Charged Device Model ESD Sensitivity Tester Design and Application

This article develops an electrostatic device (ESD) tester with particularly high sensitivity for the charged device model (CDM) by incorporating empirical equivalent circuit (EC) parameters. The tester is implemented by using software and hardware systems based on the STM32 microcontroller. The tester feasibility study involves circuit theoretical analysis and simulation enabling to investigate the influence of EC parameters on the discharge signal waveform. High-precision and automated ESD sensitivity are used to develop the proposed testing system. As proof of concept, various common electronic components are tested. The performed experiment reveals that the CDM discharge signal is influenced not only by the device under test (DUT)’s capacitance but also by the packaging structure and pins for different functions. The explored measurement results highlight the importance of considering different pins for electronic device ESD protection measures. The present study is industrially useful in enhancing ESD immunity during the design of electronic devices or chips by considering their circuit connections.