Philips Implements Internet-Based Prober Network
-- Semiconductor International, 2/1/2001
Philips Semiconductors (Nijmegen, Netherlands) recently installed SORTnet connectivity products from Electroglas in its test facilities in Nijmegen; Caen, France; and Kaohsiung, Taiwan. The company plans to proliferate the network management tools worldwide, including sites in Calamba, the Philippines; Bangkok, Thailand; Hamburg, Germany; and New Mexico. The purchase is one result of a long-standing relationship between the two companies, evidenced by the installation of more than 500 Electroglas probers in 10 Philips test plants worldwide.The SORTnet networking and control package provides high-speed, Web-based interconnection for monitoring, analyzing and sharing wafer test data. It will allow Philips to immediately convert to off-line inking and inkless binning soon thereafter, increasing operational productivity. The tool's Windows-based SORTview program analyzes data in real time, displays wafer maps and status and generates reports from a wafer sort database. SORTview can be programmed to define events that trigger user-programmable actions upstream and downstream of the test floor.
In related news, Electroglas signed an agreement in December to purchase Statware Inc. (Corvallis, Ore.), whose products will be integrated with SORTnet for Web-enabled SPC, remote monitoring capability and e-diagnostics.
- Laura Peters
