Critical components and sub-systems specialist, Ultra Clean Technology, is moving up the value chain with a deal that will see the company take over the building of Cascade Microtech's M150 probe station product line. Production of the M150 is expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2008 with volume production planned for the first quarter of 2009. The 150mm stations will be supplemented with 200mm station construction at a future date, the company said.
"Our M150 product line provides a cost-effective probing platform for engineers with a wide variety of devices (ICs, bioMEMs, PCBs), and a limited amount of funding. Partnering with Ultra Clean enables Cascade Microtech to offer superior quality at a price that meets our customer's budget," said Geoff Wild, Cascade Microtech's President and CEO. "In addition, securing a world-class outsource partner enables us to focus on technology development for next generation products and the introduction of our new high performance products, such as the Elite 300 probe station, and Edge Integrated Measurement System."
Ultra Clean claimed that they were cost competitive with offshore manufacturers.