Review of the 52nd International Symposium on Microelectronics

The 52nd International Symposium on Microelectronics, which took place in Boston from September 30 to October 3, 2019, was the industry event to attend this fall, welcoming the highest number of attendees since 2016. Nearly half of participants were drawn from the northeast corridor of the US and 15% were international. More first-time attendees registered for the Symposium than any other in recent memory, and Professional Development Course (PDC) registrations were up a record 30%. Nearly 500 different industry organizations were represented. IMAPS 2019 is also where the decision makers were – registering the biggest presence of C-suite executives since 2015.

The hard work from the technical committee paid off with four excellent keynotes, over 130 technical presentations, an evening panel, and a well-attended poster session finale. The multifaceted programme was topped off with an trade show in which 115 exhibitors took part.

In addition, the organisers set up a varied accompanying programme. Over 50 guests attended the popular MIT.nano facility tour, the highest ever for a symposium conference tour by more than double. The New England chapter of IMAPS brought local flair to the exhibit show floor for the first time, capping the end of the show with a finale of Boston-themed games, raffles, and prizes that elevated the exhibitor and attendee experience.

As always, the Society Award was handed over in various categories during the symposium. This year’s winners included Ephraim Suhir, Howard Imhof, Dr. Eric Beyne, Dr. Kuo-Ning Chiang, Dr. Chuan Seng Tan, E. Jan Vardaman, Benson Chan, Dr. Zhenzhen Shen and the company EMD Performance Materials.

In 2020, the Symposium will return to San Diego and take place in the newly renovated Town and Country Hotel from October 5–8, 2020 . Don‘t miss this great event!