Robotic Vision Systems gets order for WS-series inspection system

MARCH 11--Robotic Vision Systems Inc. (RVSI; Nashua, NH; www.rvsi.com) has received an order for its WS-series bumped-wafer-inspection system from one of the world's largest subcontract semiconductor test, assembly, and packaging organizations. The WS- 2500 will be installed at one of the company's facilities in Taiwan and represents the fourth WS-series system purchased by the company. Depending upon wafer size and other features, the WS-series is priced from $500,000 to more than $1 million per system. The system is scheduled to ship in May 2004.

Bob Michaels, vice president--sales for RVSI's Semiconductor Equipment Group said the order's importance was in the selection of RVSI as the company's Plan of Record for 3-D metrology inspection for bumped wafers. "This is the best endorsement available from the industry today," Michaels said. "This customer has made a major commitment to providing wafer-bumping services for the semiconductor companies it serves and has settled on RVSI as having the best solution for 3-D bump height metrology. Now, because RVSI is the first supplier to reach a 'convergence point' of offering superior 2-D and 3-D capabilities in one system, they are also coming to rely on our surface-defect inspection capabilities, as well."

The RVSI WS-series improves yield management of bumped wafers and flip-chip die, providing a method to maximize yields and profitability by inspecting bump parameters at high production rates. The system's capabilities include inspection of pre-reflow and post-reflow solder bumps and multiprocess gold bumps.