Seiko Epson has started accepting orders for three new IC test handlers capable of transferring, testing, and sorting semiconductor chips with high throughput from today. The new models (the NS8160MS, NS8080MS, and NS8080SH) will enable chip manufacturers to greatly reduce their back-end testing costs. The new IC test handlers boast significantly improved performance compared to Epson’s NS-8000 series of IC test handlers. Equipped with Epson’s Smart Motion Control technology, the agile new IC test handlers move at high speed yet with very little vibration.The new handlers can transfer, test, and sort up to 13,500 chips per hour (at ambient temperature), a dramatic leap up from the 8,000 chips that the standard model in the NS-8000 series was capable of processing.
Two of the new handlers provide a standard contact force of 2,400 N. The contact force is high enough to enable the high-speed transfer, testing, and sorting of chip packages, even those with high pin counts. In addition, the new models have a heating plate that enables tests to be performed at temperatures up to 155°C. In fact, these handlers even support the demanding testing required of automotive semiconductor chips, which have to be tested in extreme temperature environments.
