DB Design Group offers the Vac-Lock™ system for test floor equipment docking. Hard docking is often required between the test head and device handler or wafer prober. Vac-Lock features a universal footprint, precision positioning and positive locking to permit complete interconnectivity between the test floor equipment.

At Semicon West 2002, DB Design introduced the Vac-Lock IQ, its newest and most advanced model. Drawing upon years of successful docking experience on numerous test floors, the Vac-Lock IQ has an X-Y footprint that is smaller than most test heads and convenient Z adjustability to accommodate the majority of tester configurations. All this, while retaining the strengths of DB Design's Vac-Lock tradition.

Using Vac-Lock, operators can now quickly dock and undock any tester on the floor with any handler or prober, eliminating the cables and cams of older solutions that "wedge" the equipment together. Setup time is significantly reduced and physical strain on the operator is virtually eliminated, improving test floor productivity and reducing the time and cost of test.

Vac-Lock has been successfully installed on numerous test systems, including those from Teradyne, Agilent, Credence, Seiko Epson, Delta Design, Trillium, Synax, JLSI Tesam (Hyac), Aseco, Aetrium, TMT, TSK and TEL.

Features and Benefits

Fast and Accurate Docking
Vac-Lock decreases docking time and effort significantly. Many customers report docking and setup times are reduced by as much as 80%. Typically, one operator can dock or undock Vac-Lock easily.

Robust Design
Vac-Lock is the most durable and rugged docking solution available. Most of the docking solutions on the market today rely on cams, cables and/or gussets to dock and lock. These components often wear out and fail, resulting in costly downtime.

Vacuum Assisted Docking and Locking
Vac-Lock uses house air and vacuum to minimize the physical effort required for pulling equipment together and positively locking it in place. Most cam based systems require significant physical force to lock into place, or to compress pogo pins for probing.

Adjustable "Z" Height
Vac-Lock allows the user to adjust "Z" stack height easily while the head and handler are docked. Other docking systems require the replacement of cams or addition of shims, usually while the head is undocked.

Vibration Damping
Because of the interface design, Vac-Lock can help to reduce the amount of vibration translated from the handler back into the test head. Most other docking solutions have no compliant components at the interface.

Vac-Lock is a DB Design Group trademark.

Vac-Lock™ on a Custom Test Head


Control Display


Vacuum/air-assisted locking and docking