Taiwan-based wafer test solution provider Chunghwa Precision Test Tech (CHPT) is expected to see the revenue ratio for its MEMS-based vertical probe cards (VPCs) surge to a double-digit level in 2018, as such advanced cards are growingly needed to probe midrange to high-end logic ICs and even memory wafers, according to industry sources.
VPCs are replacing traditional cantilever probe cards as a mainstream chip probing tool. In particular, the sources said, those VPCs manufactured on the MEMS process see much greater market demand, as makers of midrange to high-end logic ICs such as GPU, smartphone APs, communication network chips, and ASICs, as well as memory wafers need the support of high-frequency, high-speed test interfaces such as MEMS VPCs to achieve higher yield rates in production to counter ever-rising costs of fabricating high performance computing chips on advanced process nodes.
This has prompted global wafer card makers including US-based Formfactor, Japan's JEM and MJC, Technoprobe of Italy, and Taiwan's CHPT and MPI, to roll out MEMS VPCs involving much higher profitability than general VPCs.
At the moment, US and Japan makers mainly share orders for MEMS VPCs from major memory clients including Micron, and other makers also have their own dominances in different semiconductor segments, with customers covering backend IC packagers and testers, IC design houses and wafer foundry houses.
CHPT have successfully tapped into the midrange and high-end logic ICs probing market in Asia, having landed orders for MEMS VPCs from 10 customers in the market. The company is also sending sample products for validations by potential US and Europe customers including Micron.
Besides VPCs, CHPT now also supplies load board for IC test, probe PCB for wafer test, substrate for vertical probe card and DUT board for memory test.
Another major wafer test specialist MPI has not fared so smoothly in the development of MEMS VPCs, and its sales prospects for such cards are not expected to turn clear until the end of 2018, industry sources indicated.
Article translated by Willis Ke
