Abstract
System-level electrostatic discharge testing according to IEC 61000-4-2 has been the main standardized electrostatic discharge immunity testing procedure for the last few decades. The correlation between a failed test result and the injected electrostatic discharge current waveform characteristics, as well as the reduced reproducibility of the standard methodology, have always concerned product manufacturers and test engineers. In an effort to accurately reconstruct the electrostatic discharge current during immunity testing, researchers are focusing more and more on the usability of current probes in capturing the injected current in “real time”. In this article, the results of a proposed methodology, based on current probe measurements and a frequency response compensation method, published in recent bibliography, for different test levels and electrostatic discharge generators are presented, aiming to highlight the advantages and disadvantages of the method, investigate its universal applicability, and introduce points of future work toward the current reconstruction during system-level electrostatic discharge testing effort.
Highlights
Electrostatic discharges (ESD), together with lightning occurrences, are the most frequently encountered transient events in nature
Sub-ns rise time discharges result in radiated fields and induced disturbances with significant spectrum component at frequencies above 1 GHz, making circuit operating at these frequencies greatly susceptible to potential damage or performance degradation. Testing against these phenomena has always been a major concern for manufacturers and product designers, leading to a significant amount of research and standardization effort on the accurate and reproducible simulation of ESD events. This effort led to the implementation of two different types of immunity testing to electrostatic discharges: (a) the component-level ESD testing, where specific components are subjected to ESD pulses to evaluate their voltage threshold, and (b) the system-level immunity testing, where the final product, in its normal operation condition, is evaluated regarding a potential performance degradation according to specific, product dependent, Pass/Fail performance criteria
The current work presents the results for the application of an ESD current reconstruction methodology, based on a frequency response compensation method and measurements with a current probe mounted on the tip of the ESD generator, to be used during systemlevel ESD testing according to the IEC 61000-4-2 Standard [4] for different voltage test levels and ESD generators
Summary
Electrostatic discharges (ESD), together with lightning occurrences, are the most frequently encountered transient events in nature. Sub-ns rise time discharges result in radiated fields and induced disturbances with significant spectrum component at frequencies above 1 GHz, making circuit operating at these frequencies greatly susceptible to potential damage or performance degradation. Testing against these phenomena has always been a major concern for manufacturers and product designers, leading to a significant amount of research and standardization effort on the accurate and reproducible simulation of ESD events. This effort led to the implementation of two different types of immunity testing to electrostatic discharges: (a) the component-level ESD testing, where specific components are subjected to ESD pulses to evaluate their voltage threshold, and (b) the system-level immunity testing, where the final product, in its normal operation condition, is evaluated regarding a potential performance degradation according to specific, product dependent, Pass/Fail performance criteria
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