epending on what type of engineer you're speaking too, power packaging can mean a variety of different things – from a single semiconductor bare die package all the way up to a multi-level, vibration-ruggedized inverter design. With significant technical advances in the semiconductor market and increasing demands of customer applications, the field of power packaging is more critical than ever before. The International Workshop on Integrated Power Packaging seeks to bring industry professionals and researchers together to address the newest innovations in this rapidly evolving field. As material and semiconductor technologies continue to improve, fundamental device and system-level packaging approaches must also evolve in order to address challenges introduced by the increasing performance, reliability, and cost demands of next-generation power electronics applications. This workshop is an opportunity to engage in a meaningful discussion about the latest technologies and techniques in both industry and academia, ensuring that a cooperative learning environment is fostered for attendees of diverse technical backgrounds. The purpose of this workshop is to bring together researchers in the field of power electronics components, electrical insulating materials, and packaging technologies to rapidly promote the development and commercialization of high-density and high-efficiency power converters.

IWIPP 2017 is specifically structured for inter-disciplinary learning opportunities, as evidenced by its diverse technical sponsors: the Power Supply Manufacturers Association (PSMA), the IEEE Power Electronics Society (PELS), the IEEE Components, Packaging, & Manufacturing Technology Society (CPMT), the IEEE Dielectrics and Electrical Insulation Society (DEIS), and the European Center for Power Electronics (ECPE).

In order to capture the inter-disciplinary knowledge of the workshop, IWIPP 2017 is introducing a new tutorial system. Each of the first two mornings of the conference will open with a technical tutorial, which will be open to all conference attendees. On Wednesday, April 5, Patrick McCluskey from the University of Maryland will present a tutorial on "Packaging and Thermal Management of Integrated Power Electronics". The following day, Thursday, April 6, Thierry Lebey of the University of Toulouse will present a tutorial on "Characterizing Electrical Insulation for Wide Bandgap Power Packaging".

In addition to education-based professional opportunities, IWIPP 2017 will also feature daily plenary sessions from a diverse group of invited industry professionals and technical society leaders, including:

• Alan Mantooth of the Univeristy of Arkansas / IEEE PELS speaking on "Serving Humanity Through a Dynamic Profession – The IEEE Power Electronics Society"
• Bram Ferreira, of the Delft University of Technology, & William Chen, of ASE US, speaking on "Power Packaging Society Roadmapping"
• Cian O'Mathuna of the Tyndall Institute speaking on "Integrated Passives in Power Electronics"
• Eckhard Wolfgang of ECPE speaking on "Ten Years of Robustness Validation Applied to Power Electronics Components"
• Peter Friedrich of Infineon speaking on "Advances in Wide Bandgap Power Devices & their Positioning in Various Applications"
• Chris Bailey of the University of Greenwich – EPSRC speaking on "Design & Modeling"
  
  

On Friday morning, IWIPP 2017 will feature an interactive panel session focusing on Modeling & Reliability, in lieu of a third tutorial. This panel is comprised of industry and academic experts from different levels of power packaging, including:

• Andy Lemmon, of the University of Alabama, sharing knowledge on Parasitic Extraction & Modeling
• Patrick McCluskey, of the University of Maryland, sharing knowledge on Reliability Modeling
• Brice McPherson, of Wolfspeed, sharing knowledge on Power Module Modeling
• Chris Bailey, of the University of Greenwich - EPSCRS, sharing knowledge on Mechanical Reliability Modeling

In addition to the invited papers, the conference program will include technical sessions on Systems & Circuits, Power Modules, Packaging & Interconnects, Thermal Management, Sensors & Passives, as well as a Poster Session covering a variety of different packaging topics. Since IWIPP is focused on collaborative research opportunities, it will also feature a limited number of exhibition spaces to select industry suppliers. These exhibition tables will provide participants an opportunity to interact with cutting-edge products and engineering-service suppliers capable of helping achieve their research goals.

The Diamond Industrial Partner for IWIPP 2017 is Wolfspeed, a Cree Company. In addition to sponsoring the daily plenary sessions, Wolfspeed is also supporting the official conference banquet / social event.

The first IWIPP was held in 1998 at the Congress Plaza hotel in Chicago, IL, USA; after the late 90's the conference went on a 16 year hiatus and returned to its Chicago roots in 2015. The 2015 revival of IWIPP was an exciting workshop which focused on cutting edge packaging approaches. The conference was moved to Europe for the 2017, and more supporting organization sponsors were engaged, to broaden the available audience and overall breadth of the event's technical discussion. This year, from April 5-7, the Delft University of Technology in Delft, Netherlands will be hosting the conference. The main conference event will be held in the Aula Conference Center, and the welcome reception will tour the High Voltage Research lab on campus. Early Registration pricing ends on March 1; for registration or partnership inquiries, please contact the IWIPP Organizing committee or visit www.IWIPP.org.

IWIPP 2017 is an opportunity for leaders in all levels of electronics packaging - from early-stage research to volume manufacturing – to meet and collaborate; we hope to see you and hear your ideas in Delft this spring.

Provided by Lauren Kegley, IWIPP 2017 Sponsorship & Publications Chair

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