Page 10 - ebook

Electrostatic Discharge

Is the sudden flow of electricity between two electrically
charged objects caused by contact, an electrical short,
or dielectric breakdown. A build up of static electricity can
be caused by tribocharging or by electrostatic induction.

ESD occurs when differently charged objects are
brought close together or when the dielectric between

them breaks down, often creating a visible spark.

ESD can cause harmful effects in industry,
including explosions in gas, fuel vapour and coal dust,
as well as failure of solid state electronics components
such as integrated circuits. These can suffer permanent

damage when subjected to high voltages.
Electronics manufacturers therefore establish electrostatic
protective areas free of static, using measures to prevent
charging, such as avoiding highly charging materials and
measures to remove static such as grounding human
workers, enforcing the wearing of ESD certified footwear,

and controlling humidity.