France Bleu Isère: You have built a new 300 m² extension for a test room. What will this do for you?
Moussa Belkhiter: It allows us to test our chips to increase our testing capabilities on products that are developed here, on the ST Micro site in Grenoble. This site is associated with our research and development department. We have these testing and packaging activities which allow us to validate and test all of these chips which are then manufactured in our sites, whether Crolles or in other factories. The wafers come back and these test rooms actually allow us to develop the tests of our products which are then manufactured in volume in our factories.
It is also used to “qualify” products. Can you be more specific on this point?
When we talk about tests, we are going to talk about testing the functionality of the chip and therefore, we are going to qualify, for the functions that have been defined, electrical tests, mechanical tests… These are going to be really quality tests in terms of term of chip functionalities. These are the test panels that are carried out, which are set up to qualify and provide quality components to our customers.
20% increase in testing capacity
This new extension will allow you to increase your testing capabilities by how much?
By 20%. As we have a huge number of products designed on the site and in view of the demands of our customers and our businesses, we will be able to react more quickly and therefore increase our capacity by 20% of products that can pass through these test lines.
ST Microelectronics
Did you have to make any recruitments to allow this increased testing capacity?
This extension is part of our business development. It did not require specific recruitment, but it is all the recruitment that was done previously that allows us to continue to develop this activity.
How will this expand your testing capabilities?
So more testing of products and therefore potentially more technology and technological diversity. They will be developed and qualified in these test rooms and this will serve the needs of our customers.
