IPC APEX EXPO 2025
Call for Participation:
Technical Papers, Technical Posters, and Professional Development Courses

IPC is now accepting abstracts for technical paper presentations, posters, and professional development courses at IPC APEX EXPO 2025 in Anaheim! IPC APEX EXPO is the premier event for the electronics manufacturing industry. The Technical Conference and Professional Development Courses are two exciting forums within a trade show environment, where technical knowledge is shared from experts spanning all areas of the electronics industry, including design, advanced packaging, advanced power and logic (HDI) PCB technologies, systems packaging technologies, quality and reliability, materials, assembly, processes and equipment for advanced packaging and PCB assembly, and factory of the future manufacturing. The Technical Conference will take place March 18-20, 2025, and Professional Development Courses will take place March 16-17 and 20, 2025.

IPC seeks abstracts for technical paper presentations and posters that describe significant results from research work, highlight new techniques or materials, and discuss cutting-edge trends and challenges facing the electronics packaging and assembly at the component and subsystem level manufacturing industry. Those selected by the Technical Program Committee will be invited to participate in the IPC APEX EXPO 2025 Technical Conference. Papers will be published in a proceedings document available at the conference, and presentations will be delivered in person at IPC APEX EXPO 2025 in Anaheim.

IPC also seeks professional development course abstracts for three-hour sessions of live instruction covering all aspects of electronics manufacturing. Courses can be offered as one 3-hour session or two 3-hour sessions (offered as Part 1 & Part 2 for a total of 6 hours).

IPC Education Foundation will be awarding a Best Student Technical Paper $3,000 award and a Best Student Poster $2,000 award. 

See following pages for technical topics accepted at the conference.

Presentation Experience at IPC APEX EXPO

Presenting at IPC APEX EXPO 2025 in Anaheim provides significant visibility for you and your company. Thousands of individuals receive the technical proceedings of the conference, ensuring that your published paper will be seen by key engineers, managers, leadership, and executives from all segments of the worldwide electronic assembly and interconnection industry.

Technical Papers: Papers will be published in the conference proceedings and presentations will be delivered in person at IPC APEX EXPO 2025 in Anaheim. Presentations are limited to 30 minutes; inclusive of a 20–25-minute presentation followed by Q&A. The technical content shall be noncommercial and describe significant results from experiments, emphasize new techniques, discuss trends of interest, and contain technical and/or appropriate test results. Authors of papers selected for the conference will receive further guidance on formatting papers and presentation slides, and instructions for registration. Conference speakers are entitled to a free one-day conference pass for the day of their presentations and are eligible for discounted rates if they wish to register themselves for the full conference. Presenters are responsible for making their own travel and hotel reservations and are encouraged to use the discounted booking options provided by IPC.

Deadline for Technical Paper Abstract: October 4, 2024

Submit Technical Paper Abstract

See below for instructions on Abstract submission

Technical Posters: All posters will be displayed on the Exhibit Floor, with dedicated Poster Networking Sessions for increased visibility. The technical content shall be noncommercial and describe significant results from experiments, emphasize new techniques, discuss trends of interest and contain technical and/or appropriate test results. Authors of posters selected for the conference will receive further guidance on formatting, printing, displaying posters, and instructions for registration. Poster presenters are entitled to a free one-day conference pass for the day of their presentations and are eligible for discounted rates if they wish to register themselves for the full conference. Presenters are responsible for making their own travel and hotel reservations and are encouraged to use the discounted booking options provided by IPC.

Deadline for Technical Poster Abstract: December 2, 2024

Submit Technical Poster Abstract

See below for instructions on Abstract submission

Professional Development Courses: Courses can be offered as one 3-hour session or two 3-hour sessions (offered as Part 1 & Part 2 for a total of 6 hours). Instructors of courses selected for the Professional Development program will receive further guidance on formatting presentation slides, as well as instructions for instructor registration. Honoraria and travel expense stipends are offered to professional development instructors. Instructors are responsible for making their own travel and hotel reservations and are encouraged to use the discounted booking options provided by IPC.

Deadline for Professional Development Abstract: September 6, 2024

Submit Professional Development Abstract 

See below for instructions on Abstract submission

Conference Awards
To recognize exceptional achievement, the IPC Technical Program Committee will select top qualifying papers and one top poster for awards. Awards include “Best of Conference,” “NextGen Best Paper,” “Best Student Research Paper,” and “Best Technical Poster.” To qualify, all paper, poster, and presentation deadlines must be met. Each award consists of a recognition plaque for each author and an honorarium.

Commercialism Policy and Original Work
All authors and instructors will be asked to agree to IPC’s Commercialism Policy. Previously published papers and/or commercially focused papers, posters, and presentations will not be accepted. This applies to oral presentations, text, and figures (presentation slides, papers, and posters).
 

Topics for Technical Conference Paper, Technical Posters, and Professional Development Courses

Note: Comprehensive list but does not claim to be definitive. Other appropriate topics will be considered.

ADVANCED PACKAGING/ COMPONENTS
  • Design, modeling, simulation for advanced packages 
    • Electrical, thermal, thermomechanical design for component level packages
    • Chip-Package and package PCB co-designs
    • Package-PCB interface designs and design optimization 
  • Packaging/assembly materials at component level
    • Epoxies, adhesive materials, solders and characterization
    • Thermal interface materials (TIMs), heat spreaders and heatsinks
    • Underfills and other polymer materials in packaging 
  • Interconnections for advanced packaging
    • Au/Al/Cu wire bonding
    • Flip chip interconnections: flip chip in package, flip chip on board
    • Redistribution layers (RDLs) and wafer-level packaging
    • Wafer-level packaging assembly to board 
ASSEMBLY & TEST PROCESSES
  • µPCBA and component assembly processes
    • Ultra-complex PCBA, high-density assembly
    • First-level component and module assembly
    • New chiplet architectures, next-generation packages
    • Microelectronic and power electronic technologies  
  • PCBA assembly processes
    • Second-level interconnect assembly
    • Processes – SMT, wave-selective, press-fit, vapor phase, laser
  • Rework and repair
    • Rework processes – laser, hot gas, solder fountain, press-fit, manual repair
    • Quality and reliability assessment of reworked and repaired devices
  • Back-end-of-line processes
    • Back-end mechanical assembly processes
    • Sub-system, final system assembly and test 
  • Inspection and test
    • Inspection methods and processes
    • Electrical test (ICT, FCT, J-TAG)
    • Automated inspection – SPI, AOI, AXI
DESIGN
  • Design for excellence – DfX, DfM, DfT
  • Design for board fab, physical design
  • Design for complex integrated systems (CIS)
  • Advanced packaging design, modeling and simulation 
  • Silicon-to-systems design
  • Electro-thermal-mechanical system design
ELECTRONIC ASSEMBLY MATERIALS
  • Materials performance
    • Solders, alloys 
    • Sintering materials 
    • Fluxes 
    • Thermal interface materials (TIMs)
    • Underfills, edge-bond, corner-bond
    • Adhesives 
    • Potting compounds and encapsulants 
    • Low-pressure molding materials 
  • Cleaning and coating 
    • Cleaning chemistries 
    • Conformal coatings 
EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES
  • Optoelectronic designs, packaging assembly and optical interconnects 
  • RF/mm wave package and board designs, materials and assembly process for 5G/6G applications 
  • Nanotechnology, e.g., nanomaterials, nanocharacterization, nanoscale assembly  
  • 3D plastronics 
  • Additive manufactured electronics
  • Printed electronics
FACTORY OF THE FUTURE
  • Data analytics
  • IPC-CFX implementations
  • Digital product passport and blockchain
  • Artificial intelligence (AI)
  • Digital twins and model-based definitions
  • Design, simulation and modeling
  • Machine learning and model deployment
HDI, µHDI AND SUBSTRATES
  • HDI, µHDI/fine circuit fabrication, processes and equipment
  • Laminate, core materials
  • IC substrate technologies
  • Build-up materials
  • Microvia design, processes and testing
  • Microvia interface reliability
  • Embedded technologies (die/bridge/components)
     
PCB FABRICATION AND MATERIALS
  • Laminate materials – cores, prepregs
  • Novel PCB materials – organic, build-up
  • RF materials, low-loss materials
  • Vias – design, formation, construction/stacking, plating, plugging
  • PCB platings and surface finishes
  • Additive, semi-additive build-up technologies
  • Flexible and hybrid circuits
POWER ELECTRONICS
  • Power substrates 
  • Die attach, sintering and wire bond
  • Embedding for power electronics
  • Power packages & power modules - Silicon FETs and wide band gap device packaging and materials
QUALITY & RELIABILITY
  • Qualification
    • Components – actives (logic, memory, analog, mixed signal), passives (discretes, connectors), electromechanics
    • Component-level packaging  
    • PCBs and PCB assemblies
    • Final systems
    • Accelerated-life testing
  • Quality
    • Quality management systems – manufacturing, procurement
    • Statistical process control and optimization, yields
    • Lean manufacturing (including Six Sigma approaches)
    • Measurement system analysis, gauge R&R
  • Reliability
    • Reliability investigations including mechanical reliability, thermomechanical reliability, reliability in harsh environments
    • Materials characterization and assessment
    • Failure analysis and defect mechanisms
    • Test method and test vehicle development
SUSTAINABILITY FOR ELECTRONICS
  • Design for sustainability to ensure durability, recyclability, reuse, and refurbishment
  • Energy, water, materials, and waste management strategies for increased efficiencies
  • Life cycle assessment
  • Safer alternative chemistries, materials, and processes 

 

Abstract Submission Guidelines

Technical Papers and Posters: Provide an abstract of a maximum of 250 words that summarizes previously unpublished technical work, covering case histories, research, and discoveries. The selection process is competitive, so sufficient detail needs to be included to allow the Technical Program Committee to properly assess the content of the proposed paper/poster. The content should be noncommercial and describe significant results from experiments, emphasize new techniques, discuss trends of interest and contain technical and/or appropriate test results. Authors of papers/posters selected for the conference will receive further guidance on formatting papers/posters and presentation slides. All posters will be displayed in a centrally located area near the Technical Conference sessions, with dedicated Poster Networking Sessions for increased visibility. Papers will be published in a proceedings document, and presentations will be delivered in person at IPC APEX EXPO 2025 in Anaheim.

Paper and Poster Abstracts will be reviewed and scored based on the following criteria: 

1. Novelty/Innovativeness 
2. Technical Merit 
3. Relevance 
4. Quality and Readability 
5. Adherence to IPC's Non-Commercialism Policy

Deadline for Technical Paper Abstract: October 4, 2024

Submit Technical Paper Abstract 

Deadline for Technical Poster Abstract: December 2, 2024

Submit Technical Poster Abstract 

Professional Development Courses: Provide an abstract of a maximum of 250 words that summarizes the topic(s) to be covered in the course, intended target audience, learning objectives, number of three-hour sessions necessary for the topic, and any preferred prior knowledge needed for success in the course. Courses are offered as one 3-hour session or two 3-hour sessions (offered as Part 1 and Part 2 for a total of 6 hours).

Deadline for Professional Development Course Abstract: September 6, 2024

Submit Professional Development Course Abstract 

Questions
For more information about participating at IPC APEX EXPO as a technical conference presenter or professional development course instructor, please contact IPC’s Conference and Events Manager, Julia Flynn, by email at juliaflynn@ipc.org.
 

Any time that an early career engineer can harness the process of putting together a technical manuscript to convey core research results and methodology used, it shows that they are developing as an engineer. This is invaluable because it not just draws attention to their work, but it can also accelerate their career growth.
Bhanu Sood, Ph.D., Deputy Chief Technologist, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center