The ESD 20:20 Standard and Its Roles in Electronics Manufacturing

THE ESD 20:20 STANDARD AND ITS ROLES IN ELECTRONICS MANUFACTURING (DEMO)

The Electrostatic Discharge Association (ESDA) announced last February that the 9th Annual International Electrostatic Discharge Workshop (referred to as IEW hereafter) will be held from the 3rd to the 7th of May this year. The venue will be the Granlibakken Conference Center & Lodge located in Lake Tahoe, California.

Electronics

The IEW will feature a technical program divided into sessions dedicated to several topics. There will also be keynotes and talks on the theme of the workshop. In addition, seminars about technology challenges will be conducted, along with discussion and special interest groups.

ESDA

The annual IEW is only part of the work of ESDA in regulating protective measures from electrostatic discharge across the electronics industry. Another aspect of their mission is the Facilities Certification program. The ESDA has developed a third-party certification program administered via ISO 9000 certified bodies that are accredited by their respective countries. This program uses the ESD 20:20 standard in evaluating facilities.

Electrostatic Discharge

When an abrupt flow of electricity occurs between two electrically charged objects, you have an event called electrostatic discharge (ESD). It can be caused by contact of the two objects, by an electrical short, or by dielectric breakdown.

One notable harmful effect of ESD manifests in electronic circuitry. In certain conditions, the flow of electricity can burn a hole in an integrated circuit big enough to be detectable by the naked eye. The area surrounding the hole would also exhibit discernible heat damage. If the event didn’t cause a hole, one ESD will not be disruptive to the operation of equipment, but numerous and frequent occurrences will wear down internal components over time. Without adequate ESD protection, electronic components break down more easily and faster, thereby disrupting operations, reducing quality, and increasing costs for manufacturers.

Role of ESD 20:20

The standard was developed so that organizations within the concerned industries can establish better control programs for the protection of electronic equipment and their parts from ESD. By getting certified from ISO certification registrars like International Standards Authority, Inc., original equipment manufacturers can realize different benefits that all add up to better ESD control programs. They gain an increased ESD awareness, improved product control and overall processes, decreased failure rate, better competitive advantage, and increased marketability.

(Source: 2015 IEW Workshop, ESDA, Feb. 6, 2015)