DCG Systems, Fremont, Calif., has acquired the assets of MultiProbe, the leading provider of atomic force-based nanoprobe solutions for the semiconductor industry. MultiProbe was founded in 2001 to address the growing needs of failure analysis engineers and to help the industry find solutions for device technology development.
MultiProbe’s flagship product, the Hyperion, is based on atomic force probe technology to provide characterization and localization of electrical faults in transistors. The MultiProbe systems can also be operated in a mode called PicoCurrent imaging, which simultaneously displays variations in both topography and conductivity, allowing engineers to quickly identify anomalous features that can be further investigated by transistor probing.
DCG’s flagship nanoprobing system, the nProber II, is built on a scanning electron microscope platform. Like the Hyperion, the nProber II system delivers electrical fault localization and characterization of transistors. The nProber II can also be operated in electron-beam current mode to localize surface and sub-surface shorts, opens, and resistive faults within interconnect structures.
“The AFP-based nanoprobers offered by MultiProbe complement DCG Systems SEM-based nanoprobing product portfolio,” said Dr. Israel Niv, Chief Executive Officer of DCG Systems Inc. “Being able to call upon the strengths of two distinct technologies will help the combined companies better address the breadth of yield-limiting electrical fault issues that our diverse customer base is facing now and will in the future.”
“I am pleased to hand over the reins of MultiProbe to DCG Systems at a time when nanoprobing is becoming increasingly critical to yield engineering,” said Andy Erickson, founder and CEO of MultiProbe. “In addition, customers will benefit from the strength of the combined worldwide applications and service team.”
