Since the mid-1980s, Cascade has played an essential part in making sure integrated circuit devices and technologies work the way they were designed to work. And Cascade continues to look to the future to ensure more advanced and efficient circuit design and production. The true electrical performance of these tiny microwave circuits was impossible to measure at the wafer level. Eric Strid and Reed Gleason rock the industry in 1983 with the development of the first microwave wafer probe. Cascade Microtech comes into being.
Design engineers can test and characterize circuits before ICs are diced and packaged.
This partnership results in the seamless integration of HP test equipment with Cascade's probing systems. For their contribution to the semiconductor industry, Eric and Reed are presented with an award in 1991 by the IEEE Microwave Theory and Techniques Society. Cascade s collaborations with its customers accelerates an explosion in wireless communication products. The acquisition of industry leader Alessi, Inc. in 1995 broadens Cascade's expertise and product line in the discrete, hybrid, analog, and LCD markets, giving customers access to the most versatile test solutions in the marketplace. Cascade continues to invest in new technologies, and build on design and production expertise to allow more advanced design and fabrication probing.