SV TCL & Associates Probe Company: SV Tokyo Cathode Laboratories (TCL and Associates) Product Review (Part II)

SV TCL and Associates offers a wide array of semiconductor products being utilized in many popular consumer applications. Here is a continuation of the previous list published on this website:

1. Vertical Space Transformers - SV TCL's TrioTM vertical and LogicTouchTM fine- pitch vertical technologies provide an interconnect, also referred to as a space transformer (ST), used between the printed circuit-board and the probe head. This process transfers the test signal.

SV TCL also provides various types of space transformers, every one of which can be used for any specific advantage and application. Some options include the following:

- Wired & Advanced Wired (WST or AWST)

- Rigid

     - Multi-Layer Ceramic (MLC)

     - Multi-Layer Organic (MLO)

- Direct Attach

- Modular (MSTTM)

2. CIS Probe Cards - CMOS Image Sensors (CIS) allow camera functions in high tech tablets and smart phones. Testing CIS devices utilizes cantilever technology and layering for high density probe layouts. SV TCL's CIS probe card products employ a wide variety of materials ensuring they are a durable cost-saving solution that can meet the fine pitch and multi-die challenges of these devices. Other features include:

- Layering for High Density Probe Layouts

- Alloy Probes

- Tight Pitch

3. LCD Driver Probe Cards - LCD driver cards are used in some of the latest high-definition tech products such as LCD televisions, high-functioning smar-phones and tablets.ICs utilized in these cards require high-pin counts, fine pitch and high paralisllism. SV TCL's LCD Probe card products provide durable, economical solutions to address fine-pitch and multi-die requirements of these devices. Additional advantages include:

- Maximum Frequency 2GHz

- Minimum Pad Pitch

     - 9µm Staggered

     - 25µm Inline

- Stable Contact with Au Bump/Pad

- Ultra Low Pin Force Ensures Longevity

- Minimal Probe

4. Venture™ Cantilever Probe Cards - SV TCL's VentureTM line of cantilever probe cards provide the best epoxy technology on the market and are well-designed for logic testing. It includes a wide range of cantilever cards, single to multi-die for a variety of test systems. Its Venture FX™ fine-pitch cantilever cards are well-suited for LCD driver-testing, with higher probe counts for better density bond-pad layouts. Features include:

- >4,000 Points

- Pad Pitches as Tight as 30µm

- Frequency up to 3GHZ

- Shelf Build & LCD Driver

5. Ceramic Blade Cards - SV TCL offers a variety of ceramic blades and blade probe cards. We have patented ceramic microstrip blade probes available in low leakage and low capacitance for optimal signal transference, while SV TCL's blade cards are ideal for parametric and RF-testing. Benefits include:

- RF Modeling Capability Provides Frequency Performance Optimization

- Handling & Testing Capability

6. Metrology - Finally, SV TCL a wide variety of world-class analytical resources, allowing the firm to visually evaluate wafer-scale features and capture data from bumps, pads, scrub marks and probe depth. SV TCL's capabilities include:

- Scanning Electron Microscope

- Electron Dispersive Spectrometry

- Profilometery

- Finite Element Analysis

- RF Performance Characterization

- Single Pin Video Capability

All in all, SV TCL's capabilities are clearly seen in its wide range of products that satisfy today's stringent standards of quality and durability.

SV TCL & Associates Probe Company China Japan Europe New Website went Live on September 16

(TEMPE, ARIZONA, September 17, 2014) – SV Probe Pte. Ltd. (“SV TCL”), one of the world’s leading suppliers of high-performance probe cards, announced today that it has completed its integration of the probe card business and assets of Tokyo Cathode Laboratory (“TCL”) and launched a redesigned website at www.svprobe.com.

SV TCL KK began official operations in Japan on September 1, 2013 and to better reflect the synergies between the companies and recognize TCL’s reputation for high quality products, SV has rebranded itself SV TCL. Over the past year SV TCL has worked diligently to integrate TCL’s products, manufacturing processes and facilities with little or no disruption to customers. Another crucial element to the integration was the redesign of the SV TCL website which has been upgraded to a more current and functional platform with easier access to product information and optimized to function across all types of devices.

“SV TCL has worked incredibly hard during this time of integration to enhance our global infrastructure, determining the most efficient manufacturing processes and cost-effective locations in which to produce our products,” said Mr. Kevin Kurtz, President & CEO of SV TCL. “The new website is just one of the final integration steps and we look forward to the continuing success of this united business now and into the future.”

Probe cards are essential tools in the electrical testing of semiconductor wafers before they are diced, packaged and assembled in electronic products such as tablets, smart phones, computers and digital media players. 

SV Probe Finalizes Acquisition of Tokyo Cathode Laboratories

SV TCL KK Began Official Operations on September 1

(TEMPE, ARIZONA, September 2, 2013) – SV Probe Pte. Ltd. (“SV”), one of the world’s leading suppliers of high-performance probe cards, announced today that it has finalized the business transfer agreement to purchase certain probe card business, technologies,  intellectual property rights and assets of Tokyo Cathode Laboratories (“TCL”). SV Probe’s  newly established business in Japan, “SV TCL KK” began official operations on  September 1, 2013.

TCL is a probe card manufacturer based in Japan with a substantial production and distribution network across Asia. TCL possesses strong probe card capabilities, specifically CMOS Image Sensor (CIS) and Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), which are used mainly in smart phones, tablets, digital cameras and other imaging devices. TCL has developed proprietary cantilever probe materials along with build and assembly processes that extend the capability of its products utilized in different device testing applications. As a result, TCL has gained a number of key CIS, LCD, and logic/SOC customers in Japan and throughout the Asian market.

“This newly combined entity provides a broader range of products and a more extensive global infrastructure to meet the needs of all our customers regardless of location,” said Mr. Kevin Kurtz, President & CEO of SV Probe. “We look forward to the continuing prosperity of this united business now and into the future.”

Probe cards are essential tools in the electrical testing of semiconductor wafers before they are diced, packaged and assembled in electronic products such as tablets, smart phones, computers and digital media players.

SV TCL & Associates Probe Company THE BEST Subsystems Supplier

SV Probe Pte. Ltd. (“SV TCL”), one of the world’s leading suppliers of high-performance probe cards, announced today that it has been recognized by VLSIresearch as one of THE BEST suppliers according to their 2014 Customer Satisfaction Survey.

The annual survey is based upon customer feedback gathered by VLSIresearch over a two month period. Customers rated vendors on supplier and product performance as well as customer service. SV TCL & Associates Probe Company ranked 2nd in the Subsystems Supplier category, moving up from the 5th ranking last year.

 “We are very honored by this recognition,” said Mr. Kevin Kurtz, President & CEO of SV TCL. “Since our acquisition of Tokyo Cathode Laboratory last year, we have worked hard to create a seamless transition with little or no disruption to our customers. This survey has proved that our efforts have been successful. We have always been and will continue to be committed to providing our customers the best products and customer service.”

This year’s survey results reflect the hard work and dedication of SV TCL and its employees,” commented G. Dan Hutcheson, CEO of VLSIresearch. “SV TCL’s commitment and ability to partner with their customers to develop innovative test products earned them an outstanding score of over 9.0 this year,” he continued.

Probe cards are essential tools in the electrical testing of semiconductor wafers before they are diced, packaged and assembled in electronic products such as tablets, smart phones, computers and digital media players.

Trio Vertical SV TCL & Associates Probe Company China Japan Europe

SV TCL's Trio is a reliable solution for advanced wafer testing challenges, specifically full array and parallel probing. We offer a complete line of vertical probe card products, each designed for your unique application.

- 20K+ Probes

- Flat or Pointed Tip Shapes

- Variety of Build Options

        - High Density

        - Multiple Die

        - Matrix Array

- Applications

        - Flip Chip Bump

        - Memory

        - Microprocessor

        - Logic

The Trio also has the capability of utilizing a variety of Space Transformer (ST) interconnects. Available Space Transformers include Multi-Layer Organic/Multi-Layer Ceramic (MLO/MLC), Wired, Direct Attach and our newest ST innovation, the Modular Space TransformerTM, an all-inclusive interconnect and contactor in one compact unit. It allows internal components, has excellent electrical performance, and is design flexible - all of which create a lower cost of probe card ownership.

Contact your SV TCL & Associates Probe Company China Japan Europe Representative so we can help you find the right Trio product for your vertical testing needs.

Direct Dock SV TCL & Associates Probe Company China Japan Europe

Direct dock style wafer probing allows for a higher bandwidth, increased pin density and testing more devices in parallel. Direct dock probe cards also support the growing movement of traditional final test to wafer probe which allows for known good die (KGD) and reduced cost of ownership.

SV TCL & Associates Probe Company China Japan Europe offers many probing solutions aligning with this new testing paradigm including TrioTM traditional vertical, LogicTouchTM MEMS vertical, and SpringTouchTM spring-pin technologies. Our turnkey services are ideal for direct dock, we can handle your entire project from PCB design to probe card assembly and everything in between.

Turnkey Services Available

        - PCB/MLO Design & Fab

        - Component Assembly

        - Probe Card Assembly

        - PCA

Applications Supported

        - Digital

        - SOC

        - RF

Contact your SV TCL Representative so we can help you find the right Direct Dock product for your vertical testing needs.

SV TCL & Associates Probe Company China Japan Europe LogicTouch

The shrinking of IC die geometries and the growing complexity of device designs are making the task of on-wafer testing increasingly more difficult. SV TCL's LogicTouch is suited perfectly for these types of advanced designs, a fine pitch technology utilizing a MEMS-style probe targeted for pad-limited devices such as High-Volume SoCs, Microcontrollers, DSPs and 3D Packages. LogicTouch is also ideal for the latest device applications including TSV (Through-Silicon Via) and Copper Pillar (Cu-Pillar).

- Fine Pitch Capability Down to 50µm

- No Chip Design Limitations

- Probe Arrays

- Corner Pads

- Single Pin Repairable

- MEMS-Style Probes

- Greater Scrub Consistency

- More Dimensional Control

Contact your SV TCL Representative so we can help you find the right LogicTouch product for your vertical testing needs.

SV TCL & Associates Probe Company China Japan Europe SpringTouch

Wafer Level Chip Scale Package is fast becoming popular because of its small form factor utilized in such applications as Wifi, Bluetooth and GPS units. The WLCSP is also very cost-effective with a simplified manufacturing process that eliminates the need for the final or package test step.

SV TCL & Associates Probe Company China Japan Europe's SpringTouchTM is an ideal & economical solution for WLCSP test with spring pin probes that have the capability to overcome the bump height variation across the wafer. SV TCL also offers an RF option of this technology for WLCSPs that must be tested at a higher frequency.

Other benefits include:

-  Crown-shaped Probes

- Pitch Capability as Low as 300µm

-  Customized Pins

- Easy Pin Replacement

- Socket Adapter for Single Chip Testing

Contact your SV TCL Representative so we can help you find the right SpringTouch product for your vertical testing needs.

SV TCL & Associates Probe Company China Japan Europe Finalizes Acquisition of Tokyo Cathode Laboratories

SV Probe Pte. Ltd. (“SV”), one of the world’s leading suppliers of high-performance probe cards, announced today that it has finalized the business transfer agreement to purchase certain probe card business, technologies, intellectual property rights and assets of Tokyo Cathode Laboratories (“TCL”). SV Probe’s newly established business in Japan, “SV TCL KK” began official operations on

September 1, 2013.

TCL is a probe card manufacturer based in Japan with a substantial production and distribution network across Asia. TCL possesses strong probe card capabilities, specifically CMOS Image Sensor (CIS) and Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), which are used mainly in smart phones, tablets, digital cameras and other imaging devices. TCL has developed proprietary cantilever probe materials along with build and assembly processes that extend the capability of its products utilized in different device testing applications. As a result, TCL has gained a number of key CIS, LCD, and logic/SOC customers in Japan and throughout the Asian market.

“This newly combined entity provides a broader range of products and a more extensive global infrastructure to meet the needs of all our customers regardless of location,” said Mr. Kevin Kurtz, President  & CEO of SV Probe. “We look forward to the continuing prosperity of this united business now and into the future.”

Probe cards are essential tools in the electrical testing of semiconductor wafers before they are diced, packaged and assembled in electronic products such as tablets, smart phones, computers and digital media players.

SV TCL & Associates Probe Company China Japan Europe Environment

SV TCL is committed to being environmentally responsible. From recycling programs at all of our facilities to establishing a greener supply chain, we are continually looking for ways to ensure that we are doing all we can to lessen our environmental impact.

Throughout the production of our probe cards, SV TCL & Associates Probe Company China Japan Europe complies with all environmental governances in each location and we reduce waste through the use of electronic manufacturing documents and marketing materials uploaded via our customer online portal. SV TCL is also in compliance with the recent Conflict Minerals regulation passed by the United States Congress, enacted to further the humanitarian goal of ending violent conflict in some countries over the mining of certain minerals.

Not only is SV TCL promoting sustainability within our global infrastructure, but we also look for vendors that are also more environmentally conscious.

SV TCL will continue to audit our environmental operations and practices so we can ensure that we have done our part to make the earth is a better place for generations to come.

SV TCL & Associates Probe Company China Japan Europe Rated One of the Highest Test Consumable Suppliers

SV TCL & Associates Probe Company (“SV TCL”), one of the world’s leading suppliers of high-performance probe cards, announced today that it has been named by VLSIresearch as one of the highest rated Test Consumable suppliers according to the findings from their 2014 Customer Satisfaction Survey.

Test Consumable products include probe cards, test sockets, and device interface boards. Numerous companies responded to the survey and SV TCL was regarded as one of the highest rated vendors, excelling particularly well in the Commitment and Partnering categories. In the overall 10 BEST Rankings which encompass semiconductor equipment suppliers, SV TCL’s high score would rank them in the #4 position.

“We are extremely proud of this recognition,” said Mr. Kevin Kurtz, President & CEO of SV TCL. “The high score demonstrates that SV TCL can compete right alongside our larger competitors simply because of our commitment and willingness to collaborate with our customers, especially on new and innovative products for emerging device applications like Copper Pillar and TSV.”

 “SV TCL received excellent ratings in this first-ever Test Consumable Supplier Rankings, performing very well relative to their equipment peers. As the IC industry evolves and test products increase in complexity, SV TCL is not only producing high quality products, but closely working in conjunction with its customers to meet these dynamic testing challenges.” commented G. Dan Hutcheson, CEO of VLSIresearch.

Probe cards are essential tools in the electrical testing of semiconductor wafers before they are diced, packaged and assembled in electronic products such as tablets, smart phones, computers and digital media players.

SV TCL & Associates Probe Company China Japan Europe: Completes Integration of Tokyo Cathode Laboratory

(TEMPE, ARIZONA, September 17, 2014) – SV TCL & Associates Probe Company (“SV TCL”), one of the world’s leading suppliers of high-performance probe cards, announced today that it has completed its integration of the probe card business and assets of Tokyo Cathode Laboratory (“TCL”) and launched a redesigned website at www.svprobe.com.

SV TCL KK began official operations in Japan on September 1, 2013 and to better reflect the synergies

between the companies and recognize TCL’s reputation for high quality products, SV has rebranded itself SV TCL. Over the past year SV TCL has worked diligently to integrate TCL’s products, manufacturing

processes and facilities with little or no disruption to customers. Another crucial element to the integration was the redesign of the SV TCL website which has been upgraded to a more current and functional platform with easier access to product information and optimized to function across all types of devices.

“SV TCL has worked incredibly hard during this time of integration to enhance our global infrastructure,

determining the most efficient manufacturing processes and cost-effective locations in which to produce our products,” said Mr. Kevin Kurtz, President & CEO of SV TCL. “The new website is just one of the finalintegration steps and we look forward to the continuing success of this united business now and into the future.”

Probe cards are essential tools in the electrical testing of semiconductor wafers before they are diced, packaged and assembled in electronic products such as tablets, smart phones, computers and digital media players.