to have extremely high levels of quality and long-term reliability. The company sees NAND Flash market as an opportunity for its fully automated systems and WaferPaks with long term potential to also move into DRAM wafer level test and burn-in.
Artificial intelligence
As the AI processor market grows, the company sees the need for burn-in becoming increasingly important. AI Processors distinct architecture of die-to-die interdependency and increased memory size and use create a unique opportunity for the company to apply enabling wafer level test and burn-in technology for its customers and potential future customers.
Mobile 2D and 3D Sensors
Sensors used in mobile devices, such as smartphones, tablets, wearables, such as watches and fitness bands, and audio devices have become pervasive. Initially, sensors on smartphones allowed basic functions the company has all come to expect, such as touchscreens, rotational sensors, and fingerprint sensors, but have gotten more complex with added capabilities, such as 3D facial recognition and time of flight distance measurements.
Automotive Semiconductors
In addition, the rapid growth and increasing demand for reliability in automotive sensor technologies is a key market driver for the company. These technologies include ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) capabilities, such as collision avoidance systems using laser, LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), and RADAR (Radio Detection and Ranging) or other sensing technologies. More and more new vehicles include as standard capabilities collision avoidance systems that detect obstacles and monitor the vehicle’s surroundings to notify the driver of dangerous conditions and take evasive action. In addition to autonomous vehicles that require extremely high reliability of the devices in these systems, more and more vehicles around the world are embedding these systems and sensors into their everyday driving features. The company sees the rising tide of the increasing number of embedded sensors and electrical and optical systems in vehicles as a key driver of the increasing market need for reliable semiconductors. This, in turn, is increasing the need for 100% production test and burn-in of devices to lower the infant mortality rate of devices and ensure that these devices and systems operate over the life of the vehicles.
Products
The company manufactures and markets full wafer contact test systems, test during burn-in systems, test fixtures and related accessories.
All of the company’s systems are platform-based systems with a portfolio of current, voltage, digital and thermal capabilities, allowing them to be configured with optional features to meet customer requirements. Systems can be configured for use in production applications, where capacity, throughput and price are most important, or for reliability engineering and quality assurance applications, where performance and flexibility, such as extended temperature ranges, are essential.
The company’s product portfolio is platform-based systems with a modular configurable approach to enable a broad market approach while leveraging refined high-quality modules as building blocks. The platform-based system enables the optimized configuration for the market, application or specific customer requirement. Modules and configurability provide a range of current and voltage selections over a range of power and thermal capacities while enabling digital control for each unique device requirement. Implementing this approach along with the company’s proprietary full wafer contactors and device interface carriers provides its customers with the ability to configure a system for engineering characterization and reliability qualification and high-volume production applications.
Full Wafer Contact Systems
Aehr’s FOX-XP test and burn-in platform allows for reliability screening tests to be completed on an entire wafer full of devices, testing all of them at once or multiple touchdowns, while also testing and monitoring every device for failures during the burn-in process to provide critical information on those devices.
The FOX-XP test and burn-in system, introduced in July 2016, is designed for devices in wafer, singulated die, and module form that require test and burn-in times typically measured in hours to days. The FOX-XP system can test and burn-in up to 18 wafers at a time. For high reliability applications, such as automotive, mobile devices, networking, telecommunications, sensors, power and solid-state devices, the FOX-XP system is a cost-effective solution for producing tested and burned-in die for use in multi-chip packages. Using Known-Good Die, or KGD, which are fully burned-in and tested die, in multi-chip/heterogeneous packages assures the reliability of the final product. Wafer-level burn-in and test enables production of KGD for multi-chip modules, 3-D stacked packages and systems-in-a-package. The FOX-XP platform has been extended for burn-in and test of small multi-die modules by using DiePak Carriers. The DiePak Carrier with its multi-module sockets and high wattage dissipation capabilities has a capacity of hundreds of die or modules, much higher than the capacity of a traditional burn-in system with traditional single-device sockets and heat sinks.
The FOX-NP is a entry-level system to provide a configuration and price point for companies to initiate a new product introduction and production qualification, enabling an easier transition to the FOX-XP system for high volume production test. The FOX-NP system is 100% compatible with the FOX-XP system and is configurable with up to two slot assemblies per system compared to up to 18 slot assemblies in the FOX-XP system.
The FOX-CP is a single-wafer compact test and reliability verification solution for logic, memory, power and photonic devices. The FOX-CP includes an integrated prober which is equipped with optics for automatic pattern recognition so that the wafer is aligned properly for the testing process. It complements the capabilities of the FOX-XP and FOX-NP systems, which are optimal when the test time is measured in hours or days and the full wafer can be tested in a single touchdown.
One of the key components of the FOX systems is the patented WaferPak Contactor. The WaferPak Contactor contains a full-wafer single-touchdown probe card, which is easily removable from the system. Traditional probe cards often are only able to contact a portion of the wafer, requiring multiple touchdowns to test the entire wafer. Traditional probe cards also require the use of a dedicated wafer prober handler for each wafer in order to press the wafer up to make contact with the probe card. The unique design of the WaferPak, as well as the FOX-XP and FOX-NP systems remove the need for a dedicated wafer prober per wafer, allowing for better utilization of clean room space. A single FOX-XP system with a set of WaferPak Contactors can test up to 18 wafers at a time in the same footprint as a single-wafer wafer prober and test system offered by Aehr’s competitors. The WaferPak Contactor is intended to accommodate a wide range of contactor technologies so that the contactor technology can evolve along with the changing requirements of the customer’s wafers. The WaferPak Contactors are custom designed for each device type, each of which has a typical lifetime of two to seven years, depending on the device life cycle.
Another key component of the FOX-XP and FOX-NP systems is the patented DiePak Carrier. The DiePak Carrier, which is removable from the system, contains many multi-module or die sockets with very fine-pitch probes. Traditional sockets contact only a single device, requiring multiple large numbers of sockets and burn-in boards to test a production lot of devices. The unique design accommodates a wide range of socket sizes and densities so that the DiePak Carrier technology can evolve along with the changing requirements of the customer’s devices. The DiePak Carriers are custom designed for each device type, each of which has a typical lifetime of two to seven years, depending on the device life cycle. Therefore, multiple sets of DiePak Carriers could be purchased over the life of a FOX-XP or FOX-NP system.
Another key component of the company’s FOX-XP and FOX-NP and test solution is the WaferPak Aligner. The WaferPak Aligner performs alignment of the customer’s wafer to the WaferPak Contactor so that the wafer can be tested and burned-in by the FOX-XP and FOX-NP systems. The company offers an automated aligner for high volume production applications, which can support several FOX-XP or FOX-NP systems or can be connected to a FOX-XP resulting in a fully integrated automated test cell, and a manual aligner for low volume production or engineering applications. The latest generation Automated WaferPak Aligner supports industry standard Automated Material Handling System (AMHS), Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV), Overhead Hoist Transfer (OHT) and SEMI Equipment Communication Standard (SECS) and Generic Equipment Mode (GEM) Semi E84 factory integration enabling Lights-out fully automated wafer handling. Supporting a wide range of wafer sizes (e.g. 100/200/300mm) allows a broad range of customers to implement fully automated wafer level test and burn-in factories.
Similar to the WaferPak Aligner for WaferPak Contactors, the company offers the DiePak Loader for DiePak Carriers. The DiePak Loader performs automatic loading of the customer’s modules to the DiePak Carrier so that the modules can be tested and burned-in by the FOX-XP and FOX-NP system. Typically, one DiePak Loader can support several FOX-XP or FOX-NP systems.
Systems For Packaged Parts
Test during burn-in, or TDBI, systems consist of several subsystems: pattern generation and test electronics, control software, network interface and environmental chamber. The test pattern generator allows duplication of most of the functional tests performed by a traditional tester. Pin electronics at each burn-in board (BIB), position are designed to provide accurate signals to the ICs being tested and detect whether a device is failing the test.
Devices being tested are placed on BIBs and loaded into environmental chambers which typically operate at temperatures from 25 degrees Celsius (77 degrees Fahrenheit) up to 150 degrees Celsius (302 degrees Fahrenheit). Using the company’s optional chambers, its systems can produce temperatures as low as -55 degrees Celsius (-67 degrees Fahrenheit). A single BIB can hold up to several hundred integrated circuits (ICs), and a production chamber holds up to 72 BIBs, resulting in thousands of memory or logic devices being tested in a single system.
The Advanced Burn-in and Test System, or ABTS, was introduced in 2008. Several updates to the ABTS system have been made since its introduction, including the ABTS-P system released in 2012. The ABTS family of products is based on a hardware and software architecture that is intended to address not only today’s devices, but also future devices for many years to come. The ABTS system can test and burn-in both high-power logic and low-power ICs. It can be configured to provide individual device temperature control for devices up to 70W or more and with up to 320 I/O channels. The ABTS system is nearing the end of its lifecycle and limited shipments are expected in the future.
Customers
The company markets and sells its products throughout the world to semiconductor manufacturers, semiconductor contract assemblers, electronics manufacturers and burn-in and test service companies.
Revenues from the company’s five largest customers accounted for approximately 93% of its net revenues in fiscal 2024. During fiscal 2024, two customers accounted for approximately 67% and 17% of the company’s net revenues.
Marketing, Sales and Customer Support
The company has sales and service operations in the United States, Germany, the Philippines and Taiwan, dedicated sales and service resources in China and South Korea, and has established a network of distributors and sales representatives in certain key parts of the world.
The company’s customer service and support program includes system installation, system repair, applications engineering support, spare parts inventories, customer training and documentation. The company has applications engineering and field service personnel located near and sometimes co-located at its customers and includes resources at the corporate headquarters in Fremont, California, at customer locations in Texas, at the company’s subsidiaries in Germany and the Philippines, at its branch office in Taiwan, and also through third-party agreements in China. The company’s distributors provide applications and field service support in other parts of the world. The company customarily provides a warranty on its products. The company offers service contracts on its systems directly and through its subsidiaries, distributors and representatives.
Research and Product Development
The company’s research and development expenses were $8.7 million during fiscal 2024.
Proprietary Rights
As of May 31, 2024, the company held more than 110 active patents in the United States, Singapore, China, Japan, Korea, and other countries, with expiration date ranges from 2024 to 2041, and had several additional United States patent applications and foreign patent applications pending.
Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG)
The company provides recurring training in compliance with State of California regulations including sexual harassment, prevention of violence in the workplace, and Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion (DEI) training. The company provides health care coverage for all RFT employees, life insurance, continuing education assistance, and reimbursement of the U.S. employee health club membership. The company ensures compliance with International Organization for Standardization (ISO) certification and maintains safety training.
History
Aehr Test Systems, Inc. was founded in 1977. The company was incorporated in California in 1977.
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