Advantest’s New Massively Parallel Test Fixture Extends the T6391 System’s Capabilities to Include Chip-on-Film Testing of Display Driver ICs

New RND440 Type 3 Unit is the First High-Throughput Test Solution for ICs that Drive LCD Screens in Smart Phones and Other Electronic Products

MUNICH, Germany – July 24, 2017 – Leading semiconductor test equipment supplier Advantest Corporation (TSE: 6857) has introduced the RND440 Type 3 fixture, an optional enhancement on its T6391 display driver IC (DDI) tester that makes the system capable of massively parallel testing of chip-on-film (CoF) packages for the latest generation of smart phone screens. The unit is designed to handle the growing number of pins on DDIs, the increasing speeds of interfaces and the highly integrated functions that enable high-resolution displays.

Mobile devices have evolved from using traditional chip-on-glass (CoG) ICs to more advanced CoF devices for several reasons. For example, today’s smart phones have begun to incorporate OLED screens with rounded edges, which require CoF packaging.

Along with CoF packaging, other developments are driving the need for better test solutions.  These include the increasing number of output lines for DDIs used in smart phones, tablet computers, notebooks and other products with LCD screens as well as the growing use of touch embedded display driver ICs (TDDI).

The new RND440 Type 3 fixture can perform both high-pin-count, high-speed wafer testing and CoF testing, also called tape testing. It can test all of the electrical components within a CoF package, which include an IC mounted on a base film, several passive elements and signal-input circuitry for receiving and transmitting data. The fixture works with substrates as large as 440 mm and its massively parallel testing capability doubles the throughput of single-device systems on the market.

“The T6391 system is the only highly parallel package testing system for DDIs and TDDIs,” said Satoru Nagumo, executive vice president of the ADS Business Group at Advantest Corporation. “Our test solution provides users with a huge productivity advantage and the lowest available cost of test for DDIs and TDDIs in either production or engineering environments.”

Advantest’s T6391 system uses the same engineering environment model and TDL programming language as other members of the T6300 product series while providing faster data transfer and calculation. It is the only platform capable of testing touch-sensor functions and power-management IC (PMIC) functions integrated in DDIs. It can accommodate high-resolution DDIs with up to 3,584 pins, sufficient for testing LCDs used in full high-definition (HD), WXGA and HD720 displays.

A stand-alone T6391 can handle I/O pin frequencies up to 1.6 gigabits per second (Gbps) while the addition of a separate measurement module allows it to test interfaces up to 6.5 Gbps, which will be used in the DDIs for ultra-high-definition televisions including the 4K (2160p) generation.

The RND440 Type 3 fixture has already begun shipping to customers earlier this calendar year.