A Robust ESD Event Locator System With Event Characterization

By using a reverse Global Positioning System (GPS) concept, we have constructed an automatic system with four receivers to locate ESD events with a spatial resolution of 1cm x lcm x 1cm. We have deployed the system, in an unattended mode, in a prototype manufacturing facility and recorded ESD event locations with corresponding occurrence date and time. In addition to the capability of visualizing invisible ESD events, the system can determine their arc strengths and azimuthal orientations. The accumulation of data in environments such as manufacturing facilities, offices or houses can provide much needed environmental stress information about ESD for use in the prediction of product reliability.