PCI (Probe Card Interface) technology, patented by CREA, is a high-volume manufacturing test solution designed to work seamlessly with the CREA MT tester family.
This combination enables high-power static, dynamic, and short circuit testing for Si, SiC, and GaN bare dies, particularly in Known Good Die (KGD) applications.
PCI hardware is highly effective in monitoring the power levels maintained by each probe card needle in real-time, allowing test engineers to predict potential Device Under Test (DUT) failures during the test phase.
Whenever a device failure is predicted, the PCI can react immediately (within a few hundred nanoseconds) by shutting off the probe card’s power supply, safeguarding the equipment hardware (probe card, instruments) and the DUT.
This predictive capability is essential when performing short circuit test because a sudden die failure can cause a hard short between the bus links. In such cases, the bare die may melt and fuse with the probe card’s needles, or it could completely disintegrate due to the high surge of energy.