EXPERIMENTAL STUDY AND SIMULATION OF ELECTROSTATIC DISCHARGE (ESD) IN PCB

Abstract

In electronic circuits, printed circuit boards (PCB) are ideal media for the propagation of disturbances of electrostatic discharge (ESD), and they act as antennas. It's therefore important to take account the electromagnetic compatibility for the design of the electronic circuits. This work demonstrates a simple experimental setup compared with simulation to measure ESD-induced voltage to trace on a printed circuit board when ESD current is injected directly onto a nearby electronic trace using ESD generator qualification of the equipment according to IEC 61000-4-2, and presents how the induced voltage can be affected by the physical structure of the PCB. The correlation between ESD-induced voltage and the method of connecting the PCB shall be discussed, as well as how the electronic trace spacing increase or decrease an ESD disturbance. These experimental results may provide guidance for a better design for ESD immunity.