Agilent Technologies Offers World's Highest Performance Automated Test Equipment Solution for High-Speed Devices and Interfaces; New Agilent 93000 Pin Scale HX Card Supports Data Rates up to 12.8 Gigabits per Second

PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 25, 2006--Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE:A) today announced the Agilent Pin Scale HX high-speed extension card for its 93000 SOC Series tester. This is the first test solution available to support device characterization for high-speed devices and interfaces with data rates up to 12.8 Gigabits per second (Gbps). The Pin Scale HX provides the uncompromised signal integrity required for thorough at-speed design characterization and production test of the new generation of device interfaces such as PCI Express, HyperTransport and SERDES, as well as emerging high-speed memory and ultra-speed Datacom interfaces.

Today, new computation and communication devices use high-speed buses and interfaces operating at 5 Gbps and beyond. Data rates on some serial links are already in the range of 10 to 12 Gbps. Increased device integration, together with developments in nanometer technologies, are creating new types of fabrication defects and parametric failures. In order to shorten the time to profitable yield, manufacturers are seeking test solutions that allow them to thoroughly characterize new designs and determine margins before a device is put into production. In addition, the continued need to lower the overall cost-of-test is driving the adoption of BIST- (built-in-self-test) and DFT- (design-for-test) enabled tests in volume production.

"With the 93000 platform, Agilent continues to provide advanced and innovative technology in a flexible, scalable solution that anticipates the needs of manufacturers testing the next generation of high-speed devices and beyond," said Pascal Ronde, vice president of Agilent's Semiconductor Test business. "By providing our customers with the world's fastest device characterization through the addition of the Pin Scale HX card to the 93000 platform, we are able to protect our customers' ATE investment by providing them with the industry's best high-performance capabilities at the lowest cost-of-test."

Agilent's Pin Scale HX combines the functionality of a full-function at-speed drive/receive ATE channel card with high-integrity loopback and extensive jitter capabilities to address BIST- and DFT-enabled tests. This allows users to scale their test methodology and to support rapid migration from design characterization to volume production.

The Pin Scale HX uses its flexible licensing system to scale the functionality and speed of the card, and to provide an easy upgrade path. Users simply select the required data rate and channel functionality to meet their current needs. With adjustable and precise jitter injection, DC access for parametric tests and at-speed level control, the Pin Scale HX provides unprecedented insights that enable design validation and characterization of bandwidth, timing accuracy, jitter and other attributes. In addition, the Pin Scale HX supports testing of devices that use embedded and forwarded clock schemes.

Further Information

The Agilent 93000 Pin Scale HX is available today, and additional information can be found at www.agilent.com/see/pinscalehx.

About the Agilent 93000

The Agilent 93000 provides a scalable platform architecture for testing systems-on-chips (SOCs) and systems-in-packages (SIPs) and high-speed memory devices. With more than 1,200 systems sold worldwide, the Agilent 93000 is the system of choice for subcontract manufacturers, integrated device manufacturers and fabless companies. The Agilent 93000 meets the industry's demanding performance and cost challenges, whether for at-speed engineering characterization or high-volume production. The test system provides massive multi-site capabilities, enables data rates up to 12.8 Gbps and supports a full range of digital, mixed-signal and RF applications. The flexibility and performance of the Agilent 93000 provide faster time-to-market, better yields and lower overall cost-of-test.

More information on the Agilent 93000 is available at www.agilent.com/see/soctest.

About Agilent Technologies

Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE:A) is the world's premier measurement company and a technology leader in communications, electronics, life sciences and chemical analysis. The company's 20,000 employees serve customers in more than 110 countries. Agilent had net revenue of $5.1 billion in fiscal 2005. Information about Agilent is available on the Web at www.agilent.com.