ESD damage not only directly affects the quality and reliability of your products but also can impact your company’s reputation and bottom line. We are here to help you to inspect your facility, to determine your exact needs and requirements, and to recommend the appropriate ESD control materials and procedures for your successful ESD Control Program implementation.
Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) is ever present around us! It is the transfer of electrical charge between two bodies at different potentials, either through direct contact or through an induced electrical field. Each time we walk across the carpet, we may generate kilovolts of static electricity. The quick change in static voltage and burst of current produce a powerful electromagnetic field which can destroy semiconductor components & circuit assemblies and result in malfunction of electronic equipment. While this discharge results in a harmless shock to the human bodies, it is detrimental to sensitive electronics. A malfunction in the components or boards may occur immediately or the equipment may perform for weeks, months, or even years before an unpredictable and premature breakdown will cause a field failure.
With devices becoming more sensitive to ESD nowadays, i.e., components are developed with higher density (extra memory bits per unit volume) and are becoming faster (MHz, GHz, THz, etc.). These upgrades in technology do not come without a “technological price”. By enhancing the products' performance to meet the users' demands and requirements, one drawback is the reduction in the ESD sensitivity voltage levels. For instance, you may find that a serial port IC has an ESD withstand voltage of 15KV. By the same token, a FPGA on the same circuit board has an ESD withstand voltage of only 75 volts! Knowing that operators can easily generate up to (and exceed) 10KV, the $750 FPGA can be partially destroyed by an operator who is simply not following proper ESD control guidelines. As ESD can occur anywhere from the receiving stage of your operations to testing, manufacturing, shipping, and field handling of circuit boards & components, it is essential that organizations implement ESD Control programs to minimize the risk of ESD damage.
Benefits of your investment in an ESD Control Program:
Any organization, from semiconductor clean rooms and commercial & industrial applications to military satellites and defense systems, that manufactures electronic assemblies which are susceptible to damage by Electrostatic Discharge (ESD), or any facility, that in any way handles ESD sensitive devices or assemblies, is required to have an ESD Control Program.
The ESD audit is based on the ESD Control Program that has been designed, approved by your company management, and implemented at all operating levels. It is an essential part of an excellent ESD Control Program. It validates all ESD control procedures and products, provides a continuous reminder to your staff members of their responsibilities, and presents your organization with the necessary feedback for any corrective action.
The ESD inspection will be performed by our ESD auditor, who is an ESD Program Manager certified by the ESD Association and an expert ESDC (Electrostatic Discharge Control) consultant, certified by iNARTE (International Association of Radio, Telecommunications and Electromagnetics), and also a Professional Licensed Electrical Engineer, as well as a skilled IPC-certified ESDC Instructor, with multiple years of experience and knowledge in ESD and technical excellence in training, know-how, and job performance.
Our ESD control service is of an instructive, consultative style – the approach is of dialogue and principle-based emphasis (versus the traditional procedural-based method). The ESD audit is enhanced; it is not performed based on the typical, industry standard ESD inspection process. We not only thoroughly examine, assess and validate all facets of your ESD Control Program to ensure that they comply with the applicable EOS/ESD industry recognized best practices & policies and conform with your company's defined procedures, specifications and requirements, but also educate your associates about ESD during the audit by encouraging them in their learning and involving them in the ESD review process, in order to improve their knowledge and understanding about the subject of ESD. We help them to develop a greater appreciation for ESD control as well as to remind them of their responsibilities. We will conduct well-documented analysis of your ESD environment and ensure an unbiased report, providing your management with the necessary feedback for any corrective action.
During the audit, we verify all aspects of the program to ensure that they comply with your company specified best practices & policies. We record and report all discrepancies related to your ESD Control Program, which may consist of control methods, technical requirements, materials, and equipment such as grounding/bonding systems, protective materials, protective packaging, marking, handling, humidity control, ionization & monitoring methods, personal grounding, protected areas and sensitivity testing, etc., as well as the administrative requirements including the ESD training plan and the ESD compliance verification plan.
Upon audit completion, we will compile our evaluation report and recommend the appropriate corrective suggestions. Our ultimate objective is to effectively help you to continually improve, manage and sustain a well-ordered, disciplined and successful ESD Control Program!
In addition to our ESD training, audit and consulting services, as a value-added resource, we can also assist your electrical engineering team with their circuit design reviews by thoroughly examining, analyzing, and evaluating their electronic schematics for testability and manufacturability with ESD control consideration, to ensure not only the correct operation but also optimum performance, as well as the high quality & reliability of your product.
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