A Portable Test Platform for Capturing ESD Induced Fields

As a first step in a survey of the ESD risk to mobile devices, a small, battery powered portable system that emulates a mobile device for the purpose of capturing its electrostatic discharge environment is described. The system contains multiple electric, magnetic field sensors as well as a current sensor to capture ESD events and their associated transient fields. Bandwidths of > 2 GHz are achieved. The system is connected via an analog optical fiber. It is intended to provide reference data of fields captured in controlled conditions in order to determine the type and voltage of ESD discharges with these data in the second step. This will provide a data base of the occurrence rate and severity of ESD discharges at customer side. Goal is to better base the selection of ESD test levels on actual ESD levels.