SiliconBeat

Aehr Test Systems, the Fremont maker of systems for burning-in and testing integrated circuits, said Thursday it has taken “a series of actions designed to substantially reduce” its operating expenses, including cutting 20 percent of its employees, or about two dozen based on the 123 employees the company reported having at the end of its 2008 fiscal year last May.

The company said it’s also reducing compensation for the remaining salaried employees and shutting down operations for one week each quarter. The moves are estimated to bring about a 20 percent drop in operating expense beginning with the upcoming quarter ending May 31.

“The expense reduction actions announced today are a painful but necessary measure in light of the current economic slowdown and the negative outlook for capital expenditures in the semiconductor industry,” said Aehr’s chief executive Rhea Posedel in a statement.