Memorial to Dr. Koji Nihei

Dr. Koji Nihei of Waseda University in Japan passed away July 22. His funeral was held in Yokohama City, Japan on July 27. He was a leader in Japan's semiconductor packaging industry and made worldwide contributions to the field. Dr. Nihei was an IEEE Fellow and served on the IEEE CPMT Board of Governors for many years. He was awarded the CPMT Outstanding Contribution Award (now called the David Feldman Outstanding Contribution Award) in 1998. Dr. Nihei spent a long career at Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd. where he was an Associate Director and a Fellow. At Oki Electric, he was instrumental in many semiconductor package developments. He constantly promoted exchange of ideas in an international setting and encouraged many of Japan's young engineers to participate in industry societies and events. Dr. Nihei was active in promoting cooperation between the packaging societies, especially in developing a joint technical program by combining the Japan International Electronics Manufacturing Technology Symposium (IEMT) and the International Microelectronics Conference (IMC). The meeting is now called the International Conference on Electronics Packaging (ICEP) and continues to draw international participation. Dr. Nihei was a good friend, a great gentleman, and a major contributor to our industry. He will be missed by all.

-- submitted by E. Jan Vardaman

Picture of Koji Nihei leading delegation to 3COM in Chicago in 1998