2010 Volume E93.B Issue 7 Pages 1797-1800
Electrostatic discharge (ESD) events due to metal objects electrified with low voltages give a fatal electromagnetic interference to high-tech information equipment. In order to elucidate the mechanism, with a 6-GHz digital oscilloscope, we previously measured the discharge current due to collision of a hand-held metal piece from a charged human body, and gave a current calculation model. In this study, based on the calculation model, a method was presented for deriving a gap potential gradient from the measured discharge current. Measurements of the discharge currents were made for charge voltages from 200V to 1000V. The corresponding potential gradients were estimated, which were validated in comparison with an empirical formula based on the Paschen's law together with other researcher's experimental results.
