Fundamentals of Electrostatic Discharge – Part One: An Introduction to ESD

1401 F4 coverTo many people, Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) is only experienced as a shock when touching a metal doorknob after walking across a carpeted floor or after sliding across a car seat. However, static electricity and ESD has been a serious industrial problem for centuries. As early as the 1400s, European and Caribbean military forts were using static control procedures and devices trying to prevent inadvertent electrostatic discharge ignition of gunpowder stores.

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Fundamentals of Electrostatic Discharge: Part 5: Device Sensitivity and Testing

In Part 2 of this series we indicated that a key element in a successful static control program was the identification of those items (components, assemblies and finished products) that are sensitive to ESD and the level of their sensitivity. Damage to an ESDS device by the ESD event is determined by the device’s ability to dissipate the energy of the discharge or withstand the current levels involved. This is known as device “ESD sensitivity” or “ESD susceptibility.”

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Fundamentals of Electrostatic Discharge: Part 4: Training and Auditing

Your static control program is up and running. How do you determine whether it is effective? How do you make sure your employees follow it? In Part 3, we suggested that there were at least nine critical elements to successfully developing and implementing an effective ESD control program. In Part 4, we will focus on two more of these elements: training and auditing.