Huitink Named Associate Editor for Microelectronics Reliability

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David Huitink, assistant professor of mechanical engineering.

David Huitink, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, has been named associate editor for Microelectronics Reliability Journal for 2018-2019. The journal is dedicated to disseminating the latest research results and related information on the reliability of microelectronic devices, circuits and systems, from materials, process and manufacturing, to design, testing and operation. The journal's scope includes measurement, understanding and analysis; evaluation and prediction; modelling and simulation; methodologies and mitigation.

These topics are highly regarded for furthering the electrification of everyday life, from internet connected consumer devices, to transportation, industrial equipment and grid utilities, ensuring high performing systems for the lifetime of these products, Huitink said.

"It's a pleasure and privilege to serve as an associated editor for Microelectronics Reliability," Huitink said. "I'm honored to bring packaging reliability experience and physics of failure approaches to the journal, in order to grow its impact while also gaining valuable experience and knowledge in other related topics concerning electronics, especially in the advent of widespread vehicle electrification."

Prior to joining the faculty of University of Arkansas in 2016, Huitink spent more than five years working in microelectronics technology development and manufacturing at Intel Corporation, where he served as a quality & reliability engineering program manager for Intel's Custom Foundry Division. There, he pioneered the development of advanced methods of predicting the reliability of silicon-based flip chip microelectronic packages, as well as developed testing protocols and Finite Element Analysis methods for governing Design for Reliability guidance. Additionally, he has patent applications filed in Low Z-height Electronic System design and thermal optimization of space limited electronic systems — which is critical in in enabling high-power thin electronics such as smartphones, tablets or ultrabooks. Huitink holds bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in mechanical engineering from Texas A&M University, studying materials and interfacial behaviors at the nanoscale.

In 2016, Huitink joined the Center for Power Optimization of Electro-Thermal Systems. His research focuses on enabling high reliability and power density for electronic power modules in electric vehicle drive systems. This will help meet the demands for next-generation electric vehicles with applications in transportation, mining and the military.

The Center for Power Optimization of Electro-Thermal Systems is a National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center. At this cross-disciplinary center, engineering faculty from the University of Arkansas, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Howard University and Stanford University collaborate with members of industry to identify and carry out research projects to improve the power density of next generation electro-thermal systems that are the most relevant to industry needs. They are working to design and develop vehicle electrical systems that are more powerful, efficient and heat resistant. The long term goal is to increase the power density of current mobile electrified systems by 10-100 times over current state-of-the-art systems. Results from this study could save highway vehicles between 100-300 million liters of fuel per year.

For more information on the center, contact Alan Mantooth, deputy director, at mantooth@uark.edu.