We are certain that at some point you have felt a shock when you came into contact with a person or object, that feeling of “cramp” or that spark that leads you to say: “Wow, you’re charged.”
The truth is that this was an electrostatic discharge, a phenomenon that can cause serious damage and that we are faced with on a daily basis in the design, development and manufacture of electronic devices. For this reason, it is important to be clear about this particular physical event.
Only with this knowledge will we be able to understand what it consists of in order to learn to take the correct alternatives that allow us to prepare well, mitigating and preventing the possible damage that may arise in the electronics we produce.
All objects are made up of atoms which in turn are made up of positively charged protons (+), negatively charged electrons (-) and uncharged neutrons.
The atoms of an object in their usual state are electrically neutral, because they have the same number of protons and electrons. In this context, static electricity is generated when some materials come into contact (friction) with each other.
This event causes the electrons to detach from the surface of a material and settle on the surface of the other, it is important to remember that static electricity is not created or generated; its appearance is due to an uneven and temporary distribution of electrons.
In this way, the electrostatic charge does not arise from the friction of two materials, but from the separation of two surfaces in contact. This physical phenomenon is known as the triboelectric effect and it is due to the moment in which we separate and unite two electrically charged elements. When we separate two previously joined surfaces, an imbalance is caused in the distribution of charges that creates an electrostatic field.
Our body is an example of a good conductor, we have enough characteristics to be able to charge ourselves with static electricity in eventual everyday situations. Most of the time, we don’t even know about it; but we constantly gain or lose electrons and when we accumulate too much energy, it is time to discharge it.
It is then, when the well-known “cramps” that we all feel at some point occur, and these are a current of negative charges, migrating to a place with positive charges to restore balance, which is the absence of electrical charge.
Static electricity is one of the factors that most affect the generation of electrostatic discharges (ESD) that affect electronic devices. They are represented by means of a sudden flow of a great magnitude of electricity (Volts or Amperes), which passes between two electrically charged bodies at the precise moment where there is contact between them.
Something interesting that we must be very careful about is that many of these discharges are completely invisible and are not perceptible by human beings, but they have the ability to damage our electronic components during the manufacturing, packaging, storage or installation process.
When coming into contact with a component, with an opposite charge to ours, it generates a certain level of voltage and amperage that is transmitted to that electronic component; which are manufactured with certain tolerances to work and support some charge values.
However, if we transmit a higher charge than what they were designed to support, this is where the damage to these parts and the electronic cards occurs. Today, almost all microelectronic components are prone to breakdown by electrostatic discharges ESD, although some are more delicate and prone to damage.
The fundamental rule for the care of electronic devices is to treat any semiconductor device with great care and always avoid situations where ESD charges can come into contact with the device, some of those recognized for being more prone to damage by this phenomenon are those manufactured under CMOS logic, TTL logic, MLSI Microprocessors and among others.
Static electricity is an unavoidable factor as it is a physical phenomenon and therefore, they are changes that present in the matter without altering its constitution; that is, they do not form new substances and do not lose their properties, they only change their shape or state of aggregation.
But if we can mitigate its effects, to prevent damage to our electronic devices with some prevention measures against the ESD, which are:
Address: Calle 38 87-8
Medellín – Colombia
Phone: (+57) 302 3544202
Email: comercial@colcircuitos.com
