Semiconductor

As new smartphones, tablets, laptops, and internet of things devices proliferate, they will need chipsets to manage data flow for their cellular, Wi-Fi, or other wireless communications capabilities. MarketsAndMarkets estimates that the 5G chipset market is growing at a CAGR of 26.7% and will reach $67.2 billion by 2027, driven by the growing demand for high-speed internet and an increasing number of cellular IoT connections. In addition, the global Wi-Fi chipset market is growing at a CAGR of 6.02% and is expected to exceed $27 billion by 2025, according to Market Research Future.

VTI Instruments has extensive experience supporting chipset test, including working with a manufacturer of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chipsets that needed to verify its products could work with both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

  • To replace a complex system of custom software and hardware, the company required a reliable, high-quality switching system to preserve signal integrity that would support test of multiple chipsets in parallel.
  • VTI replaced the customer’s complex test system with a clean turnkey solution based on the EX7000 scalable microwave subsystem, whose configuration wizard allowed VTI to provide a very affordable COTS solution that is easy to support and maintain.


VTI has also worked with a company that needed to perform functional test on newly introduced chipsets to ensure proper performance in various conditions.

  • When upgrading its test facilities, the company required precision RF switching matrices that could route high-frequency signals between the RF instruments and chipsets under test. Because signal frequencies exceeded 20 GHz, the company required minimum path lengths with path lengths matched across each switch matrix housed within a compact chassis.
  • VTI employed 3D modeling and simulation to optimize component placement, cable routing, and chassis integration. VTI’s RF expertise enabled it to deliver full design concept based on the EX7000 platform within one week and 30 physical units within four weeks.

In addition to the EX7000, VTI Instruments offers other products for semiconductor test, including the SMX7xxx microwave switch cards in the PXIe formfactor. VTI Instruments can apply its decades of experience to provide COTS products or customized solutions based on COTS technology to meet a wide range of semiconductor test needs.

For related information, visit the Semiconductor industry page of AMETEK Programmable Power.

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