2 September 2014

Presto expands capacity for RF test

Turnkey back-end production services firm Presto Engineering Inc of San Jose, CA, USA, which provides semiconductor product engineering & test services to both integrated device manufacturer (IDM), fabless and electronics companies, has tripled the capacity of its San Jose engineering hub, and has added new radio-frequency device testing equipment to its hub in Caen, France.

“The RF market is booming as a result of rapidly increasing consumer demand for smart-phones and other mobile devices, and the massive expansion of backhaul and data centers worldwide,” says CEO Michel Villemain. “As a result, we are in full-expansion mode as we move to support this growth with aggressive investments in additional capacity,” he adds. “Many of our North American and European customers need to have testing and back-end support services close to them, rather than in Asia for example, so that they can stay intimately involved with the development and ramp of these very complex, high-frequency devices.”

Presto’s hub in Caen, France will support all aspects of RF, as well as analog and mixed-signal devices. The Caen hub is the only back-end service house in Europe with 12-inch wafer probe capabilities coupled with the most advanced RF automated test equipment (ATE) in the market, says the firm. Presto’s San Jose hub will focus on high-frequency RF testing at millimeter wavelengths. Both operations will leverage Presto’s RF, high-speed analog and mixed-signal test expertise developed over the past five years.

“We are unique in our ability to serve the RF space from both Europe and North America,” claims Villemain. “Many of our customers develop RF devices for very specialized and critical applications, such as the high-speed communications, medical or defense industries. They prefer to keep production nearby, where they can keep a close watch on the fabrication process and avoid the risks and delays of off-shore production,” he adds. “We see growing demand for RF capabilities from our customers, many of whom are leaders in their target markets, and believe our capacity expansion uniquely positions us to grow and deepen our relationship with them.”

Tags: RF testing

Visit: www.presto-eng.com