Static Control

An electrostatic discharge a person cannot even feel is enough to degrade or destroy an electronic component. Static control keeps charge from building up and discharging into the part.

ESD damage takes two forms, and the second is the expensive one. Catastrophic failure shows up in testing and is scrapped right there. Latent failure leaves the component working, passes inspection and fails weeks later in the field, once the cost of replacement has multiplied.

That is why static control is treated as prevention rather than inspection: damage that has not yet shown itself cannot be caught by sampling.

The usual approach combines three fronts: removing charge-generating materials from the work area, grounding what builds up on people and surfaces, and protecting the component once it leaves the controlled area.

What it takes

• Gloves and finger cots that prevent charge from direct contact
• Dissipative surfaces and mats connected to ground
• Protective packaging for transport outside the controlled area
• Continuous prevention, not sample inspection