SUSCEPTIBILITY

SINCE THE EARLY 1960S, IT HAS BEEN RECOGNIZED THAT "ELECTROSTATIC DISCHARGE" (ESD) CAN DAMAGE ELECTRONIC DEVICES. WITH THE PROGRESSIVE MICROMINIATURIZATION AND INCREASED COMPLEXITY OF ELECTRONIC DEVICES, MORE AND MORE DEVICES ARE BECOMING SUSCEPTIBLE TO DAMAGE FROM ESD. THIS CONTINUING TREND IS RESULTING IN MORE DEVICE BECOMING SUSCEPTIBLE TO ESD AT LOWER ESD VOLTAGE AND POWER LEVELS. IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF ESD SENSITIVITY DATA AND ESD SENSITIVITY CATEGORIES FOR DOD-STD-1686 AND DOD HDBK-263, ESD SENSITIVITY WAS BASED ON A DIRECT DISCHARGE TO THE MOST SENSITIVE PINS OF A DEVICE CONSIDERING THE HUMAN AS THE PRIMARY SOURCE OF THE ESD. IT WAS BELIEVED AT THAT TIME THAT THE DIRECT DISCHARGE WAS THE MOST SEVERE ESD CONDITION AND LITTLE DATA WAS AVAILABLE ON DEVICE SENSITIVITY DUE TO ELECTROSTATIC FIELDS ALTHOUGH THE EXPOSURE TO ELECTROSTATIC FIELDS IN A MANUFACTURING ENVIRONMENT IS A MORE PREVALENT CONDITION. THE INTENT OF THIS STUDY IS TO EVALUATE AND QUANTIFY, TO THE DEGREE POSSIBLE, THE EFFECTS OF ELECTROSTATIC FIELDS ON DEVICE ESD SENSITIVITY AND COMPARE THESE RESULTS WITH DEVICE SENSITIVITY.