June 20, 2012 - Marketwire -- Pure-play foundry Shanghai Hua Hong NEC Electronics Company Ltd. and test equipment supplier Advantest Corporation (TSE: 6857, NYSE:ATE) co-developed a wafer-level, multi-site parallel test scheme for radio-frequency identification (RFID) semiconductor devices that meets industry-standard ISO 14443 guidelines.
RFID devices that comply with ISO 14443 standards are divided into two types: Type A and Type B, by the modulation/demodulation for the 13.56 MHz carrier wave. When in use, a proximity coupling device (PCD) sends a carrier signal at 13.56 MHz to the RFID device. The RFID device's antenna receives the signal wave, which carries both transmitted data and the power that drives the RFID device. The RFID device then sends a return signal carrying response data back to the PCD.
Crosstalk among RFID devices during wafer-level testing can result in reduced production yields and low productivity. The foundry worked with Advantest's T2000 test platform to develop a test solution that offers fast, accurate recognition and feedback for RFID devices. The result is a high-signal-quality, anti-crosstalk interface and an optimized algorithm within the test program to minimize the bit error rate and perform multi-site parallel testing.
This methodology is currently being used in mass production to test 32 RFID sites in parallel. Hua Hong NEC is seeing improved cost efficiency of volume-production testing and reduced bottleneck at RF test, with approval from the foundry's key customers. Hua Hong NEC offers advanced production processing and test development capabilities for smart card and information security applications.
The companies are collaborating on a next-generation solution capable of 64-site parallelism.
Shanghai Hua Hong NEC Electronics Company Limited is an 8”-wafer semiconductor manufacturer in Mainland China. Based on its solid foundation in 1.0~0.13um processes, Hua Hong NEC's featured process platforms include embedded NVM, analog/power management, HVCMOS/display IC, radio frequency (RF) and discrete device as well as logic, mixed signal.
Advantest makes automatic test equipment (ATE) for the semiconductor industry and measuring instruments used in the design and production of electronic instruments and systems. More information is available at www.advantest.co.jp.
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