Roos Instruments

What Roos Instruments does

Roos Instruments, Inc. is a Santa Clara, California-based designer and manufacturer of modular automated test equipment (ATE) for the semiconductor industry, founded in 1989 by Mark Roos. The company's flagship Cassini platform is a configurable test system built around interchangeable Test Instrument Modules (TIMs), supporting frequency coverage from DC to 110 GHz (with modules extending to 140 GHz). The architecture is differentiated by a proprietary vector RF core (SyRF Core), a high-speed RF-centric data bus (RIFL), a blind-mate interface that unifies DC-to-mmWave testing without specialized tooling, and the Synapse test-state optimizer, which the company claims typically doubles test execution speed. The platform is complemented by Guru enterprise software for production-floor test and data management.

The business model combines hardware sales (Cassini 16 and Cassini SPYDER test systems, TIMs, fixtures, and the RIK accessories catalog), recurring software and support subscriptions ($11,500/year for software updates; $9,400-$52,300/year for tiered support packages), professional services (turnkey test development, training at $2,600 per person), and engineering services for custom instrument design and production workflow integration. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales targeting Independent Device Manufacturers (IDMs), fabless semiconductor companies, and test houses/OSATs, with regional channel partners — Sandtek in China/Japan, Boston Semi Equipment in Taiwan, and Doron Berger Solutions in Israel — handling international distribution.

The company is fully employee-owned and has operated without external venture capital since inception, initially funded by DARPA SBIR and DOD ManTech grants. It claims profitability and 90% employee retention over 20+ years. Key application areas include 4G/5G/6G devices, automotive radar (25/77/81 GHz), GaN power amplifiers, RF MEMS, and WiGig. The only publicly named customer is Freescale Semiconductor, which has used Cassini for 77 GHz automotive radar production test since 2009. Headcount is reported at 11-50 employees, and the company was granted new mmWave testing patents in March 2023.

Name

Roos Instruments

Legal name

Roos Instruments, Inc.

Website

https://roos.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Roos Instruments is a Santa Clara-based, employee-owned manufacturer of the modular Cassini ATE platform for RF and microwave semiconductor production testing from DC to 110 GHz, serving IDMs, fabless chip companies, and test houses across North America and Asia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Clara

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Cassini ATE Hardware Systems: Sale of modular automated test equipment platforms including Cassini 16 and Cassini SPYDER systems, along with Test Instrument Modules (TIMs) for various frequency ranges from DC to 110 GHz. Each TIM is a self-contained instrument that can be swapped in the field.
2. Device Interface / Fixtures and RIK Accessories: Custom device interface panels, fixture layers, RIK catalog items including cables, blocks, inserts, calibration tools, and docking hardware. The catalog contains over 670 SKUs ranging from cables to complete calibration kits.
3. RI System Software and Guru Enterprise: Software licensing including Cassini system software, Guru enterprise server software, virtual workstation licenses, and software subscriptions for updates and support. Includes graphical development environment, measurement expert system, Synapse optimizer, and Guru apps.
4. Training Services: Instructor-led and online training courses for developers, administrators, and maintenance technicians covering Cassini system operation, test development, and calibration. Training courses offered at $2,600 per person for developer training, with online options also available.
5. Turnkey and Engineering Services: End-to-end test solutions including custom instrument design embedding customer technology into TIMs, bench correlation and validation, test development, device interface design, and production workflow management.
6. Support Plans and Maintenance: Annual support contracts covering phone/email/web repair support, module exchange programs, preventive maintenance, calibration services, and software updates. Multiple tiers available from basic to gold support packages.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Roos Instruments designs, manufactures, and sells modular Automated Test Equipment (ATE) for semiconductor production testing under its Cassini platform, with coverage from DC to 110 GHz. Offerings include the configurable Cassini 16 and Cassini SPYDER testheads populated with interchangeable Test Instrument Modules (TIMs) such as RF sources, receivers, test sets, combiners, DC power, and digital instruments; Guru enterprise software for test data management; RI System Software for test program development; modular device interface fixtures; and supporting turnkey engineering, production, enterprise, and training services.

Product overview

Roos Instruments offers the Cassini modular ATE platform—a configurable semiconductor test system consisting of Cassini 16 (16-slot) and Cassini SPYDER (compact 8/16-slot) test systems, populated with interchangeable Test Instrument Modules (TIMs) including RF sources, receivers, combiners, test sets (20/50/60/80/100/140 GHz), DC power modules, digital instruments, and waveform modules. The platform is supported by RI System Software (Test Plan Builder, Virtual Workstation), Guru Server enterprise software for workflow and data management, and modular device interface fixtures. The system delivers test capability from DC to 140 GHz for applications including 4G/5G/6G devices, automotive radar (25/77/81 GHz), GaN amplifiers, power amplifiers, RF MEMS, and WiGig, supported by turnkey, production, enterprise, and training services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Cassini: Modular Automated Test Equipment (ATE) platform for the world's most advanced technology, supporting applications from DC to 110 GHz.
• Guru
• SyRF Core
• RIFL
• Synapse
• RITdb

Products and services

• Cassini 16 16-instrument-slot modular Automated Test Equipment (ATE) system for semiconductor production test from DC to 100 GHz, featuring precision handler/prober docking and instant multi-site scaling for IDMs, test houses, and fabless customers.
• Cassini SPYDER Compact 8 or 16 instrument slot ATE system measuring 2.4 ft in height with turnkey solutions from DC to 20 GHz and a rapid development environment for cost-sensitive production test programs.
• RI System Software Comprehensive Cassini software suite including the Test Plan Builder (GUI + code), Virtual Workstation for offline test program development, the Synapse optimizer, and integration with Guru Apps and RITdb for data management.
• Guru Server Enterprise ATE integration software providing production workflow management, test data distribution, backup and security, immutable distributed filesystem, calibration sync, and access control across the production floor.
• Device Interface (Fixtures) Modular fixture system providing a configurable test resource environment from DC to 90 GHz with rapid changeout capability and an integrated calibration layer for accurate device testing on Cassini testheads.
• RI8586 25 GHz Source Test Instrument Module providing precision microwave signal delivery from 25 MHz to 25 GHz with 2 RF outputs and ultra-low phase noise for production test of RF devices.
• RI8508 6 GHz RF Source Modulated RF source Test Instrument Module with 100 kHz to 6 GHz range and modulated output capability for digital modulation testing.
• RI8595 6 GHz Power Amplifier Test Instrument Module providing power amplification up to 20 Watts from 700 kHz to 6 GHz with P1dB exceeding 10 Watts and power accuracy of ±1 dB for high-power device stimulus.
• RI8577 20 GHz Combiner Test Instrument Module providing 2-tone signal routing from 100 kHz to 20 GHz, with 2 step attenuators and 2 low-noise amplifiers for signal conditioning.
• RI8596 25 GHz Receiver Synchrodyne vector receiver Test Instrument Module providing measurements from 100 kHz to 25 GHz with 2 RF inputs, 3 baseband inputs, real-time DSP for PAR, ACPR, FFT, and EVM, and integrated LO with IF out.
• RI8545 20 GHz TestSet Test set Test Instrument Module providing 0.1 to 20 GHz coverage with 4 Vector Tx/Rx ports for S-parameter, distortion, and modulation/demodulation testing.
• RI8607 50 GHz TestSet High-frequency test set Test Instrument Module covering 2 to 50 GHz with 2 Vector Tx/Rx ports supporting VNA, spectrum analysis, noise figure, and power meter measurements.
• RI8580 60 GHz TestSet Millimeter-wave test set Test Instrument Module covering 50 to 70 GHz with 1 Vector Tx/Rx and 1 Scalar Rx port for WiGig and WirelessHD device testing.
• RI8604 80 GHz TestSet Millimeter-wave test set Test Instrument Module covering 71 to 86 GHz for automotive radar testing with integrated waveguide port conversion.
• RI8610 100 GHz TestSet Sub-millimeter-wave test set Test Instrument Module covering 86 to 110 GHz for 6G device testing and other high-frequency semiconductor applications.
• RI8614 140 GHz TestSet Sub-millimeter-wave test set Test Instrument Module covering 100 to 140 GHz for advanced mmWave device testing.
• RI8546 Device Power DC power Test Instrument Module with 2 × 3A high-power supplies, 8 × 200 mA supplies, 16 static digital channels with parametric measure, and protocol-aware pin logic.
• RI8589 FET Pulser High-power DC pulser Test Instrument Module providing DC parametric measurement and high-power supply with 10 µs bursts at 1 kW plus 8 control pins for external relays.
• RI8535 Universal Digital Digital Test Instrument Module providing device control via digital protocol engines, pattern import, logic analysis tools, pattern generation, and native JTAG support for SCAN.
• RI8594 Waveform/Measure and Low Noise Clock Mixed-signal Test Instrument Module combining oscilloscope/digitizer, arbitrary waveform generator, sine wave generator, and a low-noise clock in a single TIM.
• Turnkey Test Solutions End-to-end test solution services including custom instrument design that embeds customer technology into TIMs, bench correlation and validation, test development, and device interface design for wireless device programs.
• Production Services Production workflow management services including test executive implementation, handler/prober interface, and system controller recovery services for Cassini-based production lines.
• Enterprise (Guru) Services Guru enterprise integration services including software updates, backup and recovery, test data aggregation, calibration sync, and access control for production-floor ATE deployments.
• Training Services Instructor-led and online training courses for Cassini developers, administrators, and maintenance technicians, covering test program creation, debugging, calibration, and system administration ($2,600 per person for developer training).
• RI Support Plans Tiered annual support contracts (Basic, Silver, Gold) covering phone/email/web repair support, module exchange programs, preventive maintenance, calibration services, and software updates for installed Cassini systems.

Quantifiable outcome

• Millions of chips tested annually by semiconductor manufacturers using Cassini systems
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered regional, minor and core.

• SandtekregionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSandtek Shanghai Office serves as the authorized distributor for Roos Instruments products in China and Japan. Handles sales, service, and logistics for RF ATE customers in the region. Located at No. 120 West Tian Shan Road, Shanghai, China. Contact: [email protected], +86-21-52280569.
• Boston Semi EquipmentregionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized distributor for Roos Instruments in Taiwan. Contact: +886-3-577-2556, 10F-1 No. 118 Ciyun Road, Hsinchu City 30072, Taiwan.
• Doron Berger SolutionsregionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized representative for Roos Instruments in Israel. Contact: [email protected], +972-54-4336892, Ganei Tikva 5591899, Israel.
• Salland EngineeringminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerInternational technology company specializing in products, solutions, and services that enable semiconductor manufacturers to optimize the efficiency, cost, and quality of their testing. Listed as a Test Development Partner for rapid test development collaboration with Roos Instruments.
• ASE KoreaminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerListed as a Test House Partner. ASE Korea is part of Advanced Semiconductor Engineering, a major provider of assembly and test services. Collaboration maximizes value of assembly and test for semiconductor customers.
• ASE KaohsiungminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerListed as a Test House Partner in Taiwan. ASE Kaohsiung is part of Advanced Semiconductor Engineering's global test operations. Collaboration maximizes value of assembly and test for semiconductor customers.
• DOD ManTech ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEarly funding and development partnership with the US Department of Defense Manufacturing Technology (ManTech) program in the late 1980s, which provided grant funding to prototype and demonstrate Microwave ATE concepts. This partnership enabled the foundational R&D that led to the creation of Roos Instruments' first products for the military radar market.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Teradyne: One of the two dominant semiconductor ATE providers globally (UltraFlex, J Series platforms). Direct competitor for semiconductor production test business, including RF and mixed-signal applications.
• Advantest: The other dominant semiconductor ATE provider (V93000, T5500 series). Direct competitor serving the same IDM and OSAT customers with SoC and RF/microwave test capabilities.
• Cohu: Semiconductor test equipment provider (Diamondx, PAx platform). Direct competitor in the ATE space, particularly for mixed-signal and RF test in production environments.
• Keysight Technologies: Spun out of Agilent's test & measurement business; major provider of RF/microwave bench instruments and increasingly production ATE solutions. Closest direct competitor in the RF/microwave test domain.
• National Instruments (NI, now Emerson): PXI-based modular instrumentation platform widely used in semiconductor validation and production test. Competes with Cassini's modular approach for RF and mixed-signal test applications.
• Rohde & Schwarz: Major RF/microwave test & measurement provider with growing footprint in semiconductor production test. Direct competitor in the RF/wireless device characterization space.
• Anritsu: Leading provider of RF/microwave test instruments including VNAs and signal analyzers used in semiconductor test. Comparable in RF/wireless test and measurement focus.
• Marvin Test Solutions: Specialty ATE provider for military/aerospace test applications (PXI-based). Comparable focus on defense-related RF/microwave test, an area where Roos has historical depth from DOD ManTech origins.
• Astronics Test Systems: Provider of automated test equipment primarily for aerospace and defense applications. Comparable in military/aerospace RF test focus, with overlapping defense/aerospace customer base.
• Chroma ATE: Taiwan-based semiconductor test equipment provider serving memory, SoC, and mixed-signal test markets. Comparable as a regionally-focused ATE competitor with significant Asian customer footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/watch?v=92wegwZePso
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/roos-instruments

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Roos Instruments