Zero defect: Mission impossible?

Summary form only given, as follows. A record of the panel discussion was not made available for publication as part of the conference proceedings. Electronics arc invading safcty-ctitical applications, such as automotive and medical implants. Due to their high volumes, these applications arc still cost-sensitive, but nevertheless demand absolute high quality, often sunm1arizcd under the term ´zero defects´. Can such high quality levels be obtained tLu-ough testing, or is (ncar-)perfect manufacturing mandat01y? What is, next to testing, the role of bum-in and screening methods like wafer ncighbmhood selection and parametric outlier detection? To what extend is ´zero defect´ a mirage, and shouldn´t we test folks simply say "no" to managers and customers asking for it?