Summary of a panel discussion held at ISTFA 2009 to address the following questions. Where is failure analysis heading as a business? What career options are open to an engineer in this field? How do I demonstrate my value to management? Which skills and knowledge will be needed tomorrow? What can I do to find new employment? Should I start or continue my career in semiconductor failure analysis?

The organizer and moderator of the ISTFA 2007 panel discussion on failure analysis and testing of medical devices provide a summary of the discussion topics and areas of focus.

This article provides a summary of the ISTFA 2011 Panel Discussion, which centered on the challenge of finding ever-smaller defects in semiconductor devices.

This article provides a summary of the ISTFA 2012 Panel Discussion on the FA challenges associated with 3D integrated packages.

This article provides a summary of the ISTFA 2013 Panel Discussion on failure analysis and reliability challenges in photovoltaic systems.

Four panel members participated in the ISTFA 2014 Panel Discussion on the importance of correctly determining the cause of failure in electronic devices and systems designated for use in space, downhole drilling, and other such applications. Reliability of these components is critical because they cannot be easily replaced and malfunctions can be catastrophic. The panelists presented several methods for analyzing failures in integrated electrical systems and identifying the root cause.

At the ISTFA ’99 event, the organizers arranged for the first time a panel discussion on failure analysis related purely to EOS/ESD issues. Each panelist presented their area of expertise followed by two hours of lively exchange with the attendees and among attendees. The panel discussed how to differentiate EOS and ESD failures. These failures are more critical with the industry move to submicron geometries and newer interconnect materials and other processing technologies, such as copper and flip-chip processing.

The 45th International Symposium for Testing and Failure Analysis (ISTFA 2019) was held in Portland, Oregon, November 10-14, 2019. This article gives a brief summary of the highlights and identifies key contributors to the event. It also includes highlights of panel discussions from the inaugural meeting of Women in Electronics Failure Analysis (WEFA) and the panel discussion "What Does Artificial Intelligence Mean to Failure Analysis Engineers?" The article concludes with a brief recap of each of the four User Group meetings that took place during the conference: Sample Prep, System on Package, FIB/Circuit Edit, and Nanoprobing.

This ISTFA panel discussed opportunities and challenges related to failure analysis facilities shared by multiple companies. The factors to consider and some examples of what’s being done were presented and discussed by the panel members.

The ISTFA 2006 panel discussion focused on the integration of test and failure analysis, a topic that was originally addressed at ISTFA 2000. The goal of this year’s panel was to discuss the improvements made to the integration of test and failure analysis and to explore our capabilities for analyzing future technologies.

The 44th International Symposium for Testing and Failure Analysis (ISTFA 2018) was held in Phoenix, Ariz., October 28 - November 1, 2018. This article provides a summary of the highlights and identifies key contributors to the event. It also includes a summary of a panel discussion on the topic “Failures Worth Analyzing.” It concludes with discussion highlights from the Focused Ion Beam, Sample Preparation, and Contactless Fault Isolation/Nanoprobing user group meetings held at the conference.

This column provides commentary about the 2020 EDFAS Virtual Workshop. Highlights from the three days of online sessions include a keynote address on the history of MEMS, a panel discussion on 3D packaging technologies, and nearly 60 technical papers and posters. Workshop attendees also had the opportunity to walk through a virtual Expo Hall and learn about new analytical tools and techniques and interact with equipment vendors.

The 47th International Symposium for Testing and Failure Analysis (ISTFA 2021) was held in Phoenix, Ariz., from October 31 to November 4, 2011. This article provides a summary of the keynote presentation, technical program, panel discussion, tutorials, User Group meetings, and the Women in Electronics Failure Analysis (WEFA) event.

The 37th International Symposium for Testing and Failure Analysis (ISTFA 2011) was held in San Jose, Calif., November 13-17, 2011. This article provides a summary of the keynote presentation, technical program, panel discussion, tutorials, User’s Group meetings, and equipment exposition.

The 43rd International Symposium for Testing and Failure Analysis (ISTFA 2017) was held in Pasadena, Calif., November 5-9, 2017. This article provides a summary of the keynote presentation, technical program, panel discussion, tutorials, and User’s Group meetings.

At a Silicon Valley panel discussion on bringing new ICs to market, there was no mention by anyone onstage of a debug strategy, let alone its importance. This month’s guest columnist offers his insight on why that is and what should be done about it.

The 36th International Symposium for Testing and Failure Analysis (ISTFA 2010) was held in Dallas, Texas, November 14-18, 2010. This article gives a brief summary of the keynote presentation, technical program, panel discussions, tutorials, and User’s Group meetings.

The 38th International Symposium for Testing and Failure Analysis (ISTFA 2012) was held in Phoenix, Ariz., November 11-15, 2012. This article provides a summary of the keynote presentation, technical program, panel discussion, tutorials, User’s Group meetings, and equipment exposition.

The 39th International Symposium for Testing and Failure Analysis (ISTFA 2013) was held in San Jose, Calif., November 3-7, 2012. This article provides a summary of the keynote presentation, technical program, panel discussion, tutorials, User’s Group meetings, and equipment exposition.

The 41st International Symposium for Testing and Failure Analysis (ISTFA 2015) was held in Portland, Ore., November 1-5, 2015. This article provides a summary of the keynote presentation, technical program, panel discussion, tutorials, User’s Group meetings, and equipment exposition.