Lincoln-based RF and microwave design consultancy Cogent RFMW enhances its semiconductor verification and characterisation services through the use of a SemiProbe probe station, supplied by Inseto.
Inseto, a leading technical distributor of equipment and materials, has supplied a SemiProbe probe station to RF and microwave design consultancy Cogent RFMW, enabling the company to enhance and extend its semiconductor verification and characterisation services.
Used in conjunction with benchtop T&M instrumentation, the probe station is being used for DC tests - including pulsed and continuous IV curves, Gummel plots, breakdown voltages and current gain – and RF tests that include small and large signal S-parameters, noise figure and load-pull linearity. All tests can be performed on wafers or die.
“The semiconductor industry is changing in the UK, and skills shortages are making it difficult for many manufacturers to do everything in house, even if they have the equipment,” comments Malik Ehsan Ejaz, Founder and CTO of Cogent RFMW. “At Cogent we have much sought-after skills, and the SemiProbe station supplied by Inseto plus equipment from Interligent and Focus Microwave enable us to support UK-based IC OEMs.
Ejaz, formerly Principal Engineer at CSA Catapult, goes on to say that skills shortages are the biggest hurdle manufacturers face.
Matt Brown, Managing Director of Inseto, adds. “The supply chain has had to re-invent itself in recent years to bring real value to customers. For instance, in 2021 we established a Process Development Laboratory, which is now in almost constant use, plus we’ve introduced equipment operation training courses. What Cogent RFMW is doing is another great example of how the industry is changing. A consultancy that is fully hands-on with advanced equipment and has the expertise to support semiconductor OEMs.”
Based in Lincoln, Cogent RFMW is well positioned to serve semiconductor manufacturers in the Midlands and the North.