Tessera Introduces New TV-208 Test Vehicle; ExpandsTest Vehicle Offerings to Meet High Pin-Count...

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)

Sept. 19, 2000 - Tessera Inc., a leading provider and licensor of chip-scale packaging (CSP) technology, today introduced a new fine-pitch (0.5 mm), 208 I/O, small form factor test vehicle to assist customers

Test vehicles are cost-effective "dummy" chips that can be used by board assemblers to evaluate and optimize fine-pitch CSP assembly or by semiconductor companies to evaluate the reliability of Tessera's CSP technology. The TV-208 test package is similar in size and I/O count to many ASICs and microcontrollers, providing a low-cost development alternative to these expensive functional devices which are commonly used in wireless, networking and high-performance computing applications.

"Tessera's new TV-208 test vehicle satisfies the industry's growing need for fine-pitch test packages," said Bruce McWilliams, president and CEO of Tessera. "Demand for these devices is accelerating as manufacturers of ASICs, DSPs, microcontrollers and other high performance, high pin-count semiconductors seek out the performance improvements and space savings offered by CSP technology. Tessera is providing these companies with a cost-effective way to evaluate and adopt its CSP technology."

The TV-208 test vehicle uses a two-metal substrate, which can significantly increase electrical performance in functional devices. The second metal layer can be used for additional routing or to establish a power or ground plane.

As with all of Tessera's test vehicles, the TV-208 test package is available in both electrical and mechanical configurations. For customers working on package and/or board level qualification, Tessera offers electrical test vehicles that are guaranteed to be electrically accurate. These test vehicles can be used to evaluate package- and board-level reliability, as well as the overall assembly process. For those customers evaluating equipment used in board-level assembly, Tessera offers mechanical test vehicles that have the same construction, form factor and material set as the electrical versions, but are not guaranteed to be electrically accurate. Mechanical test vehicles can be used to evaluate test handlers, packing equipment, surface mount processes and more.

Tessera currently has a variety of test vehicles available for different semiconductor applications, including a TV-46 test vehicle for Flash memory; TV-62 and TV-74 test vehicles for RDRAM memory; and the new TV-208 fine pitch (0.5 mm) test vehicle for ASICs and microcontrollers. Tessera has several other test vehicles currently under development.

About Tessera Inc.

Tessera is a leading provider of proprietary chip-scale packaging technology that addresses the accelerating demand for performance and miniaturization in wireless communications, Internet access, computing and consumer electronics. Tessera's technology enables the semiconductor industry to overcome fundamental issues in performance, reliability and size.

Tessera currently licenses its advanced packaging technology to over 30 assembly and semiconductor companies, including Amkor, AMD, ASE, ChipMOS, ChipPAC, EEMS, Hitachi, Hyundai, Infineon, Intel, IPAC, LG, Meicer, Mitsui High-tec, Samsung, Shinko, Sony, SPIL, ST Microelectronics and Toshiba. Tessera is based in San Jose, Calif.

Note to Editors: Tessera and the Tessera logo are registered trademarks of Tessera, Inc. All other brand and product names may be trademarks of their respective companies.