How electro-static charges cause damage – Teledyne GFC-7000T - Trace CO2 Analyzer - manual User Manual
Page 274

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.