Conformity Magazine - September 2007 - (Page 47)

F rom the late 1980s through the 1990s, damage to electronic devices from electrostatic discharge (ESD) declined steadily. Many companies had invested heavily in ESD programs with handling precautions and process monitoring, and their investments paid dividends. Additionally, design changes—the inclusion of protective structures on the circuits themselves—created more robust circuitry that was less vulnerable to ESD. The early design changes, however, diminished the performance of the electronic circuitry. To meet the demand for small, faster components, manufacturers eliminated those circuit-protection schemes, reversing the trend of declining ESD sensitivity. Older model electronic components were vulnerable to human body model (HBM) discharges of 100 V or greater; today’s ultra-sensitive devices are vulnerable to charges as low as 20 V. According to the Electrostatic Discharge Association’s Technology Roadmap, ESD sensitivity will continue increasing, by some estimates at least through 2010. Ted Dangelmayer, an ESD consultant and president of Dangelmayer Associates, describes this new class of vulnerable electronic parts as “class 0 ESDS devices.” The emergence of these class 0 devices has exposed the loopholes in many ESD prevention programs and created challenges for all users of state-of-the-art electronics—from chip manufacturers through server room and data center managers. According to Dangelmayer, class 0 components require much more stringent ESD controls and procedures, beginning with a complete reassessment of root causes of ESD failures. As Dangelmayer and other industry experts are quick to point out, most ESD programs are predicated on protecting electronics from human body model failures at or above 100 volts. This tactic does not protect class 0 devices from exposure to < 100 volt HBM discharges, nor does it even come close to addressing the far more deleterious effects of other ESD failure models. Class 0 Handling Is Inevitable By 2010, virtually all factories will be handling some number of class 0 devices. It has taken those companies that have already made the transition two years to bring their facilities up to the standards necessary to protect their class 0 devices from ESD failure. The decline in ESD failures during the late 1990s had lulled many companies into an attitude of false security. As they made the transition to class 0 handling, many companies, even those that had long-standing ESD programs in place, were faced with a lack of ESD expertise. Naturally, program managers, who themselves were often unsure about how or even why to upgrade their ESD protection program, had difficulty getting buy-in from management. Proactive response to the arrival of class 0 devices is an absolute must. The companies that will fare the best will be September 2007 Conformity 47 http://www.garlandfloor.com http://www.garlandfloor.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Conformity Magazine - September 2007

Contents Editor’s Note FCC Extends Disability Access Requirements to VOIP Commission Fines Importer $3 Million Over Non-Compliant TVs FCC Gets Tough on Retailers Over Analog TV Tuner Labeling Analog Cellular Service Sunset Date Reaffirmed Commission Adopts Recommendations of Katrina Panel Free-Space Antenna Factors Through the Use of Time-Domain Signal Processing Editorial Correction ESD Open Forum An Update on Revisions to IEC 61000-4-2, the Basic Standard on ESD Practical Advice for Meeting the DFS Testing Requirements of the FCC The EMC Impact of Embedded Software ESD Design Buyer's Guide Tate Renominated to the FCC EPA Releases Report on U.S. Electronic Waste Additional Standards For The EU’s Toy Directive Medical Device Manufacturer Enters Consent Order Updated Guidance Document on Laser Products Issued FDA Offers Advice on Defective Heating Pads CPSC Issues China Product Safety Program Report Other CPSC Actions In The News IEC Standards Update Product Reviews Product News UL Standards Update From Our “You Can’t Make This Stuff Up” Department Looking Back: Items from Past Issues of Conformity Advertisers

Conformity Magazine - September 2007

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