edfas.org 25 ELECTRONIC DEVICE FAILURE ANALYSIS | VOLUME 27 NO.2 GUEST EDITORIAL CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2 under the Department of Commerce and the National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST). Provisions in the larger bill also fund $75B in loans and a 25% investment tax credit. It is also estimated that private/corporate investment of as much as $400 billion will augment public funds; together creating a lofty investment in our industry. The CHIPS Act has two critical parts. Onshoring includes direct incentives to bring in or enhance existing leading-edge foreign fabs in the U.S. (TSMC and Samsung), and to keep traditional U.S. companies here (TI, Micron, Intel, GFS) that have recently built elsewhere drawn by foreign funding. Leapfrogging describes an intention to develop a fully manufacturable 1-2 nm process. The flagship project is the National Semiconductor Technology Center (NSTC), a public-private consortium to advance device, package, and process development, and the Workforce Center of Excellence to ensure a well-prepared staff. Several of the 31 regional Tech Hub centers will also aid the semiconductor industry through the funding of quantum computing, advanced materials manufacturing, and fabrication tooling and technology. EDFAS has played a role through the establishment of its FA Roadmap Committee. To our surprise, the original CHIPS documentation largely ignored the importance of analytical progress. We have been moderately successful in raising awareness through our direct communications with the CHIPS program office, and several of us have joined the new NIST Metrology Council. We also authored a proposal to include an FA Development Center within the NSTC. One positive outcome occurred in September 2024 when CHIPS Small Business Innovation Research awards were granted to 17 companies. At least nine of the recipients are directly or indirectly related to the field of laboratory science, so at least a few of our tool suppliers will receive research funding. NOTEWORTHY NEWS MICROSCOPY & MICROANALYSIS MEETING 2025 The Microscopy & Microanalysis (M&M) 2025 meeting will be held July 27-31 in Salt Lake City, Utah. The scientific program features the latest advances in biological, physical, and analytical sciences as well as techniques and instrumentation. Complementing the program is one of the largest exhibitions of microscopy and microanalysis instrumentation and resources in the world. Educational opportunities include a variety of Sunday short courses, tutorials, workshops, and pre-meeting congresses for early-career scientists. M&M is sponsored by the Microscopy Society of America, the Microanalysis Society, and the Microscopical Society of Canada. For more information, visit microscopy.org/events. ESREF 2025 The 36th European Symposium on Reliability of Electron Devices, Failure Physics and Analysis (ESREF 2025) will take place October 6-9 in Bordeaux, France. This international symposium has a focus on reliability in all aspects of electronics including new applications in extremely harsh environments such as space, transport, energy conversion, and smart functions. It provides the leading European forum for developing all aspects of reliability management and innovative analysis techniques for present and emerging semiconductor applications. For more information, visit esref2025.sciencesconf.org.
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