May_EDFA_Digital

edfas.org 51 ELECTRONIC DEVICE FAILURE ANALYSIS | VOLUME 22 NO. 2 GUEST COLUMNIST I HAD A DREAM David Burgess, Accelerated Analysis, Half Moon Bay, California davidburgess@AcceleratedAnalysis.com I was surprised to findmyself on a huge spaceship going where no one has gone before. The captain’s chair was empty. Failure analysts and reliability engineers were gathered in groups engaged in intense conversation. Someone noticedmy obvious bewilderment and advised that I need not be concerned that the ship’s direction of travel was unknown. Wewere neither rudderless nor lost. I almost felt better until she added that the shipwas going in many directions. One direction was not enough. My mentor continued by pointing out a group of engi- neers working with test software and hardware to locate logical faults in complex circuits. With awave of her hand, she indicated another group concerned with diagnostic probing to locate physical defects. To tie it all together, she observed that failure analysts seldom get to choose direction. Technology expands in many directions for its own reasons. Failure analysts are constantly faced with challenges that accompany newtechnology andproducts. “I see,” I responded. My guide flashed a smile back to me indicating that I did not yet understand. She further explained, “Failure analysis is done all over the galaxy, but not here. It is our mission to collect failure analysis knowl- edge wherever it is andmake that knowledge available to all analysts. New techniques can come fromanywhere and new techniques are needed everywhere.” She changed the subject by directing my attention toward the sky, pointing out there were millions of stars. She then got back to the subject of failure analysis infor- mation. “We are here and have compiled an unmatched library of failure analysis case histories, innovative tech- niques, and clever and unusual tricks.” She proudly said that failure analysts from almost everywhere have found our FA information helpful. Her demeanor immediately changed from proud to concerned that FA was being developed all over. In fact, she said, FA was being devel- oped in almost asmany places as therewere stars. Failure analysis tricks exist out there, somewhere. The analysts who invented or developed them are unaware how valu- able their ideas might be. I began to realize this was a dream, but such a concept exists. EDFA magazine is not a spaceship, and it can’t come get your ideas. It can, however, spread FA ideas andmake FA just a little bit easier. So, don’t forget the magazine is here to help you share. Start by contacting any of the editors listed on page 2 of this issue. We all will benefit. ABOUT THE AUTHOR DavidBurgess is a failure analyst and reliability engineer. He devel- oped techniques and taught in those areas at FairchildSemiconductor and Hewlett-Packard. He is the founder of AcceleratedAnalysis, amanufacturer and distributor of specialty failure analysis tools. Burgess is the co- author of Wafer Failure Analysis for Yield Enhancement. A graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and San Jose State University, he is a member of EDFAS and has served on various ISTFA committees. Burgess is a senior lifemember of IEEE andwas general chairman of the 1983 International Reliability Physics Symposium (IRPS). “NEW TECHNIQUES CAN COME FROM ANYWHERE AND NEW TECHNIQUES ARE NEEDED EVERYWHERE. ” CONTRIBUTE TO EDFA To learn more about how to submit a manuscript to EDFA magazine, visit edfas.org and navigate to the EDFA magazine page. The Author Guidelines can be downloaded fromthat site. Contributions arewelcome.