50 years of ESD – the history of electrostatic discharge control

The ancient Greeks observed as early as 550 BC that amber can be electrostatically charged through friction. It is not without reason that the term “électron” comes from the Greek and refers to amber.

Electrostatic discharge caused the first problems, particularly in the manufacture of ammunition. At the beginning of automated letterpress printing in the 15th century, one of the first countermeasures to electrostatic discharge (ESD) was taken in the form of flame treatment.

Humans only feel an electrostatic discharge above 3000 volts. From 5000 volts, these discharges become audible and from 10000 volts, an electrostatic discharge can be seen in the form of a spark or a flash.

However, 30 volts is enough to destroy a semiconductor module, which is why measuring devices are required to control electrostatic discharges.

What we understand today as ESD protection measures only originated at the end of the 1960s, when problems caused by electrostatic discharges became apparent in the manufacture of electronic components: altered resistance values were measured in some deliveries of carbon resistors. The problems became even greater in the manufacture of metal-oxide semiconductors (MOS).

In order to cope with electrostatic discharges in electronics production, carbon-filled materials were used on the one hand. On the other hand, antistatic materials were used that were only slightly charged. The latter were organically treated plastics.

Personal earthing systems were also used early on, such as wrist straps and earthing via shoes. In the 1970s, special floor coverings and work surfaces were introduced to control electrostatic discharges. This heralded the start of the ESD protected area (EPA).

At the end of the 1970s, the first symposium on ESD was held in Denver, USA.

The next development step in ESD history was the use of ESD films, which were used throughout the electronics industry as packaging for electronic components and devices in the form of protective bags to shield against electrostatic discharges.

The introduction of ESD products on the electronics market led to the need to standardize these products.

In 1982, the EOS/ESD Association, Inc. (ESDA) was founded by fewer than 100 members. One of the aims of this association was to develop standards in the ESD sector. The EOS/ESD Association, Inc. now has almost 16,000 members. Its own standardization committee began work on the first ESD standard back in 1982. The subject of this first ESD standardization was ESD wrist straps.

This was followed by the development of numerous other standards in the ESD field by the ESDA, which was accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) as the only organization for the development of electrostatic standards. ESDA is still developing standards for ESD products today.

Another important association in the history of ESD was the Electronic Industry Association, whose Packaging of Electronics for Shipment Committee (PEPS) published the first commercial standard for ESD packaging materials in 1988 with the standard EIA-541:1988 (Packaging Material Standards for ESD Sensitive Items).

In the mid-1990s, the ESDA was asked by the US Department of Defense to develop ESD control programs that could be used by both commercial and military users. The ESDA then developed the standard ANSI/ESD S20.20-1999 (Protection of Electrical and Electronic Parts, Assemblies and Equipment (Excluding Electrically Initiated Explosive Devices)). The current version is ANSI/ESD S20.20-2014. A short time later, the ESDA also developed an ESD system certification program.

Special measuring instruments are used to test the suitability of ESD materials. Initially, two main measuring devices were used for this purpose: a high-resistance meter and a device for measuring electrostatic fields, also known as an electric field meter.

The measurement sensitivities for high-resistance measurement have become more sensitive over time in order to withstand the further development of ESD products.

In the beginning, voltages of 500 to 1000 volts were used for the measurement, but today it is 10 and 100 volts.

Higher-quality measuring devices also take humidity and temperature into account, as these parameters have an influence on the behavior of ESD materials when controlling electrostatic discharges.