OptimalTest to provide ST with advanced adaptive test solutions for enhanced test operations

NES ZIONA, ISRAEL: OptimalTest, the leader in Advanced Adaptive Test and enterprise-wide test management and optimization software for the semiconductor industry, has entered into a licensing agreement with STMicroelectronics to provide solutions for test floor monitoring and control, including early detection of issues, for the semiconductor company’s distributed test operations.

STMicroelectronics is the world’s fifth largest semiconductor company and a market leader in several segments of its diverse product portfolio.

Under the terms of the deal, OptimalTest is now deploying its integrated test floor monitoring and control solution on more than 60 testers at two STMicroelectronics sites. Devices being tested at these sites include complex SoCs and mission-critical devices for high-reliability applications. The solution addresses improved quality, data integrity, yield and test efficiency while minimizing cost of test for devices aimed at price-sensitive markets.

OptimalTest’s solution, including OT-Proxy and OT-Portal, will be implemented at both sites in real-time for wafer sort and final test. Providing a comprehensive but streamlined and integrated view of globally distributed test operations, OptimalTest’s software pinpoints issues among products, processes, operations, and equipment to accelerate notification and decision-making.

Using OT-Proxy, OptimalTest’s “lite” adaptive test engine, STMicroelectronics will enhance its test floor monitoring and control with no need to revise and re-document how test operations are run. Designed for easy, rapid integration with existing infrastructure for fast return on investment, OT-Proxy reduces time-to-actionable-data and ensures data integrity for confident decision-making.

In a completely automated process, it delivers real-time benefits including OptimalTest’s expert algorithm engine, OT-Rules2. OT-Rules2 leverages data and knowledge from different sources by applying consistent rules across processes, products and operations to dramatically improve yield, test costs and OEE through outlier identification.

It also supports improvement in product quality and yield by identifying die and devices in violation of rules. In addition to capturing the impact of adaptive testing rules, OT-Proxy provides a robust file transfer infrastructure, OptimalTest Data Format (OTDF), which supplements STDF and contributes to high data integrity.

OptimalTest’s OT-Portal is an expert decision-support and visualization tool for gathering and portraying business intelligence and for performance measuring and monitoring. With views that are infinitely configurable and customizable, it can capture and store views such as final yield by tester, load board or work week; or first-pass yield by work week.

In addition, it allows the user to determine various formats, such as bar charts or tables, for viewing the data. OT-Portal will also allow engineers at the two test sites to “drill down” to obtain additional information, such as tester final yield vs. a user-defined target. It is fully integrated with OT-Rules2, and issues user alerts when rules are transgressed.

Debbora Ahlgren, OptimalTest’s Vice President of Sales and Marketing, comments: “Our solution is extremely scalable and flexible in all dimensions, extending to different devices, business models and levels of timeliness or urgency from real-time to near-time to off-line. From test floor control to managing and optimizing test across global multi-enterprises, it enables us to offer customers the ideal combination of adaptive test applications in a local or globally distributed network, giving them the best possible data for business decision-making and maximizing their competitive advantage.”

“OptimalTest’s solution will help us achieve even greater consistency and control of our test operations, while allowing us to achieve greater efficiencies in hardware, software and manpower,” said Geoff West, VP and General Manager for Manufacturing and Technology Execution, STMicroelectronics. “The solution’s high value proposition and cost effectiveness will allow us to compete better while maintaining the highest production standards.”