Questions And Answers

ESD is the abbreviation for ElectroStatic Discharge.

When surfaces contact and separate ElectroStatic charges are generated; static electricity is at rest. The problem is that the charge can discharge which literally is a miniature lightning bolt. The heat from an ElectroStatic Discharge from conductors or charged insulators can cause melting and evaporation of fine tracks on integrated circuit chips.

From ESD Association Glossary ESD ADV1.0 Electrostatic Discharge (ESD): “The rapid, spontaneous transfer of electrostatic charge induced by a high electrostatic field . Note: Usually, the charge flows through a spark between two bodies at different electrostatic potentials as they approach one another. Details of such processes, such as the rate of the charge transfer, are described in specific electrostatic discharge models.”