Alessi Inc.: The Irvine electronics testing company...

Alessi Inc.: The Irvine electronics testing company said Wednesday that it has agreed to be acquired by Cascade Microtech Inc. of Beaverton, Ore., a company that makes equipment for testing microchip designs.

The letter of intent was signed by Cascade and Alessi parent Dukane Corp. of St. Charles, Ill. Terms of the proposed deal were not disclosed.

A Cascade spokeswoman said that most of Alessi’s work force of about 50 will stay intact under the acquisition. A few managerial positions in both companies may be consolidated.

Alessi was founded in 1967 as an electronic testing firm. The company moved along with the industry into testing integrated circuits, including designing and marketing devices that test liquid-crystal displays.