IEEE IPFA Symposium History

The origins of the conference lies in the formation of a IEEE Failure Analysis Special Interest Group in 1985 which went on to organize the inaugural IPFA at the Hyatt Hotel, Singapore in 1987.

In 1989, the Special Interest Group became first, the Singapore chapter of the Reliability Society, and then a joint Reliability/CPMT Societies chapter. Finally, in 1994, the group evolved into its current identity as a joint Reliability/CPMT/ED chapter. 

From the outset, the conference has been run by IEEE members who volunteer on a personal basis with the intention of serving the failure analysis and device reliability communities. Besides the technical program which comprises tutorials and the Symposium itself, one of the hallmark features of IPFA has always been an accompanying equipment exhibition.

IPFA has been a biannual event until 2001 when sufficient interest from the failure analysis and reliability communities has prompted IPFA to be organized annually, beginning in 2002. IPFA 2002 which concluded in July of that year proved to be a very successful conference in a very difficult year.

During its gradual evolution, IPFA has developed a vision to be the Asian counterpart to corresponding conferences such as IRPS and ISTFA in the USA, and ESREF in Europe. The IPFA Best Paper award for the best technical paper presented in the conference was initiated at IPFA 1997. Subsequently, a Best Paper exchange with ISTFA was initiated in 1999, with the IPFA 1999 Best Paper being presented at ISTFA 2000 and the ISTFA 2000 Best Paper reciprocating at IPFA the following year. A similar Best Paper exchange was initiated with ESREF in 2000-2001. Currently, IPFA selects a Best Paper each for Failure Analysis and Reliability for exchange with ISTFA and ESREF respectively.

IPFA Board meeting with ESREF and ISTFA representatives, July 2005

Also beginning in 2002, an IPFA Technical Program Steering Committee has been established in order to promote greater international participation in the organization of the conference. The TPSC is chaired by the Technical Program Chair of IPFA and consists of members who are the chairs for sub-committees in specific areas of failure analysis or device reliability, corresponding to sessions in the Symposium. Each TPSC member helps to solicit paper submissions of a high quality, and then chairs a team of peer reviewers to review the abstracts before recommending a selection for presentation at the Symposium.

Starting in 2003, IPFA collaborates with IEEE Transactions on Device and Material Reliability (TDMR) to publish selected papers from the annual IPFA conference in a special issue of IEEE TDMR. Over the past 3 years, more than twenty five papers have been published in three Special Editions of TDMR. By collecting together some of the best papers of IPFA, we anticipate that the Special Editions will be highly visible in the reliability community of the microelectronics industry.

2003 and 2004 marked unprecedented developments in the organization of the IPFA for very contrasting reasons. IPFA 2003 was cancelled at the eleventh hour due to the outbreak of SARS in East and Southeast Asia. Though the IPFA 2003 meeting itself was shelved, the publication of the Proceedings of the 10th IPFA 2003 was followed through in recognition of the high technical quality of papers that were received. 2004 marks the first time the IPFA conference was held outside of Singapore, with Hsinchu city in Taiwan playing host. Set against the backdrop of a sustained recovery in the global semiconductor industry after a prolonged slump and with the impact of SARS firmly relegated to past memory, IPFA 2004 was a resounding success, with particularly healthy support from the semiconductor community in Taiwan.

An IPFA Board was formed in 2004 to oversee all future IPFA activities. The Board comprises of seven core IPFA members, including past and current General Chairs of IPFA. Wilson Tan has been appointed as the Chairman of the Board for the current (2004-2006) term of office. One of the roles of the Board is to decide the co-organizer and venue of IPFA when it alternates the conference overseas in the Asia Pacific region.

The IPFA baton was again handed over to Singapore in 2005, 2006 and 2008. While IPFA 2007 was held in Bangalore, India, IPFA 2009 was held at beautiful Suzhou, China, and both these symposia enjoyed high level of support & participation, and featured a high standard of both invited and contributed technical papers, including several eminent keynote speakers.

In 2010, IPFA will be held at Singapore, and we look forward to your continued support!