Welcome to the 2000 IEEE International Integrated Reliability Workshop!
This workshop is the product of many devoted authors and volunteers to produce an enjoyable and profitable experience for both the first-time attendee and the veteran reliability participant. We have worked diligently in providing relevant presentations in the field of microelectronic reliability, fostering an atmosphere that encourages meaningful and constructive discussions between attendees and speakers.
We invite you to join in all the activities, starting off with Monday afternoon tutorials. This year there are tutorials on Technology Qualification by Raif Hijab of Cirrus Logic , Ultra-thin oxides by Ernest Wu of IBM, and IC Circuit Fabrication Technology by Ernest Levine, Tom Houghton, and Parth Dave of IBM.
This years technical program begins with a challenging keynote on Defect Generation and Reliability of Ultra-thin SiO2 at Low Voltage. This will be given by Dr. Dan DiMaria of IBM Research. This will be followed by 27 technical presentations on: Designing in Reliability, Customer Product Reliability Requirements, Contributors to Failure, Reliability and Characterization Models, and Wafer Level Reliability
In addition to the formal program, there is an open poster session, special interest group (SIG) meetings, and plenty of opportunity for valuable informal interaction. Continuing with last years effort to continually improve upon the technical nature of the workshop, this year we expanding the open poster session by adding invited, refereed posters. One afternoon is left open, giving an opportunity for enjoying the splendor of the Tahoe environment around Fallen Leaf Lake with hiking, boating, etc. Additionally, IEEE has allowed us to show 2 instructional videos during this time. They are: Oxide Wearout, Breakdown, and Reliability by Dr. David Dumin of Clemson University and MEMS Performance and Reliability by Paul McWhorter, Samuel L. Miller, and William M. Miller of Sandia Laboratories.
One feature that distinguishes our workshop is the discussion group sessions. On Tuesday and Wednesday evening, attendees will have the opportunity to join one of five topical discussion groups. This year's menu covers a broad base of reliability topics that interest everyone, and are led by recognized experts in their respective field. The topics are: Gate Oxide Reliability, Wafer Level Reliability, Electromigration, Bias Temperature Instabilities, and Product Qualification/Burn-In. While the discussion group leaders will provide a framework for each topic, the active participation of everyone in the end is what leads to success. For additional information on discussion group activities, please visit the web at
www.irps.org/irw, or contact William J. Vigrass of Texas InstrumentsThe Invited/Open Poster Sessions offer a less formal means of communicating your work in progress and topics of potential interest, as well as presentations of tutorial nature in a specialized area. They also provide an avenue for attracting recruits to ongoing projects and special interest groups. Two poster sessions are held, on Monday evening and Tuesday afternoon. For additional information please consult this years Poster chair, Rolf P. Vollertsen of Infineon Technologies.
The special interest groups (SIGs) are an opportunity to coalesce individuals who wish to communicate on a particular topic. These efforts are unstructured and the level of involvement is left to each group. The IRW will promote this activity by providing meeting space at the workshop, and a means of communication throughout the year via our web site. If you wish to join or initiate a group, please consult this year's SIG chair, William J. Vigrass of Texas instruments.
The JEDEC 14.2 committee will meet immediately following the workshop,
starting on Thursday afternoon. A separate registration is required for
JEDEC. For information on this year's meetings see Mike Dion.
Since its inception, the workshop has focused on informal and close interaction of the attendees in a relaxed setting with minimum distractions. This has fostered both valuable learning and the development of close friendships and appreciation of what we have to offer each other. I encourage you to take advantage of this environment, which can only contribute positively to our individual professional development, and a common understanding of the challenges facing us.
Finally, I want to introduce you to the all volunteer management team that has made this years IRW possible. Perhaps they are colleagues you sit beside, or authors of technical papers you have as reference materials, or names you have heard in passing comments. In either case, they are available to answer your questions, and help make this year’s workshop an event that you will want to return to! (You can find their contact info on the IRW homepage:
www.irps.org/irw). Here is the Team:
William R. Tonti
General Chair, 2000 IRW