SAT Technology
What Sets MIT SAT Systems ApartObjective Indicators
MIT Co., Ltd. (Mechatronics Inspection Technology; not affiliated with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology) develops and manufactures the SFSAT series of fully automated in-line scanning acoustic tomography (SAT) systems, which detect voids, delamination and cracks inside semiconductor wafers, advanced packages, power modules and substrates. This page sets out how MIT systems differ from other SAT equipment, together with objective indicators such as patents, awards and external evaluations. What SAT is can be found in the SAT Technology Guide; why it is needed, in Why SAT.
| Strength | Detail |
|---|---|
| Production-line automated SAT | First Korean company to commercialize production-type fully automated ultrasonic inspection systems (Dong-A Ilbo, July 2026; Startup Today, December 2023) |
| XY scanning with multi-probe | XY scanning that keeps exact defect coordinates, combined with multi-probe parallel scanning for speed. Two or more inspection zones can be configured. Maximum scan speed 1,200 mm/s (registered patents; technology evaluation grade A) |
| Deep-learning automatic judgment | Automatic detection of voids, delamination and cracks with pass/fail sorting (IR52 Jang Young-sil Award 2024) |
| Proven in volume production | Running in front-end and back-end production lines of major Korean advanced- and power-semiconductor manufacturers, with overseas supply expanding (USD 7 million Export Tower 2024) |
| External evaluation | Technology evaluation grade A (2026), 48 registered patents, Iron Tower Order of Industrial Service Merit (2023), Top 100 National R&D Achievements (2026) |
| People | Most core executives and research leads have 20 to 30 years in the semiconductor-equipment industry; about one fifth of all staff hold master or doctoral degrees |
1. Built as production-line equipment, not a laboratory instrument
The acoustic microscope (SAM, C-SAM) was a laboratory instrument for decades. An operator placed a sample and read the image, which suits reliability-test samples and failure analysis but not 100 percent inspection on a production line. From its founding in 2017, MIT set out to redesign this instrument as fully automated inspection equipment that runs inside the line without an operator, and developed a fully automated ultrasonic inspection system in 2020. Korean press has reported MIT as the first Korean company to commercialize production-type automated ultrasonic inspection equipment. (Dong-A Ilbo, 22 July 2026; Startup Today, 21 December 2023)
Fully automated in-line means the following.
| Item | Laboratory-type SAT | MIT SFSAT (fully automated in-line) |
|---|---|---|
| Sample handling | Operator loads one sample at a time | Loader and handler feed and align wafers or trays automatically |
| Judgment | Operator reads the image | Deep-learning-based automatic judgment and pass/fail sorting |
| Judgment criteria | Vary with the operator | One data-managed criterion applied repeatably |
| Throughput | A handful of samples | Parallel scanning that scales with the number of probes and inspection zones; two or more zones can be configured |
| Factory integration | None | MES integration through in-house SECS/GEM software |
| Water management | Sample immersed in water | Waterfall and bubble-trap coupling that minimises water contact |
| Warpage | Flat samples assumed | Real-time warpage compensation up to ±3 mm |
2. XY scanning and multi-probe: exact coordinates, high speed
SAT systems scan a sample in one of two ways. In XY scanning the probe moves along two axes and measures on a regular grid; in spin scanning the wafer rotates and is measured along a spiral. Spin scanning reaches high speed easily, but each measurement position has to be converted from rotation angle and radius, which makes exact defect coordinates hard to obtain. The finer the defects to be found and the finer the scan pitch, the greater this limitation becomes. Automatic judgment, review, binning and process feedback all depend on exact coordinates, so MIT uses XY scanning, in which every measurement point has an exact x-y coordinate.
The challenge of XY scanning is speed: measuring a large area at a fine pitch with a single probe takes proportionally longer. MIT solved this with multi-probe scanning. In each inspection zone several probes move side by side and scan at the same time, so coordinate accuracy is kept while throughput rises in proportion to the number of probes and inspection zones. The number of inspection zones can be extended to two or more to match production volume. The maximum scan speed is 1,200 mm/s, among the fastest of SAT systems that use XY scanning.
Running several probes at once invites sensitivity differences and signal-alignment errors between probes. MIT developed its own algorithm to correct them, and in 2026 this multi-probe high-speed automated inspection platform received grade A in the technology evaluation. The evaluation recognised that the platform achieves one of the highest processing speeds in the industry while inspecting large wafers, packages and substrates at 100 percent. (Dong-A Ilbo, 22 July 2026)
Related registered patents include an ultrasonic inspection apparatus for high-volume inspection (KR102694850B1), warpage inspection using multi-line scan information (KR102964546B1) and an ultrasonic inspection system based on virtual-line image synthesis (KR102964552B1).
Throughput depends on scan pitch, sample and system configuration. Send a sample and MIT will provide model-specific throughput evaluated under the same conditions.
3. Deep-learning automatic judgment: removing operator variation
In production inspection the hard part is not acquiring the image but repeating the judgment against one criterion. Human reading drifts with the operator and the time of day, and it cannot keep up with 100 percent volumes. MIT detects voids, delamination and cracks and sorts pass from fail with a deep-learning-based automatic judgment system. This system received the IR52 Jang Young-sil Award in 2024, a Korean national award given by the Korea Industrial Technology Association and the Ministry of Science and ICT after external review. Judgment-related patents such as a method for inspecting and classifying defective devices (KR102459234B1) are also registered.
Because the criteria are managed as data, the type, position and distribution of defects can be fed back to the process. This is what turns inspection from a cost into a yield tool.
4. Proven in volume production
MIT SFSAT systems are installed and running in front-end and back-end volume-production lines of major Korean advanced-semiconductor manufacturers and in the production lines of power-semiconductor manufacturers. Inspection targets span wafers, advanced packages, power modules and DCB/AMB substrates. Supply is expanding beyond Korea to overseas markets including Taiwan, Vietnam, Japan and Malaysia. Customer names are not disclosed under non-disclosure agreements.
MIT received the USD 7 million Export Tower award on Korea Trade Day in 2024, and revenue grew from KRW 6.9 billion in 2023 to 13.9 billion in 2024 and 14.9 billion in 2025. (audited financial statements)
5. External evaluations and indicators
The items below were assessed or recorded by external organisations.
| Indicator | Detail | When |
|---|---|---|
| Technology evaluation grade A | Professional evaluation agencies designated by the Korea Exchange assessed technological completeness, competitive advantage and commercial viability | July 2026 |
| 48 registered patents | Ultrasonic inspection systems, multi-probe scanning, automatic judgment, inspection of warped samples and more. Over 50 including pending applications | As of September 2026 |
| IR52 Jang Young-sil Award | Deep-learning-based automatic judgment SAT system | 2024 |
| Iron Tower Order of Industrial Service Merit | Contribution to the materials, parts and equipment industry | 2023 |
| Top 100 National R&D Achievements | Selected by the Ministry of Science and ICT | 2026 |
| USD 7 million Export Tower | Korea International Trade Association, Trade Day | 2024 |
| Baby Unicorn selection | Ministry of SMEs and Startups | 2022 |
| Certifications | ISO 9001, 14001, 45001; Innobiz; materials-parts-equipment specialist company; Excellent Corporate R&D Center; IP Management Certification | Current |
The technology evaluation is a procedure in which external professional agencies designated by the Korea Exchange, with review panels that include PhD-level experts, grade technological completeness, competitive advantage and commercial viability for the technology-track KOSDAQ listing. Patent certificates, certifications and awards can be viewed on the Patents & Certifications page.
6. People: a team that has built semiconductor equipment before
The completeness of a machine ultimately comes from the people who build it. Most of MIT's core executives and research leads, including the CEO, the vice president, the head of the R&D center and the executives in charge of software and hardware, have worked in the semiconductor-equipment industry for 20 to 30 years. About one fifth of all staff hold master or doctoral degrees, and the R&D center is a government-designated Excellent Corporate R&D Center. An ultrasonic inspection system combines acoustics, precision mechanics, motion control, image processing, deep learning and factory-automation software in one machine, so having built each of these to production-equipment standards is what sets development speed and completeness.
To evaluate a sample or discuss a model, see the SFSAT product page or write to [email protected].
Frequently Asked Questions
- What are the main features of MIT SFSAT systems?
- SFSAT systems are fully automated in-line scanning acoustic tomography (SAT) systems. Key features are XY scanning that gives every measurement point an exact coordinate, a multi-probe architecture in which several probes scan simultaneously in each inspection zone and two or more zones can be configured, a maximum scan speed of 1,200 mm/s, real-time warpage compensation of up to ±3 mm, waterfall and bubble-trap coupling that minimises water contact, deep-learning-based automatic judgment, and SECS/GEM line integration. Models cover wafers (SFSAT-W), advanced packages (SFSAT-PAC), power modules (SFSAT-P), substrates (SFSAT-S) and manual-loading general use (SFSAT-M); transducer frequencies across the series span 25 to 250 MHz.
- Why does multi-probe scanning matter?
- Throughput. Scanning a large area at a fine pitch with a single probe takes proportionally longer and does not suit 100 percent production inspection. When several probes scan at the same time, throughput rises in proportion to the number of probes, and because the scan remains an XY scan, defect-coordinate accuracy stays the same. The core technology is the algorithm that corrects sensitivity differences between probes, and this technology received grade A in the 2026 technology evaluation.
- What is the difference between XY scanning and spin scanning?
- Spin scanning rotates the wafer and measures along a spiral, so it reaches high speed easily, but each measurement position has to be converted from rotation angle and radius. The finer the defects and the finer the scan pitch, the harder it becomes to obtain exact coordinates. XY scanning measures on a uniform grid, so every measurement point has an exact x-y coordinate that can be used directly for automatic judgment, review and process feedback. MIT keeps the accuracy of XY scanning and raises speed with multi-probe scanning.
- How can I check inspection sensitivity and throughput?
- Send a sample. MIT evaluates the actual sample and shares the resulting data under a non-disclosure agreement. Sensitivity and throughput depend on the structure and material of the sample and on scan pitch, so evaluation on the actual sample is the most accurate way to check.
- Which companies use MIT systems?
- MIT systems run in front-end and back-end volume-production lines of major Korean advanced-semiconductor manufacturers and in power-semiconductor production lines, and supply is expanding to overseas markets including Taiwan, Vietnam, Japan and Malaysia. Customer names are not disclosed under non-disclosure agreements. MIT received the USD 7 million Export Tower award in 2024.
- What does technology evaluation grade A mean?
- It is a grade assigned by external professional evaluation agencies designated by the Korea Exchange for the technology-track KOSDAQ listing process. Panels that include PhD-level experts assess technological completeness, competitive advantage and commercial viability from outside the company. MIT received grade A in July 2026 for its multi-probe high-speed automated ultrasonic inspection platform.
- How do MIT systems compare with other SAT equipment?
- The SAT market has two segments: laboratory and failure-analysis systems, where very high frequencies and image quality matter most, and fully automated in-line systems for production, where throughput, judgment reliability and line integration matter most. MIT builds systems in the in-line segment. Because the two segments serve different purposes, it is better to choose the segment that fits the inspection task first than to compare on a single figure such as frequency.