ABSTRACT
The damage resulting from Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) occurs as a puncture in ESD-sensitive devices, especially in the thin gate oxide layers. In the electronics manufacturing environment, ESD results in an electrical transfer, colloquially called a “zap,” which is much like a microbolt of lightning. The damage resulting from ESD occurs as a puncture in ESD-sensitive devices, especially in the thin gate oxide layers. The well-known concept of the atom provides an instructive model. Atoms in matter can be described as being made up of a nucleus surrounded by electrons. The electrons normally balance the positive charge of the protons contained in the atom’s nucleus. The triboelectric effect occurs as an electron transfer between two bodies which are rubbed together, and then separated. “Mobility” of charges on a material surface should be a quantifiable, measurable parameter to compare one homogeneous material with another. That measure is a parameter called “surface resistivity,” and it is measured in “ohms per square.”.
