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How electro-static charges cause damage – Teledyne GFC-7000T - Trace CO2 Analyzer - manual User Manual

Page 274

background image

ESD

Model GFC7000TA Carbon Dioxide Analyzer

Teledyne Analytical Instruments

256

Poly bag picked up from bench

1,200V

20,000V

Moving around in a chair padded
with urethane foam

1,500V 18,000V

11.2. How Electro-Static Charges Cause Damage

Damage to components occurs when these static charges come into contact with an electronic device.
Current flows as the charge moves along the conductive circuitry of the device and the typically very high
voltage levels of the charge overheat the delicate traces of the integrated circuits, melting them or even
vaporizing parts of them. When examined by microscope the damage caused by electro-static discharge
looks a lot like tiny bomb craters littered across the landscape of the component’s circuitry.

A quick comparison of the values in Table 12-1 with the those shown in the Table 12-2, listing device
susceptibility levels, shows why Semiconductor Reliability News estimates that approximately 60% of
device failures are the result of damage due to electro-static discharge.

Table 11-2: Sensitivity of Electronic Devices to Damage by ESD

DEVICE

DAMAGE SUSCEPTIBILITY VOLTAGE

RANGE

DAMAGE BEGINS

OCCURRING AT

CATASTROPHIC

DAMAGE AT

MOSFET 10

100

VMOS 30

1800

NMOS 60

100

GaAsFET 60

2000

EPROM 100

100

JFET 140

7000

SAW 150

500

Op-AMP 190

2500

CMOS 200

3000

Schottky Diodes

300

2500

Film Resistors

300

3000

This Film Resistors

300

7000

ECL 500

500

SCR 500

1000

Schottky TTL

500

2500

Potentially damaging electro-static discharges can occur:

 Any time a charged surface (including the human body) discharges to a device. Even simple

contact of a finger to the leads of a sensitive device or assembly can allow enough discharge to
cause damage. A similar discharge can occur from a charged conductive object, such as a
metallic tool or fixture.

 When static charges accumulated on a sensitive device discharges from the device to another

surface such as packaging materials, work surfaces, machine surfaces or other device. In some
cases, charged device discharges can be the most destructive.

A typical example of this is the simple act of installing an electronic assembly into the connector
or wiring harness of the equipment in which it is to function. If the assembly is carrying a static
charge, as it is connected to ground a discharge will occur.