Actual static control market situation and how to choose suitable ESD flooring systems for ESD control working areas

The ESD Association (ESDA) developed ANSI/ESD STM 97.1 and 97.2 and also supported the development of IEC 61340-4-5 for flooring and footwear evaluation while the footwear is being worn. Unfortunately, these procedures are not well understood or utilized in the Asian market. Many electronics companies are handling miniaturized ESD susceptible devices (ESDS) within their working areas. Many companies are developing an understanding of the ESD susceptibility voltage of their parts; but at the same time, defining and measuring the control level for personnel handling the parts often only relies on electrical resistance measurements. This paper presents some measurements of the personnel body voltage in actual factories handling miniaturized devices and shows the need to confirm not only resistance to ground but also body voltage generation must be measured when qualifying a flooring and footwear grounding system for operators. Recommendations are made in this paper, based on test data, for improving static control systems for use in ESD protected areas (EPA). This paper is the result of extensive ESD survey experience at Japanese OEM companies throughout the Asia-Pacific region.