Y. C. Chan Elected Fellow of Institute

Professor Y.C. Chan is best known for his high quality research in the electronic product reliability, failure analysis and reliability engineering. His research contributions, particularly in the area of intermetallic compounds effects on surface mount solder joints along with findings that the fatigue life times of certain types of solder joints are a function of the process parameters, all have contributed significantly to process improvement for manufacturing reliable electronic materials and assemblies. He is also internationally known and famous for his establishment of the Electronic Packaging and Assemblies, Failure Analysis and Reliability Engineering Center (known as the EPA Center) at the City University of Hong Kong since 1997. Via the EPA Center, he is the first faculty in Hong Kong to establish a consortium of 50 local and multinational electronics companies with a view to improving the technological competitiveness in electronic product reliability. The research results from Prof. Chan have been fruitfully used to benefit these companies. This has distinguished him from conventional academics whose primary research outputs appear in technical publications only. In the last few years, he initiated and is currently directing a research program on conductive adhesive technology, and his research team is publishing new reliability findings on particle micromovements and degradation mechanisms in anisotropic conductive joints. In collaboration with local electronics manufacturers, his research findings has already led to the development of improved manufacturing processes for more reliable chip-on-flip LCD products.

He is also the Founding President and Honorary Chairman of the Hong Kong Electronic Packaging and Manufacturing Services Association (HKEPMSA). He must be the first person, as general chair of conference, to hold the three important international conferences: (1) Business of electronic product reliability and liability - January 13-17, 2003, Hong Kong and Shenzhen, China (2) Asian Green Electronics Manufacturing, June 23-26, 2003, Hong Kong and Shenzhen, China, and (3) Business of electronic product reliability and liability - April 27-30, 2004, Shanghai, China - where the IEEE CPMT is the technical sponsor for (1) and (2) and Reliability Society for (3).