SHANGHAI, CHINA and TOKYO — (Marketwire) — 06/19/12 — Shanghai Hua Hong NEC Electronics Company, Ltd. (“Hua Hong NEC”), one of the leading pure-play foundries in the world, and Advantest Corporation (TSE: 6857) (NYSE: ATE), a world leader in automated testing equipment, have collaborated to successfully develop a wafer-level, multi-site parallel test solution for radio-frequency identification (RFID) semiconductor devices that meet industry-standard ISO 14443 guidelines. This new test methodology is now being used to improve the cost efficiency of volume-production testing at Hua Hong NEC and, most importantly, has already met with approval from the foundry-s key customers.
By leveraging Hua Hong NEC-s advanced production processing and test development capabilities in smart card and information security applications and the highly efficient performance of Advantest-s T2000 test platform, the jointly developed test solution provides fast accurate recognition and feedback for cost-effectively testing current and future generations of RFID devices.
RFID devices that comply with ISO 14443 standards are divided into two types: Type A and Type B. The major difference between them is in the modulation/demodulation for the 13.56 MHz carrier wave. When in use, a proximity coupling device (PCD) sends a carrier signal at 13.56 MHz to the RFID device. The RFID device-s antenna receives the signal wave, which carries both transmitted data and the power that drives the RFID device. The RFID device then sends a return signal carrying response data back to the PCD. In this way, information is communicated between the PCD and the RFID. However, crosstalk among RFID devices during wafer-level testing can result in reduced production yields and low productivity.
The new test solution uses a high signal quality, anti-crosstalk interface and an optimized algorithm within the test program to minimize the bit error rate and perform multi-site parallel testing. This methodology is currently being used in mass production to test 32 RFID sites in parallel — the highest parallelism in the industry. The next-generation solution under development by Hua Hong NEC and Advantest will be capable of 64-site parallelism to meet the testing needs for future RFID devices.
“Hua Hong NEC and Advantest have a long-term history of cooperation,” said Mr. Xu Wei, vice president of Hua Hong NEC. “Based on the mutual efforts of test development teams from our two companies, we are successfully solving the bottleneck issue of RFID testing efficiency. The results we are achieving represent important leaps forward in RFID testing by establishing a solid base and paving the way for RFID devices- cost-efficient mass production using this multi-site test method.”
“Throughout our 50-year history, Advantest has always been dedicated to delivering leading-edge products and solutions to our valued customers,” said Mr. Xu Yong, president of Advantest China. “We are honored to provide our most advanced testers and applications support services to Hua Hong NEC to help them create a one-stop test solution for our common customers. Already, customers are acknowledging the value of this new approach and its superior performance in improving RFID testing efficiency, which enables our customers to become more cost competitive in their markets.”
Founded in July 1997, Shanghai Hua Hong NEC Electronics Company Limited is the first 8-inch semiconductor manufacturer of Mainland China and has become one of the world-s leading pure-play wafer foundries, providing value-added foundry services to worldwide customers. The Company has two 8-inch foundry production lines in Mainland China which are both in mass production with the total capacity around 90K wafers per month. Hua Hong NEC, with its headquarters located in Shanghai China, extends its sales and technical support to Taiwan, Japan, North America and Europe.
Based on its solid foundation in 1.0~0.13um processes, Hua Hong NEC-s featured process platforms include embedded NVM, analog/power management, HVCMOS/display IC, radio frequency (RF) and discrete device as well as logic, mixed signal. These products have a wide range of applications such as communications, computer, mobile phone, home appliances, smart cards, automobile, SMPS, power management, TeleHealth, green energy (include wind power and solar energy), power train, rail transit, smart grid, audio, LED display and new illumination (include LED lighting applications and energy saving lights).
Hua Hong NEC provides first-class round-the-clock services, including design support, library/IP, mask layout, wafer processing, wafer sorting, reliability testing and failure analysis. Collaborating with its partners, Hua Hong NEC also provides one stop services including mask manufacturing, package and final testing.
To date, Hua Hong NEC has been awarded various international certifications such as ISO9001 for quality system, ISO14001 for environmental protection, ISO27001 for information security, OHSAS18001 for occupational health safety, VEU authorization from the U.S. Commerce Department-s BIS, and the letter of conformance of TS16949 for quality management. Proven by such certifications, Hua Hong NEC ensures its customers of high product quality and information security.
A world-class technology company, Advantest is the leading producer of automatic test equipment (ATE) for the semiconductor industry and a premier manufacturer of measuring instruments used in the design and production of electronic instruments and systems. Its leading-edge systems and products are integrated into the most advanced semiconductor production lines in the world. The company also focuses on R&D for emerging markets that benefit from advancements in nanotech and terahertz technologies, and has recently introduced multi-vision metrology scanning electron microscopes essential to photomask manufacturing, as well as a groundbreaking 3D imaging and analysis tool. Founded in Tokyo in 1954, Advantest established its first subsidiary in 1982, in the USA, and now has subsidiaries worldwide. More information is available at .
ADVANTEST COMPANY CONTACT:
Judy Davies
VP of Global Marketing Communications
+1 408-864-7549
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