ESD Systems - Questions And Answers

I used a digital meter, a Fluke 8020A Multimeter for testing the surface resistivity. And I also measured conductance, in 200 nS scale. The conductance value was near zero (resistance-->infinite) [when measuring your static dissipative mats], why? - Anonymous, Argentina

You have some good questions. First, the correct ESD work surface is the colored side (Beige) in this case. Make sure the mat is properly connected to ground via a common point ground cord. Second, to make resistance readings above 1 megohm, typically we use megohmeters, resistance meters which measure ranges from 1x10^3 ohms to 1x10^12 ohms. A simple multi-meter will not suffice for this task. The surface resistance for this side should be in the 10^6 ohms range, (4x10^6 - 9x10^6) ohms. Discharge times for a conductive charged item to become 'charge neutral' typically takes less than 50 ms when grounded on an electrically grounded dissipative mat. The discharge time can decrease significantly when discharging the same item onto a conductive surface (<1x10^4 ohms). The threat of an ESD event is greatly increased for this case. Body movement is typically 500 ms and much greater then a discharge to a dissipative material, so there should be no ESD concerns when using dissipative materials less than 1x10^9 ohms. There is a white paper on discharge times located on our web site that might be of some help for you.

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