For critical environments such as hard disk drive, semiconductor and flat panel display manufacturing, it is very important to ensure the personnel who handle the ESD sensitive items are truly grounded.

Getting the wearers connected to the ESD wrist strap constant monitor is commonly practiced by most ESD Coordinator to give a real time indication that the wearers are connected to ground.

Does the ESD Wrist Strap Constant Monitor Meeting Your Company’s Expectations?

While there are many brands and types of ESD Wrist Strap Constant Monitor available in the market place, it is recommended to consider the following before buying the unit.

• Get a sample of the ESD Wrist Strap Constant Monitor from your nearby supplier

• Check its Technical Specification and analyze whether it both meets the ESD standard and your company expectations

• Perform functional test :
• Wear the ESD wrist strap and connected it to the ESD Wrist Strap Constant Monitor
• Check whether the light indicator illuminates when your wrist strap band firmly snug against your bare skin and the wrist strap cord is connected to the ESD Wrist Strap Constant Monitor
• Check whether the light indicator illuminates when you wear the wrist strap band over your ESD garment

• Without wearing the wrist strap and leave the wrist strap cord remains connected to the ESD Wrist Strap Constant Monitor
• Check whether the light indicator illuminates when your curl up the wrist strap cord

• Measure your body voltage by using a Charge Plate Monitor which is connected to a Graphical recorder or by using Prostat PGA 710 Auto Analysis system while wearing the wrist strap and remains connected to the ESD Wrist Strap Constant Monitor

• Check the reliability of the ESD Wrist Strap Constant Monitor whether it is a battery powered or AC powered unit

• Review the periodic testing and calibration requirements from the manufacturer of the ESD Wrist Strap Constant Monitor

A functional ESD Wrist Strap Constant Monitor is the unit where the light indicator illuminates only when the wrist strap band snug firmly against the wearer’s bare skin and with the wearer remains connected to the unit.

When you see the light indicator illuminates even without you wearing it or when you wear the wrist strap band over your glove or ESD garment, it is time for you to stop and think whether you should go ahead invest on the unit.

It is far better to remain checking the functionality of ESD wrist strap with the conventional ESD wrist strap checker than to invest on something that give you a faulty indication.

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One of the key areas that organizations need to look at is the Qualification process of the ESD materials and equipments.

It is at utmost importance to have the correct ESD materials and equipments used in the production lines to ensure the materials and equipments do not generate lots of static electricity which are harmful to the ESD sensitive parts.

To ensure the ESD materials and equipments are safe for production use, a Qualification process for materials and equipments must first be established. Secondly, correct and suitable ESD equipments must be purchased to help in performing the qualification of the materials and equipments.

The most important and basic esd equipment that would be needed in qualifying the ESD materials and equipment is the Surface resistance meter or Megohmmeter.

In the market places there are many brands and models of surface resistance meters that organizations can choose from. It is highly recommended choosing a surface resistance meter that can do the following measurements:
•Point to point resistance
•Resistance to ground
•Surface resistance and Surface resistivity
•Volume resistance
for both planar and irregular surfaces.

Some of the available surface resistance meter or Megohmmeter that can perform the above measurements in the market places are:
•Ohm-Stat RT1000 Megohmmeter from Static Solutions
•Monroe 272A Portable surface resistivity and resistance meter from Monroe
•Trek 152 Surface resistance meter from Trek

These models employed digital meter with setting at 10V/100V, two five pound electrodes, concentric ring electrode, and 2 point probe resistance meter as their accessories.

ESD measurements on the ESD materials and equipment must be carried out in compliance to ESD standard ANSI/ESD S20.20 and other supporting ESD standards listed in ANSI/ESD S20.20.

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The most basic static control or ESD equipment is the surface resistance test kit.

This surface resistance meter measures surface to ground resistance or RTG for most of the static control products used within any ESD protected area (EPA) such as anti-static work surface mats, ESD carts, ESD smocks, ESD shoes, ESD flooring and ESD chairs.

Some of the ESD equipments or Static equipments are:

•  Static meter

Static meter is used to measure voltage associated with electrostatic charges on the surface of an object. It is commonly measured at a fix distance e.g. at 1 inch distant away from the object. (In the range of 0 to 20kV)

•  Megohmmeter

Megohmmeter is a high resistance meter. It is commonly used to test the material surface resistance characteristic that includes ESD mat and ESD floor resistive characteristic.

• Charge Plate Monitor

Charge Plate monitor is commonly used to test ionization system.

•  Nano coulomb meter

Nano coulomb meter with Faraday cup is used to measure electrostatic charges on conductive, dissipative and insulative object.

•  Transmission line pulse (TLP) test equipment

Transmission Line Pulse (TLP) test equipment is used in the ICs industry.

It is a diagnostic tool used for engineering evaluation and development to improve the robustness of the ESD protective structures in ICs.

•  EM Aware ESD event monitor

EM Aware monitors provide information on location of ESD Events, their frequency and magnitude. EM Aware provides real-time audio and video indication of ESD Events. EM Aware monitors can be easily networked. Information can be tracked day-to-day.

•  EM Eye

EM Eye is a tool that can be used during ESD audits and surveys.

EM Eye is a versatile electromagnetic field meter that detects, measures, counts, finds and records ESD events. EM Eye is also good for EMI environment measurement and ground EMI measurement.