Electrostatic protected area (EPA)

“EPA” is the abbreviation for electrostatic protected area.

An EPA (Electrostatic Protected Area) is a static-safe handling area where static-sensitive electronic components are handled, requiring special ESD protection. An example on an EPA could be a bench, a room or any other designated area and should not have and ‘static field’ greater than 100v maximum.

Electronics manufacturing and handling facilities have designated EPAs, where static-control measures are in place and stringently enforced – including the use of special ESD footwear – following protocols outlined in ANSI/ESD S20.20.

Electrostatic discharge (ESD)

“ESD” is the abbreviation for electrostatic discharge.

Electrostatic discharge (ESD) is an uncontrolled surge of “static” between objects with different potentials. It is the rapid, spontaneous transfer of electrostatic charge induced by a high electrostatic field. Details of such processes, such as the rate of the charge transfer, are described in specific electrostatic discharge models. ESD events occur when people walk across various forms of flooring, then touch or approach static-sensitive components or devices.

 

Electric charge

An electric charge is an absence or excess of electrons.

Dissipative materials

Dissipative materials is a material that has a surface resistance greater than or equal to 1 x 10E4 ohms but less than 1 x 10E11 ohms or a volume greater than or equal to 1 x 10E4 ohms but less than 1 x 10E11 ohms.

Dissipative floor material

Dissipative floor material is a floor material that has a resistance to ground between 1.0 x 10^(6) and 1.0 x 10^(9) ohms. An example of a dissipative floor is our ESD permanent floor tiles.

Discharge time

The discharge time is the time necessary for the voltage (due to electrostatic charge) to decay from an initial value to some arbitrarily chosen final value.

Discharge current

A discharge current is the current produced by causing a stored charge to flow out of a component into a conductor from an ESD simulator.

Dielectric strength

Dielectric strength is the maximum electric field that a dielectric can sustain.

Dielectric

Dielectric is an insulating material that can sustain an electric field with little current flow.

Conductor

A conductor is a material with low electrical resistance that will effectively attract and transport an electrical charge to ground.

Examples of conductors are carbon, copper, aluminium and water. Practical examples of conductors are a lightning rod and a copper wire.