Why chips fail: electrostatic discharge

Electrostatic discharge (ESD) is becoming increasingly important to electronics as devices become smaller and smaller. It may be the culprit in failure many more times than realized, for it can occur at many stages in the progression from device fabrication to finished equipment assembly and shipping. Many engineers, technicians, and assembly workers are almost completely ignorant of ESD and its threat to the equipment they design and build. The author reviews the subject of ESD, its cause, its effects, and the measures used to combat it.<>