Predictika · Wafer-probe card quotes

An AI sales agent's Technoprobe probe card quote, checked before it goes out

An AI sales agent prepares a quote for wafer-probe cards, choosing between the TPEG Vertical MEMS and Cantilever technologies, with a probe count, pitch, test conditions, a tester motherboard and a quantity. Before it goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of the two technologies and returns a verdict, every reason and the total it computed.

Scope: Technoprobe wafer-probe card quotes: TPEG Vertical MEMS and Cantilever cards, probe count and pitch, test temperature, current and frequency, the tester platform and motherboard, quantity and price. See everything this validator covers

This validator models Technoprobe probe card quotes, not just the scenarios shown below.

  • Technology limits — the pitch, total probe count, test temperature, current per probe and frequency each of the two technologies allows.
  • Design inputs and tester — the frozen chip design and pad layout a card needs before it is quoted, the tester platform, and the motherboard, new or one the customer already owns.
  • Quantity and total — the number of cards, the approval a large quantity needs, and the total the quote states, which must match the total computed from the design cost, the probes and the motherboard.

Any Technoprobe probe card quote that touches these rules is in scope — not only the scenarios pictured here. Not covered: other Technoprobe product lines and repair or service. The technology names, the probe head, ceramic plates and motherboard follow Technoprobe's public material; Technoprobe publishes no limits or prices, so every limit, rule and price in this validator is modeled from comparable probe cards and all figures are illustrative. The validator shows a computed total but no line-item table.

The AI sales agentBuilds the probe card quote from the conversation and says it is ready.
Predictika validatorChecks every rule at once and returns the verdict, each finding, and the computed figures.

6 scenarios in 3 groups · each group runs from the agent’s first attempt to the outcome · click one to switch

What the agent proposes

The AI sales agent says

Illustrative agent statement. The validator receives the structured request below.

Proposing agent: AI sales agent (scripted)

Before sending, the agent must call Recorded run

Predictika validator


      

        
        
        
      

      
Waiting for the call.

      
    

  

  
  

    
Where rules-based CPQ gets it wrong
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Our assessment of what a typical rules-based CPQ (product rules, price rules and validation rules, as in Salesforce CPQ) does with the same cases. It is a judgment about effort and reliability, not a claim that nothing can be built.

    
What the validator caughtTypical rules-based CPQPredictika
Technology limits that depend on the card typeOnly with care
Each technology has its own pitch, probe, temperature, current and frequency limits, so every limit needs a rule per technology that must be kept in step.		The technology and every requirement are in one request and checked together on every call.
A total probe count built from sites and probes per siteOnly with care
The count is a product of two fields, so the limit has to be a calculated rule that depends on both.		The probe count is computed inside the model and compared with the technology limit on every call.
A motherboard that is new, existing or missingOnly with workarounds
Missing, existing and quoted motherboards lead to a block, an approval or nothing, which takes several rules that must agree.		The two motherboard choices are in the request and return the right block, approval or nothing on every call.
A stated total that must match the computed totalOnly with workarounds
The total is built from the design cost, the probes and the motherboard, so a separate rule must recompute it and compare it with the stated figure.		The stated total is a field of the request and is compared with the computed total on every call.
Every problem returned in one answerOnly with workarounds
Rules tend to fire as the quote is saved or a step is completed, so a rep often fixes one error and meets the next.		All findings come back together, whatever order the choices arrived in.

  

  

    
What this validator catches: findings from its test cases
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Every rule is checked on every call, in any order the choices arrive; one problem never hides another. Blocking findings stop the order; approval findings need a person to sign off; everything else is computed.

    
1The probe pitch of 35 um is below the 40 um this model allows for the chosen technology.
2The probe pitch of 50 um is below the 60 um this model allows for the chosen technology.
361,000 probes in total exceed the 60,000 this model allows on one card of the chosen technology.
44,000 probes in total exceed the 3,000 this model allows on one card of the chosen technology.
5The test temperature of 150 C is outside the range from -40 C to 125 C this model allows.
6The test temperature of -45 C is outside the range from -40 C to 150 C this model allows.
7600 mA per probe is above the 500 mA this model allows for the chosen technology.
89,000 MHz is above the 8,000 MHz this model allows for the chosen technology.
92,500 MHz is above the 2000 MHz this model allows for the chosen technology.
10A probe card is built for one chip design; the frozen design and pad layout must be received before quoting.
11The card needs a motherboard for the tester platform; the quote has none, new or existing.
12The quote relies on a motherboard the customer already owns; a person should confirm it fits this card.
13The tester platform is not one of the two modeled; a person should confirm the interface.
1411 probe cards on one quote; a person should confirm volume terms.
15The quote has 0 probe cards; at least one is needed.
16The quote states a total of 1,000 dollars; the modeled price is 103,000 dollars.
17The probe pitch of 30 um is below the 40 um this model allows for the chosen technology.
18The test temperature of 160 C is outside the range from -40 C to 150 C this model allows.

  

  

    
Scenarios and results
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The recorded result of the validator for each scenario on this page: the request the AI agent sent, the verdict, and every finding, in the order they appear above.

    
1. Technology limits: A Cantilever card quote with a fine pitch, 4,000 probes, high temperature, current and frequency

    
The agent's request. Please quote 2 Cantilever probe cards for the Advantest V93000 tester, with 4 sites of 1,000 probes at a 50 micron pitch, tested at 150 degrees C with 600 milliamps per probe at 3,000 MHz, with a new motherboard, for a total of 46,000 dollars. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Pitch below the technology minimum. The probe pitch of 50 um is below the 60 um this model allows for the chosen technology.
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  • Too many probes. 4,000 probes in total exceed the 3,000 this model allows on one card of the chosen technology.
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  • Test temperature out of range. The test temperature of 150 C is outside the range from -40 C to 125 C this model allows.
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  • Current per probe too high. 600 mA per probe is above the 500 mA this model allows for the chosen technology.
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  • Frequency too high. 3,000 MHz is above the 2000 MHz this model allows for the chosen technology.
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2. Technology limits: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote 2 TPEG Vertical MEMS probe cards for the Advantest V93000 tester, with 4 sites of 1,000 probes at a 50 micron pitch, tested at 150 degrees C with 600 milliamps per probe at 3,000 MHz, with a new motherboard, for a total of 71,000 dollars. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Order summary. 2 card(s) of 4,000 probes each; card price 28,000 dollars; total 71,000 dollars including design NRE at the modeled prices.
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3. Design inputs, motherboard and stated total: A Cantilever card quote before the design is frozen, with no motherboard and a stated total

    
The agent's request. Please quote 2 Cantilever probe cards for the Advantest V93000 tester, with 2 sites of 500 probes at a 100 micron pitch, tested at 25 degrees C with 200 milliamps per probe at 500 MHz, with no motherboard, before the chip design is frozen, for a total of 7,000 dollars. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Chip design not frozen. A probe card is built for one chip design; the frozen design and pad layout must be received before quoting.
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  • No tester motherboard. The card needs a motherboard for the tester platform; the quote has none, new or existing.
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  • Stated total does not match. The quote states a total of 7,000 dollars; the modeled price is 10,000 dollars.
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4. Design inputs, motherboard and stated total: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote 2 Cantilever probe cards for the Advantest V93000 tester, with 2 sites of 500 probes at a 100 micron pitch, tested at 25 degrees C with 200 milliamps per probe at 500 MHz, with a new motherboard, for a total of 34,000 dollars. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Order summary. 2 card(s) of 1,000 probes each; card price 14,000 dollars; total 34,000 dollars including design NRE at the modeled prices.
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5. Probe count, tester and quantity: A twelve-card TPEG quote with a very fine pitch, 70,000 probes, another tester and an existing motherboard

    
The agent's request. Please quote 12 TPEG Vertical MEMS probe cards for the another tester, with 70 sites of 1,000 probes at a 35 micron pitch, tested at 25 degrees C with 200 milliamps per probe at 500 MHz, with the customer's existing motherboard, for a total of 3,375,000 dollars. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Pitch below the technology minimum. The probe pitch of 35 um is below the 40 um this model allows for the chosen technology.
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  • Too many probes. 70,000 probes in total exceed the 60,000 this model allows on one card of the chosen technology.
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  • Other tester platform. The tester platform is not one of the two modeled; a person should confirm the interface.
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  • Existing motherboard to confirm. The quote relies on a motherboard the customer already owns; a person should confirm it fits this card.
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  • Large quantity. 12 probe cards on one quote; a person should confirm volume terms.
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6. Probe count, tester and quantity: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote 12 TPEG Vertical MEMS probe cards for the another tester, with 50 sites of 1,000 probes at a 40 micron pitch, tested at 25 degrees C with 200 milliamps per probe at 500 MHz, with the customer's existing motherboard, for a total of 2,415,000 dollars. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Needs approval.

    
    
      
  • Other tester platform. The tester platform is not one of the two modeled; a person should confirm the interface.
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  • Existing motherboard to confirm. The quote relies on a motherboard the customer already owns; a person should confirm it fits this card.
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  • Large quantity. 12 probe cards on one quote; a person should confirm volume terms.
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  • Order summary. 12 card(s) of 50,000 probes each; card price 200,000 dollars; total 2,415,000 dollars including design NRE at the modeled prices.
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Narration transcript
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The text of the narrated walkthrough, step by step.

    
    
      
  1. Welcome to a demo of Predictika's Validator. An AI sales agent prepares a quote for wafer-probe cards, choosing between the TPEG Vertical MEMS and Cantilever technologies, with a probe count. Before it goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of the two technologies and returns a verdict, every reason and the total it computed.
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  2. I will start with the first request by the agent.
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  3. The agent says. Please quote 2 Cantilever probe cards for the Advantest V93000 tester, with 4 sites of 1,000 probes at a 50 micron pitch. It is ready to send. The rest of the request is on screen.
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  4. Before it goes out, the agent calls the validator.
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  5. Blocked, with five findings, all in one answer. The probe pitch of 50 um is below the 60 um this model allows for the chosen technology. 4,000 probes in total exceed the 3,000 this model allows on one card of the chosen technology. The test temperature of 150 C is outside the range from -40 C to 125 C this model allows. The other two are on screen.
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  6. The validator returned five blocking findings in one answer. A check that reads one field at a time would pass most of this; it shows only when the choices in the order are checked against each other.
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  7. What this shows: for technology limits that depend on the card type, a rules-based CPQ is error-prone for this.
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  8. Now the agent resubmits.
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  9. The corrected request. It changes the card technology to TPEG Vertical MEMS and the total stated on the quote to 71,000 dollars.
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  10. It calls the validator again.
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  11. This time the validator clears it.
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  12. All five earlier findings are cleared.
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  13. Five problems caught in one call, fixed in one pass, and a clean order. That is the value of Predictika's validator: catching mistakes before they reach the customer. Now you can try the other scenarios yourself.
    14.