edfas.org ELECTRONIC DEVICE FAILURE ANALYSIS | VOLUME 27 NO. 4 54 GUEST COLUMN INTERVIEWS WITH ISTFA STUDENT POSTER WINNERS Lun Chan University of Virginia hc4ry@virginia.edu The ISTFA 2025 Student Poster Contest will be held in Pasadena, Calif., on November 19, with the theme of troubleshooting. The competition welcomes participants from high school, community college, undergraduate, and graduate students who have engaged in research and have tried to fix, troubleshoot, or refurbish any research instruments. Any topic related to the semiconductor industry, including but not limited to microelectronics, 3D packaging, wafer-level packaging, MEMS, materials characterization, quality and reliability, electrical and physical diagnostics, microscopy, or analysis of microelectronic/semiconductor or nanoscale circuits, systems, and devices is also eligible. The 2024 ISTFA Student Poster Contest held in San Diego recognized four student winners from across the globe. We had the opportunity to learn more about their research, perspectives on EDFAS/ISTFA, and to get to know these future bright stars of the microelectronic FA industry. First Place Winner: Anjanashree MR Sharma, Ph.D. candidate, KU Leuven, Belgium Poster Title: Application of Miniaturized Heater in Lock-in Thermography Abstract: Lock-in thermography is an infrared-based fault isolation technique used extensively in the semiconductor industry. When compared with its optical counterparts, infrared imaging is lagging in spatial resolution and topographical contrast owing to its wavelength of operation (MWIR: 3-5 µm) and the camera specifications. One of the methods to improve the image contrast is by increasing the sample temperature. The conventional way is to use a temperature-controlled thermal chuck. An alternative method proposed here is to use a miniaturized printed circuit board (PCB) heater with meandered metal lines, which is convenient for imaging silicon coupons or dies. The advantages of using this compact heater over the conventional one are that the PCB heater can also be used for wire-bonding the sample to make electrical connections and it can be pulsed electrically to make it compatible with the lock-in setup. Is it your first time attending an ISTFA conference? What draws you to the conference? What is your favorite thing about the ISTFA conference? This was my second time at an ISTFA conference. I like attending ISTFA for its vibrant and engaged community. The papers presented are highly application oriented, often addressing real-time challenges faced by industry with innovative and practical solutions. These discussions align closely with my own research focus and provide valuable insights. What draws me most to ISTFA is the excel- lent networking opportunities, which make it a truly enriching experience every year. One of my favorite aspects of ISTFA is the WEFA (Women in Electrical Failure Analysis) lunch session. It is always engaging and inspiring, especially for a young graduate like me who is starting a career in failure analysis. Hearing the experiences and insights from accomplished professionals in the field is both motivating and empowering and it makes me delighted to be a part of this community. Second Place Winner (tied): Ho Yeung Ma (Malex), Ph.D. candidate, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) Poster Title: Automated Defect Quantification in High-resolution Images with Deep Segmentation Neural Networks Abstract: Defect detection and quantification are crucial for quality control of products. To detect defect features, conventional computer vision techniques require hand-crafted feature filters and usually have a narrow application scope. This study introduces an image-based
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