NI (Nasdaq: NATI), the provider of a software-defined platform that helps accelerate the development and performance of automated test and automated measurement systems, announced today new STS software enhancements that deliver significant improvements to the programming and debugging experience, test execution speed, parallel test efficiency and overall equipment efficiency for the NI Semiconductor Test System.
As market windows constrict, semiconductor production test engineers are looking to accelerate the process of developing, debugging and deploying new test programs to manufacturing. STS Software 2019 offers users who do not have access to the tester an improved offline experience for developing test programs. Further improvements include a simplified driver experience for programming duplicate instruments and simplified digital scan support. Additionally, an improved debugging experience allows users to quickly perform interactive measurements and debug automated tests in multi-site applications by simply selecting the relevant device under test (DUT) sites and pins.
The same market windows are pressuring semiconductor operations and manufacturing groups to continually optimize packaging and test equipment for improved profitability. STS Software 2019 delivers improvements to test throughput as a result of optimized instrumentation drivers for accelerated test execution times and enhanced thread management for improved parallel test efficiency. Additionally, as manufacturing groups switch tester configurations between lots, STS customers will also benefit from shortened software changeover time, helping them increase utilization and improve overall equipment efficiency.
“Semiconductor companies are under constant pressure to accelerate time to market and reduce the cost of test. National Instruments has expanded the capabilities of the NI Semiconductor Test System while significantly improving its parallelism, speed and efficiency,” said Ritu Favre, senior vice president and general manager of the Semiconductor Business Unit at NI. “The new STS Software 2019 enhancements add significant value to our customers to help them to get to market faster and at lower costs.”
