PI Introduces Miniaturized Alignment Engine Platform for Scalable, Parallel E/O Wafer-Level Test
PI (Physik Instrumente) announced a new technology platform for electro-optical wafer-level testing designed to validate electrical and optical device functions simultaneously in high-volume production. The system combines high-density electrical probing with automated photonic alignment in a compact architecture built for ATE compatibility.

Parallel Operation and Scalability
Designed for production scale, the platform supports parallel operation of multiple miniaturized alignment engines across a single wafer, enabling simultaneous electro-optical probing at multiple test sites to increase throughput and lower cost of test. Its compact, ATE-compatible architecture is intended to make it practical to deploy many aligners in one setup—helping EPIC manufacturers transition from sequential, lab-style alignment to high-volume, repeatable wafer-level testing.

A key new feature is FAU ranging, an interferometry-based fly-height measurement method that uses existing fiber channels—adding no extra hardware and no additional footprint—to measure fiber-to-wafer distance at the point of interest, supporting stable probing and repeatable optical coupling. PI notes that FAU ranging can also enable future approaches such as trench-based photonic edge coupling, helping save wafer real estate and reduce device costs.

"With FAU ranging, we pave the way for trench-based photonic edge coupling, saving wafer real estate, reducing device costs, and unlocking new design freedom for EPIC manufacturers." Dr. Markus Simon, Strategic Innovation and Technology Management at PI.