Semiconductor test companies complete merger

The distinct R and D, manufacturing and support operations of Antares ConTech and UMD Advanced Test Technologies have been integrated following the companies' merger in the third quarter of 2006.

Antares Advanced Test Technologies, a global supplier of integrated semiconductor-test consumables focused on maximising production yields, has successfully integrated the distinct R and D, manufacturing and support operations of Antares ConTech and UMD Advanced Test Technologies following the companies' merger in the third quarter of 2006.

The integration of Antares effectively marks the creation of a new industry category of multidisciplinary or one-stop suppliers of semiconductor-test systems that reduce test-related costs and time-to-market windows for chipmakers, according to Matt Bergeron, Antares' CEO.

"Developing cost-effective solutions to test the latest semiconductor devices is one of the industry's greatest challenges", says Victoria Hadfield, President of SEMI North America.

"As device makers continue to develop faster, more advanced, more feature-rich devices, they are also demanding solutions that provide lower cost-of-test and faster time to market".

"Antares, and other SEMI members from around the world, are addressing these complex problems with skill, expertise and innovation".

Chipmakers, faced with increased consumer demand and market competition, continue to re-assess how to make their test processes more efficient and look to suppliers more for application-specific test solutions, Bergeron says.

Antares was formed - due in part to feedback its two corporate antecedents received from silicon providers - to deliver products and technical support across all essential test disciplines, including fully integrated test cells.

"If you listen to your customers, they'll tell you where you need to go", Bergeron says.

"Our expanded portfolio is really a direct reflection of market demand and our desire to redefine semiconductor test".

Antares' corporate history has been punctuated by eleven acquisitions since 1988.

The string of acquisitions has left Antares as the world's largest supplier of high-end semiconductor sockets and connectors and a global supplier of burn-in sockets, automated test equipment (ATE) consumables and thermal management solutions.

Members of Antares' management team have held senior-level positions at various public companies and are pioneers in the semiconductor-test industry.

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