Signatone at A-Glance
  • Founded in 1968, Privately Held
  • Headquarters: 393-J Tomkins Ct, Gilroy, California USA
  • Revenue $5 - $20 million
  • Analytical & Failure Analysis Probe Systems Supplier
  • Globally Recognized Resistivity Test Solutions Supplier
  • Over 10,000 probe systems installed
  • 21 Sales & Service centers
Signatone – A History
In 1955, Pete Clerx served as an electrical and mechanical engineer working for Philips Semiconductor. Finding resistivity probing to be cumbersome with manipulators, Clerx designed the first self-contained four-point probe head. In the late fifties and early sixties, Clerx continued to improve on revisions of his 4-point probe head designs. After having made probe heads for various semiconductor companies, Clerx recognized a growing demand for these types of tools everywhere in what was becoming Silicon Valley. In 1965, Mr. Clerx founded the proprietorship called Signatron. Just a few of the early customers included National Semiconductor, Fairchild, Hewlett Packard and Signetics. In 1970, the four-point probe stand model S-301 became an instant success and there were requests from all around the country and some in Europe. In 1970 the company name was changed to Signatone.
Mr. Brent Dickson, who had worked at Motorola in Phoenix for six years then in 1968 moved to Silicon Valley and co-founded Advanced Memory Systems (acquired by Intersil, then GE), was ready to try his hand at running a small business. In 1976, Dickson purchased Signatone from Mr. Clerx and quickly began to expand the product lines, soon thereafter Three probe stations entered the market for the new 100mm wafer sizes with 25-micron geometries. In 1977, the stand-alone hot chuck was introduced and began to be a big seller for CV analysis applications. In 1978, the S-200-micron analytical probe station with a 200X magnification microscope entered the market, 1979 saw the introduction of the model S-1007 which was the first pattern probe station designed specifically for probing test pattern die and was well accepted. The S-1007 was also the first 125mm probe station.
As Signatone entered the 1980's, the business had tripled in size since 1975 and now offered a product line of five probe stations and three hot chuck systems as well as the 4-point probe systems. In1981, Signatone introduced a 125mm sub-micron analytical probe station, the S-250 which will enjoy sales of over 500 systems during the next decade. Through the 1980's Signatone continued to improve existing products and upgrade from 100mm to 125mm then 150mm models. Signatone introduced a compound sub-micron resolution micropositioner in 1983. In 1985, Signatone introduced the S-450 programmable semiautomatic analytical probe station. The S-450’s linear motor provided superior resolution and accuracy versus the competition and was well received in the market. As the company continued to expand product lines as well as overall growth in 1982 most of the operations were moved to Gilroy California into a much larger facility. Signatone would maintain headquarters and sales offices in Sunnyvale until 1997. In 1988, Signatone introduced the S-460 which was the first "hands-off", completely controlled by a mouse, analytical probe station. The S-460 met with significant success.
In 1992, Signatone introduced the 200mm version of the S460 as the S480. In 1995, Signatone introduced a low current, Triaxial chuck, local dry/dark enclosure and Triaxial probes for use with parametric analyzers for measuring ±1 fA. In 1997 Signatone introduced the CheckMate series probe stations, which quickly became the company’s flagship analytical probe station. The highly configurable CheckMate series probe stations are designed for easy integration of various accessories including hot/cold chucks, local dry/dark enclosures, lasers, emission detection systems, RF probes and much more. The CheckMate series probe stations allow our customers the freedom to adapt their equipment as their applications may change in an ever-changing industry. In 1999 Signatone introduced the 300mm CheckMate line along with 300mm thermal chucks to accommodate the industry’s expansion into larger wafer architecture.
In the early 2000s the world market expanded greatly as many companies in the semiconductor industry began taking production off-shore. The dynamic shifted for much of the R&D of new products was now being funded to Universities around the world. Signatone capitalized on this opportunity with multiple sales representatives around the world and increased business on every inhabited continent.
Over the next 20 years Signatone has continued to advance product lines including the WaveLink series probe stations and focusing on the RF-HF markets that support the Wi-Fi world and AOT (Automation Of Things), from phones to -smart home security. With the ever growing EV (Electric Vehicle) market and demand for High Power products Signatone has created a line of products specifically used for safely probing 1kV -20kV, with the need for better power sources and battery longevity comes the requirement and research of new materials Signatone has responded to the need for testing of these new materials with TCR (Temperature Coefficient Resistivity) measurement systems that simulate the conditions of the material under test.
From political unrest of the cold war to the global COVID pandemic and everything in between, Signatone has worked alongside the industry and multi-generations of test engineers in need of Analytical testing, failure analysis and material research solutions. We look forward to serving the industry for many years to come.
Signatone – Mission Statement
To empower our customers success through superior technology, high performance, quality, and value, with friendly customer relations, and global support.
Signatone - Privacy Policy
Keeping customer information secure is a top priority for Signatone. Please read Signatone’s privacy policy below. This policy outlines our views and practices and how they pertain to you as a visitor to Signatone.com. Please check back periodically, as these policies may change. However, our fundamental commitment to protecting visitors’ privacy will not change.
  1. What information does Signatone collect on the Web site?
  2. How is the information used?
  3. Does Signatone share my information?
  4. How secure is my information?
  5. What if I have more questions?
1. What information does Signatone collect on the Web site?
  • Information You Volunteer. We only collect personal information that you volunteer while using our services. You may always choose not to provide information. (Visitors may access our Web site home page and browse our site without disclosing personal data.)
  • Information Collected Automatically. We do not automatically log personal data nor do we link information automatically logged by other means with personal data about specific individuals. Signatone does not collect information about you from other sources, e.g., public records or bodies, or private organizations.
2. How does Signatone use the information it collects?
  • We use the information we collect on the site to enhance your overall experience while visiting the site and to preserve the integrity of our company.
  • We do not collect or use personal data for any purposes outside of customer service, site administration, and company communication. If we wish to use personal data for any other purpose, we always obtain your consent first.
3. Does Signatone share my information with others?
  • No. Signatone does not sell, trade or rent your personal information to any outside parties. We value our customers’ privacy and will not jeopardize our relationship with customers by selling their information to solicitors.
4. How secure is my information?
  • Signatone maintains physical, electronic and procedural safeguards that comply with federal standards to guard your personal information. We strive to comply with all applicable national laws and global/regional regulatory schemes. We also self-regulate the collection and use of personal data.
  • Employees who have access to personal data are obliged to respect the confidentiality of our visitors’ personal data and are held to the highest standards of integrity in utilizing, storing or retrieving this data.
5. What if I have more questions?
Send direct inquiries or concerns about our privacy policy to:
Signatone Corporation
393-J Tomkins Court
Gilroy, CA 95020
Signatone – Standard Warranty Statement
STANDARD 1 YEAR WARRANTY STATEMENT
The following “Consumer Warranty Information” describes Signatone’s standard warranty.
What Do Our Warranties Usually Cover? Our limited warranties cover defects in material or workmanship in new Signatone products. Only consumers purchasing Signatone products from authorized Signatone resellers may obtain coverage under our warranties.
How Long Does The Coverage Last? Our warranty period is 1 year from the documented date of initial Invoice.
What Does Our Warranty Not Cover?Our warranties do not cover any problem that is caused by (a) Accident; abuse; neglect; shock; electrostatic discharge; heat or humidity beyond product specifications; improper installation; operation; maintenance or modification; or (b) any misuse contrary to the instructions in the user manual; or (c) loss passwords; or (d) malfunctions caused by other equipment. Our warranties are void if a product is returned with removed, damaged or tampered labels or any alterations (including removal of any component or external cover). Our warranties do not cover data loss – back up the contents of your drive to a separate storage medium on a regular basis. Also, consequential damages; incidental damages; and costs related to data recovery, removal and installation are not recoverable under our warranties.
What Do You Have To Do? Signatone will not provide any warranty coverage unless claims are made following proper return procedures. To request warranty service, contact Signatone Head Quarters or visit us on the web @ www.signatone.com for contact information. Once an authorized Signatone service representative determines that a repair or replacement is required, you will be prompted for your name, address, phone number, email and product serial number and then issued a Return Material Authorization Number (RMA#) to use when returning product to Signatone. Product returned to Signatone must be properly packaged in its original packaging (or packaging providing the product with protection equivalent to the original packaging) and sent, with the shipping charges prepaid via a shipping method that provides for tracking of your package, to the address provided when you received your Return Material Authorization Number.
What Will Signatone Do? When Signatone authorizes a product to be returned to Signatone factory, Signatone will re-work, replace or upgrade the defective product. Signatone will pay to ship the repaired product to you. By sending product for replacement, ownership of the original product is not transferred to Signatone. Data recovery is not covered under this warranty and is not part of the repair process Signatone warrants that repaired or replaced products are covered for the greater of either the remainder of the original product warranty or 90 days.