This profile series introduces materials scientists from around the world who happen to be females. Here we speak with Yan Li, senior staff packaging engineer, Intel Corp., Arizona.
What does your typical workday look like?
Every day is exciting. Some of my duties include collaborating with other departments to develop new cutting-edge products, having discussions with engineers to recommend detailed experimental steps, hypothesizing new failure mechanisms for semiconductor devices that failed reliability tests, proposing solution paths to fix the failures, and working together with industry partners to invent new fault isolation and failure analysis tools and techniques for advanced 3D microelectronic packages.
What part of your job do you like most?
I like it the most when we’ve formed a strong team, revealed the root cause of a new failure mode, proposed solution paths, validated it through quick experiments, implemented it to high-volume production, and enjoyed the accomplishments together as a team.
What is your engineering background?
I received a Ph.D. degree in materials science and engineering from Northwestern University, and M.S. and B.S. degrees in physics from Peking University in China. My engineering background is multidisciplinary, including materials science and engineering, mechanical engineering, and physics. I found that different engineering areas share the same methodology and skills. Having a strong background in physics and mechanical engineering helped me perform in-depth thesis study to achieve my doctorate degree. The multidisciplinary engineering background also made me a unique failure analysis engineer at Intel, for example, revealing root cause and proposing fundamental failure mechanisms for device reliability failures and providing long-term solution paths to eliminate the failures.
Best career advice, given or received:
A career is like a boat sailing against the current. Either you keep forging ahead or you keep falling behind.
What are you working on now?
I have been actively involved in numerous packaging-related technical solutions, and focusing on the quality and reliability of electronic packages, gaining a fundamental understanding of failure modes and failure mechanisms of electronic packages, developing new tools and techniques for fault isolation and failure analysis of 3D electronic packages.
Are you actively engaged with ASM or its affiliates?
In addition to being an ASM member, I have been a member of the organizing committee for the International Symposium for Testing and Failure Analysis since 2011 and a board member of the Electronic Device Failure Analysis Society since 2019.
Do you know someone who should be featured in an upcoming Women in Engineering profile? Contact Vicki Burt at [email protected].
