Introduction to the Special Issue on Smart Power Device Reliability

This Special topic Issue of IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON DEVICE AND MATERIALS RELIABILITY documents the recent progress in the area of reliability of Smart Power devices. These high voltage/power devices such as LDMOS and DeMOS are increasingly integrated into advanced process technologies for mixed signal IC applications, e.g. smart low-side and high-side drivers, motor and relay driver/controllers, printer and display drivers/controllers, audio amplifiers, xDSL line drivers, high efficiency power management circuits for ac/dc conversion and dc/dc conversion (programmable buck, boost, and linear regulators). Reliability challenges in these devices are gaining more attention in the industry. This issue contains one review paper and several contributed papers covering a range of topics on reliability physics, characterization, and failure mechanisms of Smart Power devices. This collection of articles will be of great interest to anyone working in the held of Smart Power reliability