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edfas.org 55 ELECTRONIC DEVICE FAILURE ANALYSIS | VOLUME 20 NO. 1 GUEST COLUMNIST PORTAL TO THE WORLD OF FAILURE ANALYSIS David Burgess, Accelerated Analysis davidburgess@AcceleratedAnalysis.com INTRODUCTION It is no revelation that failure analysis today is dras- tically different from failure analysis 25 years ago. Not surprisingly, there is general agreement that failure analysis is tougher today. Problems presentedbymulti-die packaging, multilayer metallization, and mind-numbing complexity were not imagined. No one is complaining. Everyone is just plowing ahead undaunted, tackling each barrier as it arises. In a way, that attitude is one thing that has not changed. We always have attackedproblems from all directions. We developed new imaging, measurement, and testing techniques as required. One major difference between then and now is EDFA magazine. Then, therewas no EDFA magazine. Howmuch difference does thatmake? EDFA MAGAZINE EDFA ,more than any othermagazine, introduces state- of-the-art research and new failure analysis techniques. It expands the horizons of analysts beyond their specific jobs to the limitless variation of failure analysis around the world. Many analysts read EDFA magazine as soon as it arrives. They read to better understand mechanisms and physics that might explain a perplexing failure. And, there is always hope that a case history will provide key insight for a current problem. I amhonored tobe one of thenineteenpeople involved in producing and editing content for EDFA magazine. EDFA is intended to be authoritative, clear, and up to date. Without exception, I ampleasedwith the result that shows up inmymail box. State-of-the-art features arewell written and successfully edited to present information logically and understandably. Case histories are summed up meaningfully, with clear and documented analysis steps. EDFA is a valuable resource for analysts. EDFA also provides a way for analysts to share tricks for overcoming analysis barriers and tips for exploiting or extending the powers of failure analysis equipment. Analysts struggle with difficult tasks every day. Smart, clever innovations sometimes make awkward tasks easy. The “Master FA Technique” column is an EDFA feature that allows analysts to share such ideas ina short, concisenote. EDFA is a tool that analysts can use to share best practices. More than that, EDFA is a place to find references to failure analysis publications and failure analysis labora- tories. All of this is good, but there is a danger. The danger is that analysts underestimate their own work. Analysts, potential authors for EDFA , may dismiss the idea of writing because their ownwork is so familiar to them. Analysts are just doing their jobs today in the same way that they have for a long time. Manymay assume they have nothing to write about. When this happens, we all lose. Potential authors lose because they don’t receive the benefits of being an EDFA author. (Authors do enjoy benefits to their careers.) The rest of us lose because a rich source of good ideas is blocked from us. The irony is that, in fact, good ideas are everywhere. All failure analysts are faced with unique problems every day, and every day unique, clever solutions are found. EDFA is not just a resource for failure analysts. More accurately, EDFA is a portal between each analyst and the world of failure analysis. EDFA cannot meet its full potential until it is widely seen as a tool for analysts to communicate. Like analytical tools andmicroscopes, EDFA is a tool we can learn to use better. Involvement of the whole analysis community is nec- essary to make EDFA great. Failure analysis problems are “ EDFA IS NOT JUST A RESOURCE FOR FAILURE ANALYSTS. MORE ACCURATELY, EDFA IS A PORTAL BETWEEN EACH ANALYST AND THE WORLD OF FAILURE ANALYSIS.”