FREMONT, Calif., Jan. 9, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aehr Test Systems (Nasdaq: AEHR ), a worldwide supplier of semiconductor test and burn-in equipment, today announced it has received a new customer order of more than $1 million for multiple ABTS Burn-in and Test Systems from a European semiconductor manufacturer. The order includes down payments to lock in delivery slots and volume pricing discounts. As the order is for a configuration that is shipping in volume today, shipments are expected before the end of Aehr Test's fiscal 2014.
The ABTS systems will be used in the qualification and production of a wide variety of devices, including memories, microcontrollers and microprocessors. Qualification tests typically utilize a high-temperature operating life (HTOL) test, where failure mechanisms are accelerated by burning-in the devices for 1000 hours to confirm that the basic design and fabrication process of a device will meet the reliability targets over an extended period of normal use. Production burn-in is a much shorter stress to ensure that early-life failures are screened out before the devices are shipped to the end customer.
"We are very excited to see improved worldwide demand for our products, particularly in Europe, following the multi-year turndown that began during the global recession," said Mark Allison, vice president of sales at Aehr Test Systems. "This order for ABTS systems further demonstrates how reliability and quality needs of devices ranging from aerospace, automotive and mobility continue to drive the test and burn-in market."
The ABTS family of products is based on a hardware and software platform that is designed to address not only today's devices, but also future devices for many years to come. It can test and burn-in both logic and memory devices, including resources for high pin-count devices and configurations for high-power and low-power applications. The ABTS system can be configured with up to 72 burn-in boards with up to 320 I/O channels each and 32M of test vector memory per channel. The ABTS offers the option of high voltage Device Power Supplies configurable with programmable voltage ranges to 60 or 230 volts, which are needed for automotive and power-line applications. The ABTS system is optimized for use with the Sensata iSocket* and VTR Thermal Management Technologies, which provide a scalable cost-effective solution using individual device temperature control for ICs up to 75 watts or more. Individual temperature control enables high-power devices with a broad range of power dissipation to be burned-in simultaneously in a single burn-in chamber while maintaining a precise device temperature. The ABTS system also uses N+1 redundancy technology and hot-swap capability for many key components in the system to maximize system uptime.
*iSocket is a trademark of Sensata Technologies, Inc.
About Aehr Test Systems
Headquartered in Fremont, California, Aehr Test Systems is a worldwide provider of test systems for burning-in and testing logic and memory integrated circuits and has an installed base of more than 2,500 systems worldwide. Increased quality and reliability needs of the Automotive and Mobility integrated circuit markets are driving additional test requirements, capacity needs and opportunities for Aehr Test products in package and wafer level test. Aehr Test has developed and introduced several innovative products, including the ABTS and FOX TM families of test and burn-in systems and the DiePak® carrier. The ABTS system is used in production and qualification testing of packaged parts for both lower-power and higher-power logic as well as all common types of memory devices. The FOX system is a full wafer contact test and burn-in system used for burn-in and functional test of complex devices, such as leading-edge memories, digital signal processors, microprocessors, microcontrollers and systems-on-a-chip. The DiePak carrier is a reusable, temporary package that enables IC manufacturers to perform cost-effective final test and burn-in of bare die. For more information, please visit the Company's website at www.aehr.com .
Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements based on current expectations, forecasts and assumptions that involve risks and uncertainties. These statements are based on information available to Aehr Test as of the date hereof and actual results could differ materially from those stated or implied due to risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding expected shipping dates of our ABTS systems and uses of our ABTS systems. The risks and uncertainties that could cause our results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements include, without limitation, general world economic conditions and events, the state of the semiconductor equipment market, our ability to maintain sufficient cash to support operations, acceptance by customers of the ABTS technology, acceptance by customers of the ABTS systems shipped upon receipt of a purchase order and the ability of new products to meet customer needs or perform as described. See Aehr Test's recent 10-K, 10-Q and other reports from time to time filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission for a more detailed description of the risks facing our business. Aehr Test disclaims any obligation to update information contained in any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of this press release.
Aehr Test Systems Carl Buck V.P. of Marketing (510) 623-9400 x381 Financial Relations Board Marilynn Meek Analyst/Investor Contact (212) 827-3773
