What Celadon Systems does

Celadon Systems, founded in 1997 by Bryan Root and headquartered in Burnsville, Minnesota, designs and manufactures advanced ceramic probe card solutions used in semiconductor wafer-level testing. The company's proprietary Advanced Cantilever™ technology and ceramic probe card architecture support parametric testing, wafer-level reliability (WLR), device characterization, and burn-in across an extreme temperature range from cryogenic (4K) to 600°C. Its product portfolio spans multiple probe card families — VC20E Element Series, T40, T90, VersaTile, VC43, and ButtonTile T300 — along with accessories including the Indexer automatic probe card changer, Adjustable Multisite Rail System, patch panels, and proprietary low-leakage high-performance cables. Celadon serves over 300 semiconductor customers globally, with named users including Texas Instruments, NXP Semiconductors, ON Semiconductor, Allegro Microsystems, and Sandia National Laboratories. The company holds 66 patents and is ISO 9001:2015 certified.

Celadon operates a quote-based direct sales model supported by regional representatives across the United States, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East. Revenue is generated through hardware sales of custom probe cards plus recurring service and maintenance contracts (preventive maintenance, rebuilds). Pricing depends on probe count, tile size, cable configuration, and tile count, with standard Net 30 terms and 2-3 week lead times for new orders. The company was acquired by MPI Corporation (Taiwan) in November 2015 and operates as a wholly owned subsidiary within MPI's Advanced Semiconductor Test Division. Customer engagement is reinforced through the annual CORE Users' Group conference, technical publications at IRPS, ICMTS, and SW Test workshops, and active trade show presence.

Recent strategic emphasis is on cryogenic testing for quantum computing and space/military applications, high-voltage (3kV) testing for SiC and GaN power electronics, and integration partnerships with FormFactor (cryogenic), GMW Associates (magnetic testing), Chroma ATE, and Nielson Scientific. Leadership transitioned in 2020 from founder Bryan Root (IEEE Fellow) to Karen Armendariz as President and CEO, with subsequent senior commercial hires from Entegris and Amtech Systems in 2025.

Name

Celadon Systems

Legal name

Celadon Systems, Inc.

Website

https://celadonsystems.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Celadon Systems designs and manufactures advanced ceramic probe cards and high-performance cables for semiconductor wafer-level testing, serving over 300 semiconductor manufacturers, foundries, and research institutions globally with extreme-temperature and low-leakage probing solutions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Burnsville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Probe Card Sales: Sale of ultra-high performance ceramic probe cards for semiconductor testing including VC20E, T40, T90, VersaTile, VC43 series and related products
2. Service and Maintenance: Preventive maintenance, repairs, and rebuilds for probe cards including alignment, cleaning, and testing services

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Celadon Systems designs and manufactures ultra-high performance ceramic probe cards and related probing accessories for semiconductor wafer-level testing. The portfolio covers Element Series (VC20E, VC43), Tile Series (T40, T90, VersaTile, ButtonTile), cryogenic probe cards (down to 4K), 3KV high voltage test systems, automatic probe card changers, and high-performance low-noise cables. Products serve production parametric test, wafer level reliability, modeling and characterization, and cryogenic testing for semiconductor manufacturers, research institutions, and advanced technology companies.

Product overview

Celadon Systems provides ultra-high performance probe cards and probing solutions for the semiconductor industry, specializing in extreme temperature testing from cryogenic (4K) to 600°C. The product portfolio centers on patented ceramic probe card technology with Advanced Cantilever features, organized into product families: the Element Series (VC20E 20mm, VC43 43mm) for modular parametric test; Tile Series (T40 40mm, T90 90mm, VersaTile 28mm, ButtonTile T300 300mm) for various wafer sizes and multi-site testing; and specialized solutions including Cryogenic probe cards, 3KV High Voltage test systems, and Production Wafer Level Burn-in cards. Supporting offerings include the Indexer automatic probe card changer, Adjustable Multisite Rail System, High Performance Cables, and Modular Adapters. The products are designed for parametric test, wafer level reliability (WLR), modeling & characterization, and silicon photonics testing applications, featuring ultra-low leakage measurements (sub-fA), crash-resistant ceramic construction, and temperature compensation for thermal expansion matching with wafers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• VC20E Element Series Probe Card 20mm ceramic probe card with Advanced Cantilever technology for DC parametric test, modeling and characterization, and single site wafer level reliability (WLR) testing. Features ultra-low leakage as low as 5fA/V and operating temperature range from -65°C to 200°C. Used by semiconductor manufacturers for production parametric testing.
• VC43 / VC43EAF Probe Cards 43mm ceramic probe card offering larger format with up to 104 probes in single or dual layer configuration. Integrates AttoFast technology for superior leakage performance with modular probe card system support. Designed for semiconductor parametric testing applications.
• T40 Series Probe Card 40mm ceramic probe card for mounting on standard 4.5" probe card holders. Optimized for DC parametric test and single site wafer level reliability with temperature compensated design from -65°C to 300°C (extended option to 600°C).
• T90 Series Probe Card 90mm ceramic probe card designed for multi-site wafer level reliability testing. Temperature compensated for use from -65°C to 300°C with fA level leakage measurements.
• VersaTile Probe Card 28mm ceramic probe card with Advanced Cantilever technology for DC parametric test and WLR. Fits conventional 3-hole mount probe positioners for single site probing and 300mm VersaPlate for multi-site probing.
• T300 ButtonTile Probe Card 300mm ceramic button probe card for long-term multi-site high-density wafer level reliability or burn-in tests up to 400°C. Optimized for multi-site WLR.
• Minitile and WedgeTile Probe Tiles Ceramic and metal probe tiles with integrated cable strain reliefs. Operating temperature range -65°C to 300°C with 1 to 25 pins per site. Available in standard low leakage (5 fA/V) or AttoFast with guarded tips for 2 fA/V settling time.
• Cryogenic Probe Cards Specialized cryogenic probe cards capable of probing at 4K down to absolute cold temperatures. Used for Space, Military, Medical, and Quantum Computing products with Lakeshore cryogenic wire.
• Tile-on-Card Probe Card Low-cost ceramic probe card solution for ambient device testing, modeling & characterization, or WLR. Known for 10 million+ touchdowns before rebuild with low maintenance and long life.
• Indexer Automatic Probe Card Changer Industry's first automatic probe card changer designed for lights-out parametric test. Supports up to five VC20 probe cards with Advanced Cantilever technology; card changes complete in seconds.
• 3KV High Voltage Test System (45EHV/VC20EHV) High voltage cable-out system supporting up to 32 DC channels and 12 HV channels rated to 3kV/channel. Includes VersaJet controller and heater for arc suppression at temperatures from Room Temp to 200°C.
• Production Wafer Level Burn-in (TV19 VersaTile) TV19 VersaTile probe cards designed for production wafer level burn-in with patented ceramic technology. Supports multiple cards on various VersAdjust plates with leakage specifications varying by temperature range.
• High Performance Cables and Accessories Low noise, low triboelectric effect cables designed and manufactured by Celadon. Available in custom lengths with various connectors (coaxial, triaxial, Type8, DSub) and anti-abrasion sheath options.
• Adjustable Multisite Rail System Mechanical system enabling flexible multi-site testing with adjustable die-to-die spacing using VersaTiles. Modular design allows additional site and rail assemblies after original purchase.
• Diagnostic VersaCore Probe Cards Diagnostic probe cards in VC20 format with customizable PCB for creating 'golden core' to troubleshoot systems including SMUs, motherboards, pogo pins, and relay matrices.
• Probe Card Service and Maintenance Preventive maintenance, repairs, alignment, cleaning, testing services, and rebuilds for Celadon probe cards. Rebuild lead time is 1-2 weeks.

Quantifiable outcome

• Achieved over 10 million touchdowns before rebuild on production test floors
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered technical collaboration, core - strategic alliance, joint development, strategic integration and core - parent company.

• Nielson Scientifictechnical collaborationTechnology or Integration · 1 July 2025Joint technical paper at SW Test 2025 on 'Revolutionary SiC based Micro-vertical Cryogenic Probing Solution Down to 2K' combining expertise in cryogenic materials and probing technology.
• Gel-Paktechnical collaborationTechnology or Integration · 1 July 2025Joint technical paper at SW Test 2025 on 'Optimizing Probe Card Performance, Longevity, and Cost for Small Parametric Pads' combining probe card and substrate handling expertise.
• Chroma ATEtechnical collaborationTechnology or Integration · 1 December 2024Joint presentation at SW Test Asia 2024 on 'A Cost-Effective Test Solution for Parametric Test & Reliability Lab' combining test equipment and probe card technologies.
• MPI America Inc.core - strategic allianceStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2022MPI America Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of MPI Corporation, partnered with Celadon to provide complete Wafer Level Reliability solutions. The announcement at IRPS 2022 showcased how the synergies between the organizations post-acquisition are delivering combined strengths for the WLR market.
• FormFactor Inc.joint developmentStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2021Celadon and FormFactor collaborated on a joint poster presentation titled 'Advanced Cryogenic Testing Systems and Methods' at CEC/ICMC 2021. The collaboration focuses on cryogenic probing solutions for quantum computing, space, medical, and other advanced semiconductor applications.
• GMW Associatesstrategic integrationTechnology or Integration · 1 June 2020Celadon partnered with GMW Associates to develop integrated electro-magnet and probe card solutions for magnetic testing. The collaboration combines GMW's expertise in electromagnets with Celadon's probe cards for complete solutions compatible with all probers. Example: GMW 5207 Projected Field Electromagnet integrated with Celadon Non-Ferrous VersaCore for testing up to 2T magnetic fields.
• MPI Corporationcore - parent companyOthers · 1 November 2015MPI Corporation, a global technology leader headquartered in Hsinchu, Taiwan, acquired Celadon Systems in November 2015. Celadon operates as a wholly owned subsidiary. MPI's Advanced Semiconductor Test Division leverages Celadon's probe card technology for wafer level reliability solutions. The acquisition has accelerated joint development efforts and created synergies in the WLR market.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• FormFactor: The largest publicly traded probe card manufacturer globally, offering cantilever, MEMS and vertical probe solutions for wafer sort and parametric test to leading semiconductor manufacturers. Celadon's ceramic cantilever and AttoFast technologies directly overlap with FormFactor's parametric and cryogenic probe card lines.
• Micronics Japan Co. (MJC): Japanese probe card maker and one of the largest suppliers of cantilever and vertical probe cards for memory and logic wafer test. MJC competes with Celadon in both cantilever and emerging vertical/cryogenic probe segments serving IDMs and foundries.
• Chunghwa Precision Test Tech (CHPT): Taiwan-listed probe card manufacturer serving semiconductor customers globally with vertical and MEMS probe cards. CHPT's high-volume test focus is partially complementary to Celadon's specialty parametric/WLR/cryogenic niche but overlaps in advanced packaging and power semiconductor customers.

Broad incumbents

• Cohu Inc. Diversified semiconductor test equipment and handler company whose probe card division (formerly SV Probe) sells cantilever and vertical probe solutions. Cohu's broader portfolio of handlers, contactors and interface boards competes as a single-vendor bundling alternative to Celadon's standalone probe card offerings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/celadonsystems
• YouTubeyoutube.com/celadonsystems
• Facebookfacebook.com/pages/Celadon-Systems-Inc/266134053413943
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/celadon-systems

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

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 Celadon Systems