Establishing the WISER Semiconductor Reliability Innovation Research Center for next-generation semiconductors

Professor Tian-Li Wu, in collaboration with the global leader in test and measurement, Keysight Technologies, has officially established the Semiconductor Reliability Innovation Research Center 👉 WISER Center (WLab Innovation SEmiconductor Reliability Center).

The WISER Center is dedicated to integrating innovative reliability evaluation methodologies with in-depth failure mechanism analysis, establishing a reliability-centric approach to semiconductor device and integrated circuit design as well as process optimization. The goal is to overcome the most critical reliability verification bottlenecks faced by advanced semiconductors during productization, thereby comprehensively enhancing the long-term stability and reliability of systems and products.

🔬 Collaboration Highlights & Core Capabilities

🧪 World-Class Measurement Infrastructure

The WISER Center is built around Keysight’s Precision Current-Voltage Analyzer platform, with full deployment of:

• B1500A Semiconductor Device Parameter Analyzer

• B1505A Power Device Analyzer

• DSOX6004A Oscilloscope / Signal Generator

• WGFMU / SPGU / N1267A pulse modules

• CMU / N1260A capacitance measurement modules

Together, these systems form an advanced reliability characterization environment compliant with IEC/JEDEC international standards.

📊 Comprehensive Reliability Characterization

The center supports end-to-end measurements from device to circuit level, including:

• Static and dynamic I–V and C–V characterization

• Fast-pulse and time-dependent measurements

• BTI, TDDB, dynamic RON, dynamic Vth

• Ferroelectric memory reliability

• Circuit-level reliability evaluation under high- and low-temperature operating conditions

By combining material and device-level failure mechanism analysis, the center develops reliability-oriented device designs and process improvement strategies, fully supporting the R&D lifecycle of logic, memory, and compound semiconductor RF and power devices.

⚙️ Automation × High Efficiency

With Keysight EasyEXPERT group+ automated measurement and analysis software:

• Key parameters are automatically extracted in accordance with international standards

• Test efficiency is significantly improved

• Human error is minimized, ensuring data consistency and reproducibility

🔥 Extreme-Environment Reliability Validation

By integrating high-temperature probe stations and ovens, the center enables:

• Accelerated lifetime testing

• Extreme-environment simulation

• High-temperature bias and long-term stress verification

These capabilities allow in-depth investigation of reliability limits and failure physics.

🚀 Forward-Looking Research Directions

🔹 Reliability Enhancement of Semiconductor Devices and Circuits

Research focuses on:

• 2D material and oxide thin-film transistors

• Ferroelectric memories

• Compound power devices (GaN, SiC, Ga₂O₃)

• GaN RF transistors

and extends to:

• Logic and memory circuits

• High-power power electronics

• High-frequency communications

• Space and extreme-environment applications

ensuring that next-generation semiconductor technologies meet product-level quality and long-term reliability requirements.

🤖 AI-Enabled Reliability Optimization

The WISER Center also integrates AI technologies for:

• Device characteristic analysis

• Reliability behavior modeling

• Lifetime and failure prediction

Through AI-assisted prediction and optimization models, the center accelerates design decisions, shortens development cycles, and promotes faster industrialization and real-world deployment of advanced semiconductor technologies.

📌 The WISER Center will serve as a key platform bridging academia and industry, continuously injecting critical innovation and momentum into next-generation semiconductor reliability and advanced measurement technologies in Taiwan.