DFR Solutions Expands into Europe!

Due to increasing demand for our premier reliability services throughout the European market, DfR is proud to announce the opening of a European office in Espoo, Finland. Mobile electronics and packaging design expert, Dr. Petri Savolainen, will lead DfR Solutions European office as Senior Member of Technical Staff. More information on Petri's extensive technical background can be found here. To arrange a visit to your European location or discuss possible engagements, feel free to contact Petri by phone (+358 50 368 7121) or email.

DfR Solutions' Craig Hillman in Chicago on March 5-7

Craig Hillman will be visiting companies in the Chicago area and is available to discuss DfR, component packaging, and Pb-free reliability. If you and your associates are interested in an onsite visit and/or presentation, please contact June Caswell.

Electronic Equipment Reliability & Test Seminar -MET Labs (Austin, TX: May 24)

Craig Hillman will be presenting "The Synergy Between Reliability and Safety in IT Equipment", Greg Caswell will be presenting "Quality, Reliability & Durability for Industrial Applications" and Cheryl Tulkoff will be presenting "Test Plan Development" as part of the seminar and open house for the new MET Labs facility in Austin. For more information or to register for the meeting click here. For more information please contact Greg Caswell, gcaswell@dfrsolution.com.

DfR Solutions at the IEC 2010 Technical Committee 107 Meeting in Seattle, WA; October 12

Ed Wyrwas has been invited to present to the IEC Technical Committee regarding his work on physics-of- failure based reliability and durability modeling of current and future generations of integrated circuits. For more information on DfR's ability to eliminate the current empirical approach to reliability prediction, contact Ed Wyrwas, ewyrwas@dfrsolutions.com.

Nathan Blattau presenting at iMAPS Chesapeake Chapter, Laurel, MD on Oct.5

Nathan Blattau will present "Tensile Ratcheting in Solder Bumps" at the Fall Symposium of the IMAPS Chesapeake Chapter on October 5th. For more information, please contact Nathan Blattau, nblattau@dfrsolutions.com.

IEEE Solar Technology Workshop, Austin, TX: September 16, 2010

Paul Parker of SolarBridge and Cheryl Tulkoff will be presenting "Reliability Challenges for Solar Microinverters" at this critical IEEE workshop. For more information on DfR services for the photovoltaic (PV) inverter industry and their customers, please contact Cheryl Tulkoff, ctulkoff@dfrsolutions.com

Power Supply Design: The Influence of Slow Body Diode Behavior

Performing forensic engineering on power supply failures is one of the most challenging tasks in the failure analysis community. In this case study, DfR explains how focusing on voltage derating can mask critical FET parameters, such as slow body diode behavior. For more information, please contact Nathan Blattau,nblattau@dfrsolutions.com.

DfX Seminar - San Jose, California

DfR Solutions, in association with Ops a La Carte and Value Engrafting, is proud to announce that the Design for Excellence training session is back!

There was such a high demand for the DfX course in Maryland in October 2009 that we are holding an expanded seminar in San Jose, California, April 19-23, 2010. This one-of-a-kind collaborative effort will provide designers, reliability personnel, and engineering management with tools on how to meet time-to-market deadlines and reduce warranty issues.

Two tracks are available. Attendees may elect to register for an entire track or pick and choose the specific courses which best fit their individual needs.

Track 1: DfX
Monday: Design for Reliability
Tuesday: Design for Environment
Wednesday: Design for Manufacturability
Thursday: Design for Testability
Friday: Software Design for Reliability and Design for Warranty

Track 2: ALT/RCA
Monday & Tuesday: Best Accelerated Life Tests
Wednesday & Thursday: Root Cause Analysis
Friday: Design for Mechanical Reliability

All courses will be available both in the classroom and via webinar. We are also offering a Group Discount: Every 5th registrant from the same company registering together is FREE!

For more information, or to register, please click here or send an e-mail to tsmittenaar@dfrsolutions.com.

Design for Excellence (DfX) Bay Area is Coming! April 19-23 (San Jose, CA)

The electronics industry is demanding Excellence! Can you deliver? Learn how at DfR Solutions' upcoming DfX training in San Jose, CA. In collaboration with IPC, Ops Ala Carte, and Value Engrafting, DfR is providing training on all the DfX tools (DfR, DfM, DfT, DfE, DfW) as well as Accelerated Life Testing and Root-Cause Analysis. To register, please click here or contact Tammy Smittenaar, tsmitteraar@dfrsolutions.com.

DfR Solutions in Phoenix, AZ March 10

Dr. Nathan Blattau will be visiting companies in Phoenix, Arizona in mid-March. If you and your associates are interested in an onsite visit and/or presentation, please contact Carrie Sharik-Ernest, csharik@dfrsolutions.com

DfR in New England: March 1-4

Greg Caswell of DfR Solutions will be visiting companies in the New England area the first week of March. If you and your associates are interested in an onsite visit and/or presentation, please contact Carrie Sharik-Ernest, csharik@dfrsolutions.com

Dr. Blattau in Phoenix at iMAPS Device Packaging Conference

Dr. Nathan Blattau, Vice President and Chief Scientist at DfR Solutions, will be in Phoenix, Arizona, Monday, March 8, through Thursday, March 11, to present at the iMAPS Device Packaging Conference.

His presentation, entitled, "The Introduction of Tensile Ratcheting in Solder Bumps Encapsulated in Low Tg Underfill," will discuss how unique stress states present with low Tg underfill can result in rapid times to failure in relatively benign environments.

While Dr. Blattau is in the area, he will be available to visit interested companies to give complementary presentations on a variety of topics including modeling component packaging behaviors, Pb-free reliability, and design-for-reliability assessments using DfR’s newest software tools. He would be more than happy to include your company in his visit.

If you are interested in arranging an onsite presentation, or if you would like more information regarding DfR’s services, please contact Carrie Sharik-Ernest, Manager of Marketing, csharik@dfrsolutions.com

DFR's Design for Excellence (DfX) Course Returns

There was such a high demand for the DfX course on the East Coast in October 2009, that we have decided to add West Coast and Southern locations:

•San Jose, CA: April 19-23, 2010
•Huntsville, AL: May 17-21, 2010

This one-of-a-kind collaborative effort will provide designers, reliability personnel, and engineering management with tools on how to meet time-to-market deadlines and reduce warranty issues.

Areas to be covered include Design for Reliability, Design for Manufacturability, Design for Testability, Accelerated Life Testing, Warranty Reduction, and Design for Environment. Attendees will be eligible to earn Professional Development Hours (PDH).

We are also offering a Group Discount: Every 5th registrant from the same company registering together is FREE! Unemployed individuals receive a 25% discount, and full-time students receive a 50% discount.

For additional information, including course outlines and registration, please click here.

We are looking forward to seeing you there!

DfR to Present at MEPTEC Chip to System Symposium in San Jose, CA: February 23-25

Craig Hillman will give a presentation entitled "The Challenges of Co-Design: When Silicon Pushes Packaging Too Far," at the upcoming MEPTEC symposium. For more information on this topic, please contact Craig Hillman, chillman@dfrsolutions.com

DfR Solutions in Boulder, CO on February 19

Craig Hillman and Greg Caswell will be in Boulder, CO, on February 19th. If you and your associates are interested in an onsite visit and/or presentation, please contact Carrie Sharik-Ernest, csharik@dfrsolutions.com.

Design for Excellence Course (DfX), Oct 19-22

DfR Solutions, in collaboration with A.T.E. Solutions and IPC, will hold the first ever Design for Excellence (DfX) Course, October 19-22. This collaborative effort will provide tools on how to meet time-to-market deadlines and reduce warranty issues. For more information, please click here.

About DfR

Our History

DfR Solutions was initially formed by several senior scientists and staffers from the University of Maryland’s Center for Advanced Life Cycle Engineering (CALCE) for Electronic Product and Systems, and has grown to include personnel with backgrounds from several industries (automotive, avionics, contract manufacturing, industrial controls, and superconductors). To learn more about our personnel, please visit our DfR Staff.

We’re Here to Help You

The staff at DfR Solutions has world-renowned expertise in applying the science of Reliability Physics to electrical and electronics technologies, and the company is a leading provider of quality, reliability, and durability (QRD) research and consulting for the electronics industry. DfR’s integrated use of PoF Reliability Prediction (PoF) and Best Practices provides crucial insights and solutions early in product design and development, and throughout the product life cycle.

The personnel at DfR are motivated to provide companies maximum value in their reliability activities and to promote openness and exchange of information. After performing over 250 root-cause investigations over the past four years, the scientists and engineers at DfR have made a name for themselves as world leaders in failure analysis and accelerated testing of electronics.

We also excel through our strong partnerships with the leading companies in the field of electronics and software, which include Qualmark (HALT), Engent (advanced SMT assembly) and Ops A La Carte (reliability capability assessment). By providing a turnkey solution to all issues in electronics, from component specifications to lifetime predictions, from connector plating to IGBT functionality, DfR Solutions will take your reliability concerns — and make them ours.

Open Door Policy

DfR Solutions has an “open door” policy. We welcome your questions or concerns. Please call us at 301-474-0607 or email us for a complimentary consultation regarding your needs.