ElevATE Semiconductor
Reducing Testing Costs and Increasing Speed-to-Market

With the rise in demand for high-performance and defect-free semiconductor chips in modern equipment, effective testing solutions have become crucial. Due to the densely packed transistors and high silicon content in these chips, it is essential to test multiple channels in parallel during production to ensure they meet all necessary specifications and quality standards while maintaining high yields. Additionally, testing solutions must be efficient and cost-effective, as they often contribute up to 70 percent to the price of a semiconductor component. By implementing such solutions, manufacturers can reduce both the time and cost of production while maintaining the desired level of quality.

ElevATE Semiconductor, a semiconductor pure-play designer and manufacturer, offers high-density and low-power IC testing chips to help reduce testing costs for semiconductor manufacturers. The company's ICs are designed to test all functions of a semiconductor, including crucial parameters such as power, speed, and voltage, as well as the overall chip system. They can detect defects in processing and performance, and monitor variations across parameters over time. By leveraging ElevATE Semiconductor's products, manufacturers can optimize their testing procedures, reduce costs, and maintain high levels of quality.

“Built on CMOS design, our products consume the lowest power when compared to the market standard, solving the issue of power limitation for semiconductor manufacturers,” says David Kenyon, CEO and president, ElevATE.

The chips operate at lower power consumption and are air-cooled. This allows manufacturers to power their testers and ensure significant savings by eliminating the need to modify manufacturing facilities to support different kinds of cooling.

ElevATE addresses the high-density needs of clients, as well. The need for parallelization tests grows with the increasing complexity of chips, requiring clients to test more components in the same tester. It designs parts with multiple channels that satisfy their hard density requirements and allows them to simultaneously test many parts. When more devices are tested in parallel, the time to test the entire chip is reduced, which ultimately lowers costs.

Reduced testing time translates into significant savings, as a one-second time reduction in the test program at large volume saves millions of dollars annually.

In addition to delivering standard circuits at a lower cost, ElevATE’s flexible business model allows for customized or semi-customized designs. For example, when a client needs a solution specific to a product, like LCD testing, it might require custom modifications. ElevATE allows them to make these changes at more affordable prices than developing the solution themselves or acquiring it from a third party.

“We are a customer-centric organization and quickly react to customer needs,” says ElevATE’s vice president of global sales, Tim Bakken.

Dedicated to Client Success

Focusing on the core building blocks clients need to be successful, ElevATE ensures manufacturers have everything they need to make a solid, efficient product. Whether the need is for high-speed capability transmitting, receiving, or accurate measurements, voltages, and currents, the company can do it all. The team is spread across the globe to support clients and ensure flexible service.

Clients provide feedback on how different products work for them, enabling ElevATE to modify offerings to meet their exact needs. Through official scorecards, clients provide a rating on different criteria, like pricing, quality, support, delivery flexibility, supply continuity, and pushing in and pulling out orders. Staying in contact with clients through regular meetings to identify the requirements of their latest products helps fulfill new product needs.

ElevATE’s collaboration with a client that planned to launch a novel tester in the automated test equipment (ATE) market is a testament to its dedication to excellence and ability to help manufacturers achieve their goals. Time-to-market was critical for this client, and it required cutting-edge channel density and low-power solutions to achieve success. Since it needed their testers to be air-cooled, power dissipation was a key concern, along with board space and ease-of-design requirements that can be fulfilled with highly-integrated solutions with a few off-chip components.

Two of its most advanced products, Mystery and Vesuvius, were recommended. Mystery is a highly integrated system-on-a-chip (SoC) pin electronics solution that incorporates every analog function, along with the digital support circuitry required to create eight independent pin channels for ATE.

Vesuvius is a highly integrated SOC device under test (DUT) power supply solution incorporating eight independent DUT power supply units. After completing its evaluation, the client chose Mystery and Vesuvius for their high channel count, complete SOC features, and superior power efficiency.

To help the client meet their aggressive timeline, ElevATE’s field team and factory engineers provided comprehensive technical support throughout the development cycle. Its timely and expert assistance was instrumental in reducing the development cycle from an estimated three to five years to only two years. The client was able to launch their product on time and subsequently used Mystery and Vesuvius in many other projects across the organization, further solidifying the long-term partnership.

“At ElevATE, we are committed to providing our customers with the latest and most advanced technological solutions and unmatched technical support to ensure their success,” says Simon Leigh, VP of engineering, ElevATE. “We have grown a unique experience and market perspective over the years by focusing solely on semiconductor tasks.”

Excellence at its Peak

ElevATE’s application engineers work with clients to design their boards and offer technical support to optimize their calibration and board design. Its expertise, flexibility, and support attract new clients every quarter. Most of its team members have been in the industry for over three decades, with experience in chip manufacturing, automated testing, and lithography. Young talent is also employed to bring in new ideas and perspectives. This amalgamation of expertise and enthusiasm drives greater value for clients.

The latest DPS/PMU products by ElevATE, Rainier and Whitney, will be launched soon. Rainier is a state-of-the-art pin electronics solution with the lowest power in the market and the highest density for speed, while Whitney is a PMU/DAC dual-channel solution made for higher voltages. Clients have started showing tremendous interest in these devices due to their need to test high-voltage products. These products will eliminate the challenge of building a testing solution with off-the-shelf parts. ElevATE is the first to bring these key technologies to the market.

Focused on bringing innovation to the market, ElevATE is a growing company dedicated to bringing next-generation power supply pin electronics.