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uP200AProber control system upgrade

uP200A lets APM90A and UF200 support 250,000 dies per wafer.

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Model of the APM90A prober in the hall: main unit on the left and loader unit on the right Model rendering · APM90A

Key figures

Boot time
40sOriginal: APM90A about 180 s, UF200 70 s
Dies supported per wafer
250,000diesOriginal: APM90A about 60,000, UF200 100,000
Processing speed
3xRelative to UF200 · as stated in the catalogue
Interface
Full ChineseOriginal: English or Japanese

Same prober, a different control system

The upgrade replaces the control system and keeps the mechanical body, the original probe cards and the consumables. Boot time, the die limit per wafer, interface and data transfer all change with it.

Before and after comparison of the original control system and uP200A: boot time goes from about 180 s on APM90A and 70 s on UF200 to 40 s; dies per wafer from about 60,000 and 100,000 to 250,000; the interface from English or Japanese to full Chinese; data transfer from floppy only, or floppy plus network, to floppy, magneto-optical disk (MO) and network; UF200 and UF200A data formats are supported. The mechanical body is kept, and the original probe cards and consumables continue in use. Original control system APM90A · UF200 Boot time APM90A ~180 s UF200 70 s Dies perwafer APM90A About 60,000 UF200 100,000 Interface English or Japanese Data transfer Floppy only, or floppy plus network Data format APM90A original: not UF200 / UF200A compatible uP200A control system After upgrade Boot time uP200A 40 s Dies perwafer uP200A 250,000 Interface Full Chinese Data transfer Floppy · magneto-optical disk (MO) · network Data format Compatible with UF200 / UF200A Replaced Carried outon site Mechanical body kept Probe cards and consumables stay, no repurchase Upgrade target Tokyo Seimitsu APM90A, UF200 series in service
Illustration: values come from the model comparison table in the uP200A product catalogue, and bars for the same metric are drawn to the same scale. Blue is uP200A.

Upgrade process

  1. 01Confirm machine and condition

    Confirm the model, control system state and existing consumables to define the upgrade scope.

  2. 02Confirm data and interfaces

    Confirm the mapping data format and host system interfaces, covering GPIB / TTL and network.

  3. 03Perform the upgrade

    Replace the control system on site, keeping the mechanical body and the probe card consumables.

  4. 04Verify

    Confirm boot time, die count, alignment and mapping output; measured results govern.

Applications

Capacity limited on an older machine

The mechanics are still usable but the control system's die limit and takt have become the bottleneck. After the upgrade a wafer supports 250,000 dies, and processing speed is stated in the catalogue as three times that of the UF200.

Interface and data format friction

The original machine runs an English or Japanese interface with floppy-only or floppy-plus-network data transfer. After the upgrade the interface is fully in Chinese and compatible with UF200 / UF200A data formats. Data can move by floppy, magneto-optical disk (MO) or network.

Protecting the existing consumable investment

The upgrade is compatible with APM90A and UF200 probe cards and consumables, so nothing has to be repurchased. The control system is replaced on site and the mechanical body is kept.

Auto-alignment and live mapping

Pad auto-alignment, tip auto-alignment and cleaning, and fail-mark check. Multi-probe probing and multi-bin output are supported, and an LCD touch monitor shows the mapping live. A GPIB / TTL interface connects to the host system.

Upgrade target and scope

The upgrade targets Tokyo Seimitsu APM90A and UF200 series probers in service. It supports 4, 5, 6 and 8 inch wafers, backward compatible. Current-generation probers are outside the scope.

APM90A

The generation before the UF200: a 200 mm fully automatic prober installed across Korea, Japan and Taiwan between 1994 and 1997.

UF200 series

TSK's main 8 inch machine, installed from 1998 onward.

Upgrade lead time, spare part coverage and warranty terms are confirmed for each specific machine.

APM90A station →UF200 station →

Maker model names appear here to define the range of machines we can take on; they do not indicate authorisation, certification or endorsement by those makers. The upgrade is carried out by us and remains our responsibility.

Prober refurbishment bay: installed UF-series machinesPhotograph
Prober refurbishment bay: installed UF-series machines are inspected, refurbished and fitted with data interfaces here.

Specifications

Full specification table (15 items)
ItemSpecification / configurationNotes
Upgrade targetTokyo Seimitsu APM90A and UF200 series probers in serviceMechanical body is retained
Wafer sizes4, 5, 6 and 8 inchBackward compatible
Boot timeuP200A 40 s; UF200 70 s; APM90A about 180 sCatalogue comparison table
Dies supporteduP200A 250,000; UF200 100,000; APM90A about 60,000Per wafer
Processing speedThree times UF200As stated in the catalogue
InterfaceFull ChineseOriginal is English or Japanese
Data transferFloppy, magneto-optical disk (MO), networkOriginal offers floppy, or floppy plus network
Data formatCompatible with UF200 and UF200A data formatsThe original APM90A is not
Consumable compatibilityCompatible with APM90A and UF200 probe cards and consumablesNo repurchase required
Overall accuracy5 µmAs stated in the catalogue
Chuck8 inch nickel/gold heatable chuckWith the 8 inch control module
FunctionsPad auto-alignment, tip auto-alignment and cleaning, fail-mark check, multi-probe probing, multi-bin output, live mapping displayLCD touch monitor
InterfacesGPIB / TTLFor host system integration
UtilitiesCompressed air >0.4 MPa; vacuum >-53 kPa; single phase 220 V; max load current 6 A; max power 1.5 kVASite conditions must be met
Supplying entityShanghai Wenlan Trading / Shanghai Lude Integrated CircuitDifferent from the probe card equipment supply entity

Boot time, dies supported, data transfer and compatibility comparisons come from the model comparison table in the uP200A product catalogue. Items not listed follow the technical agreement.

Related pages

Prober servicesAdds barcode traceability and EAP connection to installed probers, with docking and pre-owned refurbishment. View in the CP hallThe CP hall is modelled on real machines, and opening it goes straight to the APM90A station. Prober information boxAn added collection unit carries output, cumulative card touchdowns and wafer geometry to the plant network and board.

Tell us the original model, control system state and existing consumables

We will acknowledge receipt within one business day.

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