SAN JOSE, Calif., April 24, 2008 -- Centipede Systems has developed a new optical socket that it said is suitable for testing the current and next-generation of chips used in wafer-level camera modules.

The initial optical socket entry, part of Centipede's Centurion product line, is offered in a clamshell configuration for an individual integrated circuit. Currently, Centipede's optical sockets with a grid pitch as small as 0.4 mm are available.

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Schematic of Centipede's Centurion optical test socket.

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Testing camera chips requires that the surface of the device be held accurately in the optical plane without deviation or deflection caused by contactor forces. To ensure accuracy, Centipede's optical sockets align a datum plane on the chip's surface to the lens or optical system with minimal stress on the chip, the company said.

"Most existing test socket technology is about a half century old and incapable of testing complex optical chips," said Thomas H. Di Stefano, PhD, president of Centipede Systems. "Although our initial optical sockets are for testing single camera chips, sockets for testing arrays of camera chips are under development in the Centipede labs."

"Image socket design is hardly a trivial matter. Designers will often face and must overcome many critical issues including focal plane lens alignment, light blocking, reflection blocking and force distribution when working with optical devices," said industry consultant Ken Gilleo of E-T Trends LLC in Warwick, R.I.

For more information, visit: www.centipedesystems.com

Centipede Systems
2110 Ringwood Ave.
San Jose, CA 95130
Phone: (408) 321-8201
Fax: (408) 321-8701

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