ficonTEC introduces industry’s first, ATE agnostic, top-sided electro-optical wafer-level tester

18 Jun 2025

ficonTEC proudly announces the release of a new single-sided electro-optical wafer-level tester, a first-of-its-kind solution fully compatible with the world’s two largest semiconductor ATE (automated test equipment) architectures. This innovative new platform further strengthens ficonTEC’s position as a complete ecosystem provider for high-volume electro-optical test of silicon photonics products as used in AI communication fabrics and high-performance computing (HPC) applications.

The new test cell achieves precise optical I/O active alignment probing (edge or grating coupled) from the same top-side of the wafer as the electrical probe card interface from the ATE test head. This unique single-sided approach dramatically simplifies the integration with existing ATE systems, paving the way for scalable, cost-effective wafer-level testing of compact photonic engines.

Developed in close collaboration with leading ATE manufacturers – including Teradyne and Advantest – the tester is fully integrated at both software and hardware levels. It supports DC and high speed signal testing, automated wafer handling, chuck thermal control, advanced wafer mapping, and optical I/O port recognition – all while leveraging the same streamlined interface and data management system used in the double-sided electro-optical wafer tester announced in March 2025.

By combining both systems, ficonTEC now offers a complete test suite for wafer-level testing, enabling chip manufacturers and foundries to scale production while maintaining a common software interface for simplified operations and unified test data management.

ficonTEC’s test and assembly systems continue to support the manufacture of cutting-edge photonic interconnect chiplets – including those for 800G, 1.6T and 3.2T CPO-enabled formats – with an installed base of over 1400 systems worldwide. As AI-driven demand accelerates, ficonTEC is rapidly but reliably expanding its presence and support capabilities in strategic regions such as Taiwan, Korea, Israel, and the USA.