ESD Systems’ ESD Technical Newsletter

Issue 1, July 1998: Volume 1

Reference: http://www.esdsystems.com/newsletters/v1issue1.htm


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IN THIS ISSUE:


WELCOME TO OUR 1ST EDITION ESD E-NEWSLETTER

We at ESD Systems would like to extend our thanks for your support and enthusiasm for the Newsletter. We are going to schedule a monthly release, starting with Issue 1, under Volume 1. This newsletter will compliment our U.S mailed newsletter, but be distinctly different from it. It will focus more on the technical issues regarding ESD Control in the manufacturing and field arenas. Hold the presses; we would like to incorporate our readers feedback and suggestions into our future issues. Please send your comments to: newsletter@esdsystems.com


20TH ANNUAL EOS/ESD SYMPOSIUM, 1998

The EOS/ESD 20th annual Symposium will be held October 4th-8th in Reno Nevada. This Symposium is an excellent opportunity to learn more about ESD Control from tutorials, technical papers, workshops, speakers, presentations, exhibitors, etc.

We encourage you to stop by the ESD Systems exhibit to learn more about our wide-variety of Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) Control products. This is a great opportunity to meet our ESD Systems’ team.

For more information about the EOS/ESD Symposium, contact:

1998 EOS/ESD Symposium

c/o ESD Association

7900 Turin Rd. Bldg. 3, Suite 2

Rome, NY 13440-2069

Phone: (315) 339-6937

Fax: (315) 339-6739

http://www.eosesd.org/


ESD Q&A CORNER

The following questions and answers are selected from our FAQ WEB Page: http://www.esdsystems.com/default.asp?PageNo=QANDAINDEX

Q1: Is there a source of info that will describe the ESD sensitivity of various common IC's, etc? - Chris Hampton, Scottsdale, AZ

A1: The RAC (Reliability Analysis Center) in Rome, NY has a "V-ZAP" data book that may help. The IC suppliers also have data for their own components. There is also an industry resource for device qualification data "ASPEC" that may have what you are looking for.

Q2: Static shocks are rebooting computers at 17 - 20 feet away during the winter months (seems like when heat is on). Have you heard of this? (I need data 'proof' that this can cause damage at distances) What product solutions do you have? - Anonymous, Fort Polk, LA

A2: We have a white paper published on our site: http://www.esdsystems.com/whitepapers/wp_emi-esd.asp that might help you concerning EMI and ESD. It sounds like you have several things that could contribute to your problem:

1) Severe triboelectric generation from mobile people - solution: implement ESD/antistatic floor and ESD foot wear.

2) Conductive surfaces allowing quick and high-energy discharges - solution: implement grounded static dissipative mats & coatings on very conductive surfaces. Refer to white paper: http://www.esdsystems.com/whitepapers/wp_discharg.asp

3) A very dry environment, further increasing the risks of ESD - solution: implement humidity control or air ionization at critical areas. Refer to white paper: http://www.esdsystems.com/whitepapers/wp_humidity.asp

Product solutions: Employ static dissipative floor treatments utilizing antistatic floor finish, mats, tiles or carpets covering all affected areas. We would recommend Statproof® zinc free floor finish as it has excellent antistatic properties. Combine this with ESD foot wear such as an ESD Systems' foot grounder #24802. These two products combined will greatly reduce the triboelectric charging that may be one of the larger factors in generation of static shocks. Apply Reztortm Topical Antistat to all surfaces that are not dissipative. Replace all conductive surfaces (<1x104 Ohms) with dissipative ones or cover the conductive surfaces with dissipative materials i.e., Type T2 or Type L Mat material. Make sure all these conductive (dissipative) surfaces are grounded as well as the operators (foot grounders, wrist straps, etc.). By replacing the very conductive surfaces with a higher resistant material, you minimize the energy transferred during an ESD and reduce or eliminate a problem EMI.


PRODUCT UPDATES

ESD Systems’ Item #43325 Ion Viper Air Nozzle line.

For more information, request Tech Brief PS-2069 or ask customer service about our risk free demo offer.

Sole Grounder increases contact area between your foot and floor surface

We’re sure you’ll love the features of these new grounders, and we encourage you to give them a try! Call customer service to receive a sample or request Drawing 24800.

ESD Training Paddles easily generate high static voltages

Ideal for Demonstrating Electrostatic Principles

Item #36080 is ideal for training, and we encourage you to give them a try! For more information and experiments to perform with the paddles, request Tech Brief PS-2079.


Dr. ZAP

Topic: Static Electricity

"Static electricity" appears when two dissimilar materials are placed into intimate contact and then separated. This is a charge separation or an IMBALANCE between quantities of positive and negative particles. During contact electrification, it is usually only the negative electrons, which are moved. As negative particles are pulled away from the positive particles, equal and opposite areas of imbalance are created. In one place, you'll have more protons than electrons, and this spot will have an overall positive charge. Elsewhere you'll have more electrons than protons, for an overall negative charge. "Static electricity" exists whenever there are unequal amounts of positive and negative charged particles present. It doesn't matter whether the region of imbalance is still or is flowing; only the imbalance is important. All solid objects contain vast quantities of positive and negative particles whether the objects are electrified or not. When these quantities are not exactly equal and there is a tiny bit more positive than negative (or vice versa), we say that the object is "electrified" or "charged," and that "static electricity" exists. When the quantities are equal, we say the object is "neutral" or "uncharged." "Charged" and "uncharged" depends on the sum of opposite quantities. Since "static electricity" is actually an imbalance in the quantities of positive and negative, it is wrong to believe that the phenomena has anything to do with lack of motion, with being "static." In fact, "static electricity" can easily be made to move along conductive surfaces. When this happens, it continues to display all it's normal characteristics as it flows, so it does not stop being "static electricity" while it moves along very non-statically! In a high voltage electrical system, the wires can attract lint, raise hair, etc., even though there is a large current in the wires and all the charges are flowing. Last, when any electric circuit is broken and the charges stop flowing, they do not turn into "static electricity" and begin attracting lint, etc. A disconnected wire contains charges, which are not moving; yet, it contains no "static electricity!"

For more information on Static Electricity visit our Web Site at http://www.esdsystems.com or William J. Beaty’s page on electricity http://www.eskimo.com/~billb/ele-edu.html


HISTORICAL CORNER

Our understanding of Electricity has evolved over time with the help of Alessandro Guideppe Antonio Anastasio Volta (1745-1827) and Andre Marie Ampere (1775-1836) to name a few. ESD Control is a relatively new field of study and has had a short evolution, since the early 1970’s.

The biggest invention that spawned the electronics revolution occurred in 1948 from the invention of the Junction Transistor at Bell Labs. The invention of the Integrated Circuit (IC) in 1959, by Robert Noyce et al, drove the race towards smaller and more complex devices with greater reliability. Today, IC architectures are approaching a billion transistors on a chip and soon may perform over 4 trillion calculations per second.

All this is leading to shrinking spacing between the pin-outs of each chip and the transistors’ gates and junctions further necessitating an overwhelming need for ESD Control.


Need your own copy? Want to subscribe to this Newsletter? All you or your colleague(s) need to do is simply fill out the subscription form at http://www.esdsystems.com/default.asp?PageNo=NEWSLETTERS

This Newsletter is never sent unsolicited. To unsubscribe from this mailing, simply reply to this e-mail and include in the subject field the following: UNSUBSCRIBE esdnl

Let us know what you think. Tell us what you would like to see in future issues. Want to contribute articles or other related information to our Newsletter? Send your comments to editor@esdsystems.com

Copyright © 1998, Desco Industries, Inc., Employee Owned

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