Agilent Technologies 93000 Series and 4073 parametric testers selected by Crolles2 Alliance for nanotechnology joint development program
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Freescale, Philips, STMicroelectronics Alliance to use Agilent test equipment for research, development and industrialization of CMOS process technologies
PALO ALTO, Calif., Feb. 14, 2006
Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) today announced that the Crolles2 Alliance has purchased three Agilent 93000 Pin Scale testers and four 4073 advanced parametric testers for research, development and industrialization of CMOS process technologies.
The Alliance, which includes STMicroelectronics, Philips and Freescale Semiconductor, has agreed to a joint development program (JDP) with Agilent, focusing on the development of test software and hardware aimed at best-in-class test capabilities for nanotechnology engineering and industrial applications.
Agilent will collaborate closely with the Alliance to develop state-of-the-art engineering tools for R&D and production, focusing primarily on memory and mixed-signal device test. In exchange, the Alliance will provide access to test-related technology in both industrial and engineering environments. The Alliance's center in Crolles, France, includes a 300 mm wafer plant, currently in production at 90 nm technology. The Alliance also has a pilot line for 65 nm technology, developments in process for 45 nm, and plans for 32 nm.
To help its members propagate technology to multiple sites around the globe, the Alliance needed a test equipment manufacturer with an established global presence. The Agilent 93000 is the strategic SOC test platform for all of the alliance partners, facilitating seamless technical transfers worldwide.
"The Crolles2 Alliance is committed to rapid, cutting-edge technological development advancing future generations of nanoelectronics and guaranteeing world-class semiconductor manufacturing," said Joel Hartmann, director, Crolles2 Alliance. "The reliability, scalability and flexibility of the 93000 tester make it the ideal SOC test platform for our efforts."
"We are pleased to collaborate with the Crolles2 Alliance to develop new test methodologies for next-generation devices," said Pascal Ronde, vice president of Agilent's Semiconductor Test Solutions. "The Alliance's selection of Agilent test solutions reinforces the value of both the 93000 Series and 4070 Series testers to the industry."
About the Agilent 93000 SOC Series
The Agilent 93000 is the industry's fastest-growing scalable platform architecture for testing systems-on-chips (SOCs) and systems-in-packages (SIPs). With more than 1,100 installed systems worldwide, the Agilent 93000 is the system of choice for subcontract manufacturers, integrated device manufacturers and fabless companies. The Agilent 93000 meets the industry's demanding performance and cost challenges, whether at-speed device characterization or high-volume production. The test system provides massive multi-site capabilities, enables data rates up to 10 Gb/s and supports a full range of digital, mixed-signal and RF applications. The flexibility and performance of the Agilent 93000 provide faster time-to-market, better yields and lower overall cost-of-test.
More information on the Agilent 93000 is available at www.agilent.com/see/soctest.
About the Agilent 4070 Series
The Agilent 4070 Series offers the widest range of solutions and price-performance points available today for production parametric test. The 4070 Series provides the DC and RF measurement capabilities needed to test the 65 nm process technologies of today, as well as the sub-65 nm process technologies of tomorrow. All members of the 4070 Series family have complete DC parametric test capabilities, including Flash memory cell testing, capacitance versus voltage (CV) measurement and ring oscillator evaluation. Additionally, it is possible to integrate all models into an SECS/GEM compatible 300 mm automated factory environment.
About the Crolles2 Alliance
Under a five-year agreement extending through December 2007, the Crolles2 Alliance brings together STMicroelectronics, Philips and Freescale Semiconductor in an alliance of unprecedented scope in the microelectronics sector. Their joint Crolles2 center will focus on specific technologies at the forefront of semiconductor R&D: baseline CMOS processing, embedded memories (static and dynamic RAM), Silicon-On-Insulator, analog CMOS, advanced process modules, advanced copper interconnect, low-power designs and RF capabilities.
The Alliance has already demonstrated successful cooperation between the partners with the early availability of the industry's first 90-nm CMOS design platform and cell libraries for System-On-Chip solutions.
About Agilent Technologies
Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) is the world's premier measurement company and a technology leader in communications, electronics, life sciences and chemical analysis. The company's 20,000 employees serve customers in more than 110 countries. Agilent had net revenue of $5.1 billion in fiscal 2005. Information about Agilent is available on the Web at www.agilent.com.
Contact:
Jana Knezovich
+1 970 679 3399
jana_knezovich@agilent.com
