Probabilistic Physics of Failure Concept and Its Application in Reliability Engineering

The concept of physics of failure (PoF) emerged from fields, such as damage mechanics, corrosion engineering, and fracture mechanics. Recognizing the increasing complexity of military equipment and the rise in observed failures, the Rome Air Development Center (RADC), which preceded the U.S. Air Force Rome Laboratory, introduced the PoF concept in 1961. One of the very early PoF models was presented by researchers from Bell Labs, who justified using the kinetic theory's interpretation of the Arrhenius equation to assess the temperature-induced aging of semiconductor devices [1]. During the early 1960s, the RADC and Armor Research Foundation of the Illinois Institute of Technology organized symposia to introduce and explain PoF concepts and methods. These symposia paved the way for numerous research activities and events that continue to this day.