Characteristic study on an ESD suppressor by the FDTD method

The FDTD method was used to study the characteristics of an ESD suppressor filled with air, neon, argon, and helium. Obtained capacitance of the ESD suppressor filled with air was validated by measurement data and TDMM simulations. No large differences are found among the obtained capacitances for the ESD suppressor filled with air, neon, argon, and helium. But the ESD suppressor filled with air has a much higher trigger and clamping voltage than the ESD suppressor filled with neon, argon, or helium. The calculated capacitances are presented for different conditions. The ESD currents, charges, and electric fields are also presented.