Aehr Receives Order from New Customer for FOX-NP(TM) Multi-Wafer Test and Burn-in System for Silicon Carbide Power MOSFETs
- Aehr Test Systems secures an initial customer order for FOX-NP system for silicon carbide devices.
- The customer, a global semiconductor company, selects Aehr's solution for engineering, qualification, and small lot production.
- Aehr's technology solutions provide cost-effective implementation of burn-in and stabilization requirements with proven traceability.
- The customer plans to transition to high-volume production with Aehr's FOX-XP system.
- Market forecast indicates a significant demand for silicon carbide devices in electric vehicles, industrial, solar, and other applications.
- Aehr's wafer level burn-in solution proves to be more cost-effective and efficient than traditional package part burn-in methods, ensuring early life failure removal and long-term reliability for critical industries.
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The announcement by Aehr Test Systems of a new customer order for their FOX-NP system, WaferPak Contactors and a FOX WaferPak Aligner is a significant development in the semiconductor equipment market. The order, placed by a global semiconductor company entering the silicon carbide market, underscores the increasing demand for silicon carbide power devices, particularly in the automotive and industrial sectors. The ability of Aehr's technology to perform wafer level test and burn-in is essential for ensuring the reliability of these devices, which are critical for applications in electric vehicles and power infrastructure.
From an industry perspective, the integration of Bipolar Voltage Channel Module and Very High Voltage Channel Module options in the FOX-NP system represents a technological advancement that could set new standards for testing silicon carbide semiconductors. The cost-effectiveness and efficiency of wafer level burn-in compared to package part burn-in could lead to broader adoption of this methodology, potentially disrupting traditional testing paradigms.
For investors, this order might indicate Aehr's potential for growth and market penetration in the silicon carbide sector. William Blair's forecast of the demand for silicon carbide devices by 2030 suggests a robust market opportunity, which Aehr seems well-positioned to capitalize on. However, investors should monitor the company's ability to deliver on these systems and the subsequent customer transition to high-volume production, as these will be critical factors in realizing the revenue potential.
The initial order from a major semiconductor company for Aehr Test Systems' equipment is a positive signal for the company's financial outlook. Given the customer's multi-billion dollar revenue and global presence, this partnership may lead to further orders and strengthen Aehr's market position. The order could also be a leading indicator of Aehr's revenue diversification strategy, as it moves into the silicon carbide device sector, which is expected to grow substantially due to its applications in the rapidly expanding electric vehicle market and other industrial applications.
Investors should consider the long-term implications of Aehr's technology on the company's profitability. The proprietary nature of the WaferPak Contactors and the seamless transition between the FOX-NP and FOX-XP systems could provide Aehr with a competitive advantage and the potential for recurring revenue through subsequent high-volume orders. Nevertheless, it is important to remain cautious about the execution risks and the company's capacity to scale up to meet the anticipated demand.
The strategic positioning of Aehr Test Systems within the silicon carbide market is noteworthy. The company's focus on wafer level test and burn-in solutions caters to a niche but growing segment that is becoming increasingly relevant due to the surge in demand for power semiconductors in various industries. The transition from small lot production to high-volume production capabilities with the FOX-XP system demonstrates Aehr's scalability and adaptability to customer needs.
Market trends indicate a significant uptick in the use of silicon carbide devices for various applications, including automotive and industrial. The customer's plan to transition to Aehr's high-volume production systems suggests confidence in the technology and its alignment with industry trends. For stakeholders, understanding the broader market dynamics and Aehr's role within this ecosystem can provide insights into the company's future performance and its influence on the semiconductor testing equipment sector.
FREMONT, CA / ACCESSWIRE / April 2, 2024 / Aehr Test Systems (NASDAQ:AEHR), a worldwide supplier of semiconductor test and burn-in equipment, today announced it has received an initial customer order for a FOX-NP™ wafer level test and burn-in system, multiple WaferPak™ Contactors, and a FOX WaferPak Aligner to be used for engineering, qualification, and small lot production wafer level test and burn-in of their silicon carbide devices. The customer is multiple billion dollar per year global semiconductor company with locations across Europe, Asia, and the Americas that serves various industries including automotive, industrial, mobile, and consumer applications. The FOX-NP system, including the FOX WaferPak Aligner and initial WaferPaks, are scheduled to ship over the next few months.
The FOX-NP system is configured with the new Bipolar Voltage Channel Module (BVCM) and Very High Voltage Channel Module (VHVCM) options that enable new advanced test and burn-in capabilities for silicon carbide power semiconductors using Aehr's proprietary WaferPak full wafer Contactors.
Gayn Erickson, President and CEO of Aehr Test Systems, commented, "We are very excited that this new customer selected our FOX-P solution for engineering, qualification, and production of their silicon carbide power devices. After working with the Aehr team and our technology solutions over an extended period of time, they felt secure in our ability to aid them in achieving these goals. A key feature in their selection of our FOX solution is its proven ability to cost-effectively implement their target burn-in and stabilization requirements, including
"This customer currently has a wide range of automotive products and is entering the silicon carbide market to address several applications that include automotive, industrial, and electrification infrastructure. Key capabilities of our solution include our ability to scale from engineering and qualification and small lot production with the FOX-NP system to large scale production with the FOX-XP with Automated WaferPak Aligner. They have told us that they plan to transition to our FOX-XP multi-wafer test and burn-in systems for high-volume production. Aehr's FOX-P technology facilitates a seamless transition from engineering to high-volume production with
"This customer sees the enormous opportunity for silicon carbide power devices in industrial and power applications. William Blair forecasts that in addition to the 4.5 million six-inch equivalent wafers that will be needed to meet the demand for electric vehicle related silicon carbide devices in 2030, another 2.8 million wafers are needed to address industrial, solar, electric trains, energy conversion and other applications in 2030. The cost of ownership of our solution proves to be more cost-effective and efficient for these devices than package part burn-in after the die are packaged. This is a strong testimony of the advantage of wafer level burn-in as a better alternative to package part burn-in.
"The FOX family of compatible systems including the FOX-NP and FOX-XP multi-wafer test and burn-in systems and Aehr's proprietary WaferPak full wafer contactors provide a uniquely cost-effective solution for burning in multiple wafers of devices at a single time to remove early life failures of silicon carbide devices, which is critical to meeting the initial quality and long-term reliability of the automotive, industrial, and electrification infrastructure industry needs."
The FOX-XP and FOX-NP systems, available with multiple WaferPak Contactors (full wafer test) or multiple DiePakTM Carriers (singulated die/module test) configurations, are capable of functional test and burn-in/cycling of devices such as silicon carbide and gallium nitride power semiconductors, silicon photonics as well as other optical devices, 2D and 3D sensors, flash memories, magnetic sensors, microcontrollers, and other leading-edge ICs in either wafer form factor, before they are assembled into single or multi-die stacked packages, or in singulated die or module form factor.
About Aehr Test Systems
Headquartered in Fremont, California, Aehr Test Systems is a leading provider of test solutions for testing, burning-in, and stabilizing semiconductor devices in wafer level, singulated die, and package part form, and has installed thousands of systems worldwide. Increasing quality, reliability, safety, and security needs of semiconductors used across multiple applications, including electric vehicles, electric vehicle charging infrastructure, solar and wind power, computing, data and telecommunications infrastructure, and solid-state memory and storage, are driving additional test requirements, incremental capacity needs, and new opportunities for Aehr Test products and solutions. Aehr has developed and introduced several innovative products including the FOX-PTM families of test and burn-in systems and FOX WaferPakTM Aligner, FOX WaferPak Contactor, FOX DiePak® Carrier and FOX DiePak Loader. The FOX-XP and FOX-NP systems are full wafer contact and singulated die/module test and burn-in systems that can test, burn-in, and stabilize a wide range of devices such as leading-edge silicon carbide-based and other power semiconductors, 2D and 3D sensors used in mobile phones, tablets, and other computing devices, memory semiconductors, processors, microcontrollers, systems-on-a-chip, and photonics and integrated optical devices. The FOX-CP system is a low-cost single-wafer compact test solution for logic, memory and photonic devices and the newest addition to the FOX-P product family. The FOX WaferPak Contactor contains a unique full wafer contactor capable of testing wafers up to 300mm that enables IC manufacturers to perform test, burn-in, and stabilization of full wafers on the FOX-P systems. The FOX DiePak Carrier allows testing, burning in, and stabilization of singulated bare die and modules up to 1024 devices in parallel per DiePak on the FOX-NP and FOX-XP systems up to nine DiePaks at a time. For more information, please visit Aehr Test Systems' website at www.aehr.com.
Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements generally relate to future events or Aehr's future financial or operating performance. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements because they contain words such as "may," "will," "should," "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "going to," "could," "intends," "target," "projects," "contemplates," "believes," "estimates," "predicts," "potential," or "continue," or the negative of these words or other similar terms or expressions that concern Aehr's expectations, strategy, priorities, plans, or intentions. Forward-looking statements in this press release include, but are not limited to, future requirements and orders of Aehr's new and existing customers; bookings forecasted for proprietary WaferPakTM and DiePak consumables; and expectations related to long-term demand for Aehr's productions and the attractiveness of key markets. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are also subject to other risks and uncertainties, including those more fully described in Aehr's recent Form 10-K, 10-Q and other reports filed from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Aehr 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.
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Aehr Test Systems
Vernon Rogers
EVP of Sales & Marketing
(510) 623-9400 x215
vrogers@aehr.com
MKR Investor Relations Inc.
Todd Kehrli or Jim Byers
Analyst/Investor Contact
(323) 468-2300
aehr@mkr-group.com
SOURCE: Aehr Test Systems
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FAQ
What is the significance of the initial customer order received by Aehr Test Systems (NASDAQ:AEHR)?
How does Aehr's technology solutions address burn-in and stabilization requirements for silicon carbide devices?
What are the key capabilities of Aehr's solution for the customer?
What does the market forecast suggest about the demand for silicon carbide devices?
How does Aehr's wafer level burn-in solution compare to traditional package part burn-in methods?
