News: Suppliers
22 March 2023
Aehr receives volume production order for WaferPak full-wafer Contactors
Semiconductor production test and reliability qualification equipment supplier Aehr Test Systems of Fremont, CA, USA has received an order from its second major silicon carbide (SiC) customer for production quantities of WaferPak full-wafer Contactors to be used with previously ordered FOX-XP systems for test & burn-in of SiC wafers in their production facility. Shipments will begin in Aehr’s current fiscal fourth quarter that began on 1 March.
As previously announced, this customer has purchased Aehr’s FOX multi-wafer test & burn-in systems for SiC wafers for devices such as electric vehicle (EV) drive unit inverters, EV chargers, and other devices for use in industrial and photovoltaic inverter applications. Aehr has installed both a FOX-NP system used for new product development and engineering characterization as well as the first of two FOX-XP systems already purchased that will be upgraded to include Aehr’s new fully integrated and automated WaferPak Aligner for volume production test & burn-in of their silicon carbide devices. The new WaferPak AutoAligner will begin shipments in Aehr’s current fiscal quarter.
The order reflects initial WaferPak purchases from this customer for use in volume production of devices to meet the demand for SiC power semiconductors used in power conversion applications for electric vehicles, says president & CEO Gayn Erickson. “We believe that this customer will purchase a large number of our FOX-XP systems to meet their publicly announced significant increase in planned capacity and revenue growth over the next several years and through the end of the decade,” he adds.
“Forecasts from William Blair estimate that the silicon carbide market for devices in electric vehicles alone, such as traction inverters and on-board chargers, is expected to grow from 119,000 6”-equivalent silicon carbide wafers for electric vehicles in 2021 to more than 4.1 million 6”-equivalent wafers in 2030, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 48.4%. This equates to almost 35 times larger in 2030 than in 2021. In addition, 6”-equivalent silicon carbide wafers for other markets such as solar, industrial and other electrification infrastructure are expected to grow to another 3 million wafers by 2030,” Erickson continues.
“Aehr is adding infrastructure and capacity in design resources and tools, material suppliers and manufacturing and test of our FOX-XP WaferPaks to meet the anticipated significant growth in demand for these full-wafer contactors for the silicon carbide and gallium nitride power semiconductor test & burn-in markets as well as several other markets.”
The FOX-XP and FOX-NP systems, available with multiple WaferPak Contactors (full-wafer test) or multiple DiePak Carriers (singulated die/module test) configurations, are capable of functional test & 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, micro-controllers, 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.
Aehr receives $6.7m order for FOX WaferPak full-wafer contactors
New customer selects Aehr’s FOX system for wafer-level test and burn-in of SiC devices for EVs
New silicon carbide device-making customer chooses Aehr’s FOX-XP for wafer-level test and burn-in
