ESD Phenomena and the Reliability for Microelectronics by the ESD Association

Materials used within a program designed to control static electricity have not changed very much in fundamental properties in the past 10 years. Standards have evolved over the past decade to assist in the development of a conscientious static control program. Properties for non-ESD related physical characteristics have changed substantially in the same time period based on industry demands. This discussion will provide some insight into the requirements for materials used in a static control program as well as some general information about new materials that may have properties that may prove useful. Standards and Specifications Today, the users of static control materials have the benefit of industry standards to guide them in selection. Static control material suppliers also benefit from these standards, as there are fewer arguments about test methods, performance attributes and material specifications. In 1990 there were no ESD related handling practices documents that enjoyed widespread acceptance. In the ensuing 10 years, various groups have prepared handling practices that are currently gaining in acceptance. There are three documents that the readers should become familiar with, as they will have an impact on the industry for many years. These documents are: 1. JESD 625A (update of EIA 625 see www.jedec.org) 2. IEC TR 61340-5-1 (will replace EN 100015) 3. ANSI/ESD S 20.20 (commercial version of Mil STD 1686 see www.esda.org) Each of these handling practices documents contain tables that list almost every conceivable static control product or material and a suggested range of performance suited for the intended application. The specifications for static control products and materials involve an electrical property or a physical characteristic that imparts a static control property. The static control material types are listed below: 1. Static Dissipative 2. Static Conductive 3. Static Shielding 4. Static Discharge Shielding 5. Low-Charging (formerly known as Antistatic)