Company History
First in RF microwave probes, first in calibration standards, first in calibration software, first in microwave probe stations
Cascade Microtech began with the teamwork of Eric Strid and Reed Gleason, who in 1983 developed the first microwave wafer probe. It was an innovation that rocked the high-speed semiconductor industry and inevitably changed the industry forever.
Before 1983, high-speed integrated circuit (IC) designers could only speculate as to why a particular design worked. The true electrical performance of these tiny microwave circuits was impossible to measure at the wafer level.
By using Cascade’s revolutionary probes and probe stations, design engineers could actually test and characterize circuits on-wafer, before the ICs were diced and packaged. This halved research and development times and lowered the tremendous cost of developing new chips. Semiconductor manufacturers, big and small, could now get their products to market faster and cheaper. The explosion in wireless communication products you enjoy today was accelerated by Cascade’s collaboration with its customers.
| Timeline | |
|---|---|
| 2006 | M150 measurement platform enables measurements of any types of devices on one single platform |
| 2005 | eVue™ digital imaging system breaks the paradigm of conventional microscopes |
| 2004 | Cascade goes public, lists on NASDAQ stock exchange(CSCD) |
| 2002 | Infinity Probe® sets a new benchmark in mechanical and RF performance |
| 2000 | S300 wafer probe station sets measurement standard for 300mm wafer test |
| 1999 | Cascade partners with Electroglas Inc. |
| 1997 | AttoGuard® chuck allows first 1 fA substrate current measurements |
| 1995 | Cascade acquires Alessi, largest failure analysis supplier in the market |
| 1994 | Using thin-film technology, precision microscopic probe tips are built into Pyramid® production probe core |
| 1992 | FemtoGuard® enables ultra-low current and capacitance measurements Environmental controls revolutionize IC testing in patented MicroChamber®> |
| 1990 | Hewlett Packard (Agilent) makes minority equity investment in Cascade |
| 1984 | Cascade offers complete solution of probe stations, probes, and calibration substrates |
| 1983 | Founders Eric Strid and Reed Gleason invent world's first 18 GHz WPH microwave probe |
