edfas.org 45 ELECTRONIC DEVICE FAILURE ANALYSIS | VOLUME 27 NO. 3 time because no one wants to buy their cool new tech. It doesn’t matter how clever your invention is; if it doesn’t solve a problem, it’s not going anywhere. Scientists can come up with novel things to patent all day, but what’s the point of a patent if no one wants your IP anyway? (Well, it looks great on a resume, but other than that.) Through iCorps, I interviewed over a hundred potential customers, tool manufacturers, and competitors. The goal was to answer two questions: 1. Does this invention solve a real problem for people? 2. Does it solve that problem better than anything else available? The answer, I was thrilled to learn, was yes. WHERE WE ARE NOW Since then, we’ve had multiple requests to build Noble Domes for other universities. We’ve already shipped our first unit and are now working with a manufacturer and distributor to scale up and offer it worldwide. It’s surreal to go from “back of the napkin idea” to global product launch in such a short time. But it didn’t happen by accident; it happened because we listened closely, asked a lot of questions, and tested our assumptions with real users. WHAT I LEARNED ABOUT INVENTING The biggest takeaway? Talk to people. Not to sell them anything—just to understand them. Ask what problems they face. Ask how valuable it would be to solve those problems. Take good notes. Look for patterns. When you start hearing the same frustrations over and over, that’s your signal. That’s your market. As scientists, we’re used to solving technical problems. But invention isn’t just about clever ideas; it’s about solving the right problem for the right people. That’s when a scrappy lab prototype turns into something that can make an impact far beyond your own lab bench. Advertise in Electronic Device Failure Analysis magazine! For information about advertising in Electronic Device Failure Analysis: KJ Johanns, Business Development Manager 440.671.3851, kj.johanns@asminternational.org Current rate card may be viewed online at asminternational.org/advertise. NOTEWORTHY NEWS IPFA 2025 The 32nd International Symposium on the Physical and Failure Analysis of Integrated Circuits (IPFA) will be held August 5-8 at the Spice Convention Centre in Penang, Malaysia. The event will focus on cutting-edge research in failure analysis, reliability, and specialized technology within integrated circuits. Topics include advanced fault isolation techniques, physical and package-level failure analysis, transistor reliability, ESD, latch-up, and the integration of AI for failure detection and reliability assessments. The symposium is technically sponsored by the IEEE Electron Devices Society. For more information, visit the IPFA website at ipfaieee.org/2025.
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