Newswise — This year, we continue the theme of "Expanding Horizons." As the semiconductor industry approaches the "end game" with Moore's Law, the industry's thrusts will begin to change. Companies that wish to succeed will become more focused on specific applications and technologies. Much of the anticipated growth in the industry will occur at the interfaces of technology, such as semiconductor and biological.
The continued rapid pace of development in the semiconductor industry presents a constant challenge for test and failure analysis to adequately examine emerging devices. As the expanding horizons of device development leverage performance to ever greater gains, so must the failure analysis industry likewise expand horizons to accelerate capabilities beyond today's limits.
Within this theme, ISTFA is pleased this year to offer several opportunities to understand the challenges that lie ahead. Keynote speaker Mario Paniccia (Intel Corporation) will cover "developments associated with integrating optical signals into silicon IC technology."
The Panel Discussion will focus on the analysis requirements associated with medical devices, an area expected to expand rapidly as our knowledge of human physiology and cognitive ability increases. To effectively expand horizons, one must work to keep up with technical developments, and networking with colleagues provides some excellent opportunities.
About the Program: ISTFA has three primary venues for failure analysis learning: the Tutorials (a two-day educational program with specific tracks for new and seasoned professionals), the Symposium (a three-day technical program with papers from all aspects of failure analysis and opportunities for open discussion and networking), and the Exposition (North America's largest trade show of FA-related equipment and services). Additional learning opportunities this year are provided by EDFAS educational courses. Saturday's preconference courses cover defect localization techniques, FIB, and SPM. Friday's postconference course is an outgrowth from last year's popular "How to Fund FA" seminar, expanding on FA finance and management concepts. Please see the EDFAS website at www.edfas.org for more details.
Highlights of the program, in addition to excellent technical talks and tutorials, include: "¢ Tutorial Reception on Sunday evening"¢ Keynote address "New Technology: Silicon Photonics Opportunities, Challenges and Applications," by Dr. Mario Paniccia (Intel Corporation)"¢ Panel Discussion on Tuesday afternoon"¢ Two-hour Exposition Luncheon on Tuesday"¢ Two-hour Poster Luncheon on Wednesday"¢ Social event at the San Jose Tech Museum of Innovation n Wednesday evening, which includes the opportunity to see a unique exhibit called "Body Worlds." "Body Worlds" is a science/art display that provides unparalleled insight into the human body and how it works (tickets available for purchase)."¢ Dedicated Exhibit Hour on Wednesday"¢ Five User Group meetings. The User Groups will continue at their more convenient early morning time slots rather than the traditional late evening position.
ISTFA Tutorials(Sunday, November 4, and Monday, November 5)
The Tutorials are organized by Zhiyong Wang of Intel Corporation. There are 47 tutorials spanning 15 topics, including FA basics, device and test, microscopy tools, packaging, yield, materials characterization, MEMS, fault isolation, lab management, and failure mechanisms. There are ten new topics this year, ranging from an entirely new materials characterization track to new AFM sessions to a new analog device characterization session. This is the largest tutorial session of its kind directly focused on FA.
ISTFA Symposium(Tuesday, November 6, to Thursday, November 8)
The Symposium, organized by Nicholas Antoniou, offers outstanding technical content over topics such as advanced techniques, packaging, circuit edit, test, sample preparation, metrology, and nanotechnology. The symposium consists of a high quality program of 59 papers and 12 posters. The Panel Discussion, organized by Martin Keim of Mentor Graphics, will be held on Thursday morning. This year's topic, "FA of Medical Devices," will address the specific challenges and techniques needed for these "high-reliability/high-consequence-of-failure" circuits.
ISTFA User Groups(Tuesday, November 6, to Wednesday, November 7)
The User Groups are organized by Dan Bodoh of Freescale Semiconductor and provide an informal setting to discuss advances and challenges in specific topic areas with other technical peers in the failure analysis and test communities. This year, the User Groups are organized by job function rather than by equipment. The topics include getting inside the chip, finding the defect, characterizing the defect, and modifying the chip (FIB User's Group). This year's forums take place on Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning.
ISTFA Exposition(Tuesday, November 6, and Wednesday, November 7)
The Expo is organized this year by Tracy Myers of ON Semiconductor. As North America's largest trade show exhibit of FA equipment and services, the Expo is your chance to see the latest advances, to network with vendors, and to obtain problem-solving advice from the experts. Efforts have been made to increase the amount of time available for attendees to interact at the Expo. The program includes a dedicated hour for visiting the Expo without any competing activities, along with a two-hour luncheon in the Expo hall that replaces the traditional one-hour Expo reception. Supplier booth reservations are filling at record rates, so this is a fantastic opportunity that you won't want to miss. ISTFA is an ideal venue to learn new failure analysis techniques, challenges, and directions. I encourage you to come this year and expand your horizons at this premier FA event.
Register online today at http://www.edfas.org.
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