FACTYR
Failure Analysis | Characterisation | Test | Yield | Reliability
Supporting Innovation and Building Resilience
In today’s fast-moving semiconductor industry, failure analysis, reliability, characterisation, and test are essential to developing high-performing, reliable, and scalable technologies. From early design through to high-volume manufacturing, they ensure devices function as intended, issues are understood and resolved, and products meet the demands of sectors such as AI, automotive, communications, and defence.
Why These Areas Matter
Failure Analysis (FA)
Failure analysis focuses on understanding why devices fail and how to address those issues effectively. By identifying root causes early, it helps reduce costly recalls and manufacturing losses, speeds up development cycles, and improves overall product reliability.
Characterisation
Characterisation examines how devices behave under different operating conditions, providing the data needed to refine designs and processes. It supports accurate modelling, enables process development and scaling, and ensures performance is properly validated.
Test
Testing verifies that devices meet required specifications before deployment. It plays a key role in identifying defects early in production, maintaining quality at scale, and reducing the risk and cost of failures later in the product lifecycle.
Yield
Yield focuses on maximising the proportion of functional devices produced from a manufacturing process. It is a key driver of cost, efficiency, and scalability, directly impacting profitability and time-to-market. By identifying sources of variation and loss, yield improvement enables faster process optimisation, supports stable high-volume production, and ensures that development efforts translate effectively into manufacturable, high-quality products.
Reliability
Reliability ensures that semiconductor devices perform consistently over time and under real-world stress conditions. It is particularly important for safety-critical applications and supports qualification across sectors such as automotive, aerospace, and healthcare, while also building confidence with customers and partners.
Our Mission
To build a more connected, capable, and resilient UK semiconductor test and analysis network. By working together, we aim to improve access to critical expertise, reduce reliance on overseas services, and help drive faster innovation
The Challenge
The UK has strong expertise in these areas, but access to capabilities is often fragmented. Many organisations rely on overseas providers, which can lead to:
- Higher costs and longer turnaround times
- Limited awareness of UK-based services
Slower innovation and development cycles
Our Focus
Our work centres on three key areas:
Improving access to capabilities
We make it easier for UK companies to find and use the right tools, facilities, and expertise.
Providing access to technical expertise
We connect organisations with the specialists who can advise on effective approaches, workflows, and solutions, ensuring they get support from those best placed to provide it.
Building skills and knowledge
We support training, workshops, events, and collaborative activities that bring the community together.
Mapping and strengthening the ecosystem
We will map capabilities, identify gaps and opportunities, inform standards bodies and government.
Impact
Through this work, we aim to:
- Strengthen the UK semiconductor supply chain
- Improve access to critical technical capabilities
- Increase global competitiveness
- Support sustainable, long-term industry growth
