Monitoring and controlling electrostatic discharge or ESD is an important function in electronics manufacturing, since uncontrolled discharge may seriously damage ESD-sensitive components. Damage often occurs at a microscopic level, such that the actual damage to a component may only be discovered in testing after manufacture, or after premature failure experienced by an end user.
Various ESD monitoring devices and ESD protection devices are available to help manage the risk of ESD during manufacturing and assembly of sensitive electronic components and devices. For example, an ESD monitoring device may monitor environmental conditions such as temperature and humidity, and may trigger an alarm if these conditions fall outside a preferred operating range. An ESD protection device may include, for example, an ESD safe mat for neutralizing static charge on the table of an electronics assembly station. Another example of an ESD protection device is an ESD floor mat or flooring that may be used for electrically grounding an operator that may touch sensitive electronic components and devices during assembly.
In order to ensure that the ESD monitoring and protection devices within an electronics manufacturing or assembly facility are functioning properly, it is desirable to test them at regular intervals using ESD device testers. A device tester commonly used for this purpose is a megohmmeter that may be used to measure the resistance of an ESD monitoring or protection device. The resistance measured by the megohmmeter may provide an indication of the potential of an ESD monitoring or protection device to prevent ESD.
Presently, to test these various ESD monitoring and protection devices, an ESD specialist typically sets the megohmmeter to take a resistance measurement for an ESD monitoring or protection device, obtains a resistance measurement, and logs the measurement on a log sheet. This is repeated for each and every device. While functional, this approach can become tedious and cumbersome when many devices must be tested at a facility.
What are needed are systems and methods for more efficiently testing and obtaining measurements for ESD monitoring or protection devices.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds