The system will support high-volume production burn-in of silicon photonics devices used in AI optical interconnect and hyperscale data center applications.
The order includes Aehr's turnkey FOX-XP multi-wafer WLBI system configured to test up to nine 300mm wafers in parallel together with the fully automated FOX WaferPak® AutoAligner™, enabling automated, high-volume production burn-in with hands-free operation when integrated with an automated wafer handler.
The customer is developing advanced silicon photonics devices used in next-generation optical interconnects and optical I/O architectures for hyperscale AI and cloud data centers and advanced packaging of AI processors and high-performance computing (HPC) devices. These silicon photonics devices enable dramatically higher bandwidth and lower power communication between AI processors, memory, switches, and networking equipment, addressing one of the industry's most significant bottlenecks as AI infrastructure continues to scale. Industry leaders across the AI ecosystem have increasingly identified silicon photonics and optical I/O as key enabling technologies for future AI clusters, rack-scale computing, and chip-to-chip communications to permanently replace copper interconnects that are approaching their practical performance and power limits.
This customer took delivery of its first FOX-XP with fully automated WaferPak Aligner production system in fiscal 2026. The system has now been successfully installed and demonstrated fully automated, hands-free operation integrated with the customer's automated wafer handling equipment and an automated guided vehicle for 300mm wafer FOUP movement. This represents an important production milestone as the customer ramps up manufacturing of its silicon photonics products.
"The successful installation and production qualification of our first fully-automated system with this customer represents another important milestone in our long-term relationship with them," said Gayn Erickson, President and CEO of Aehr Test Systems. "Demonstrating fully hands-free production operation with our integrated FOX-XP platform and automated wafer handling validates not only our technology, but also our ability to support customers as they transition from engineering qualification into high-volume manufacturing.
"We are very pleased to receive this additional follow-on production order early in our new fiscal year. We believe this order reflects the customer's continued confidence in Aehr's FOX-XP platform and represents an encouraging start to fiscal 2027. As AI infrastructure evolves toward optical interconnects and optical I/O, we believe Aehr is well-positioned to support customers that require cost-effective, high-throughput WLBI and stabilization."
Demand for silicon photonics continues to accelerate as hyperscale AI infrastructure expands. Major technology companies and AI infrastructure providers are increasingly adopting optical interconnect technologies to overcome the bandwidth, latency, and power limitations of traditional electrical interconnects. Industry forecasts anticipate significant growth in silicon photonics deployments over the coming years as optical communication moves closer to AI processors and ultimately onto processor packages through optical I/O architectures.
Aehr's FOX-XP platform is designed for high-power wafer-level test and burn-in of advanced semiconductor devices, including silicon photonics integrated circuits, AI processors, power semiconductors, memory devices, sensors, and other leading-edge semiconductor technologies. The FOX-XP system enables parallel burn-in and test of up to nine wafers simultaneously and, when combined with the FOX WaferPak AutoAligner, provides a fully automated production solution that significantly reduces handling time while improving throughput, repeatability, and manufacturing efficiency. The platform utilizes Aehr's proprietary FOX WaferPak Contactors, allowing full-wafer electrical contact and burn-in before singulation to identify infant mortality failures, improve long-term reliability, and lower overall manufacturing costs.