Advanced failure mechanisms in reliability engineering wiil be taught from a basic materials and defects point of view. The methods of predicting the physics of failure of devices, materials, components and systems are reviewed. The main emphasis will be given to basic degradation mechanisms through understanding the physics, chemistry, and mechanics of such mechanisms. Mechanical failures are introduced through understanding fatigue, creep and yielding in materials, devices and components. The principles of cumulative damage and mechanical yielding theory are taught. The concepts of reliability growth, accelerated life testing, environmental testing are introduced. Physical, chemical and thermal related failures are introduced through a basic understanding of degradation mechanisms such as diffusion, electromigration, defects and defect migration. The failure mechanisms in basic material types will be taught. Failure mechanisms observed in real electronic devices and electronic packaging will also be presented. Problems related to manufacturing, and microelectronics will be analyzed. Mechanical failures are emphasized from the point of view of complex fatigue theory.

Principal methods of reliability analysis, including fault tree and reliability block diagrams; Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA); event tree construction and evaluation; reliability data collection and analysis; methods of modeling systems for reliability analysis. Focus on problems related to process industries, fossil-fueled power plant availability, and other systems of concern to engineers.

Models for life testing at constant stress. Graphical and analytical methods. Test plans for accelerated testing. Competing failure modes and size effects. Models and data analyses for step and time varying stresses. Optimizing of test plans.

Methods of solving practical human reliability problems, cognitive and behavioral modeling, task analysis, performance shaping factors, error classification, distribution of human performance and uncertainty bounds, sources of human error probability data, human error risk mitigation, examples and case studies.