ESD Protection

What is ESD?

Protection against electrostatic discharges (ESD) is part of EMC Immunity (Electro Magnetic Compatibility) requirements. It is the ability for equipment to properly operate in its electromagnetic environment by limiting the reception of electromagnetic energy that may cause physical damage. ESD can be either conducted under the form of a transient voltage or can be radiated due to its fast rising time: powerful harmonics will generate erratic behavior by the application by coupling with other signals. Printed circuit boards must be protected against the effects of electrostatic discharge.

As the safe operating area of today's CMOS processes becomes narrower, they are increasingly sensitive to ESD. Silicon manufacturers commonly use the human-body model (HBM) characterize ESD susceptibility in a controlled environment, however it is much higher in the real world at system level. Therefore, IOs and power rails in real-world applications need external ESD protections rated as per IEC 61000-4-2 and IEC61000-4-5 specifications.

ST’s ESD protection portfolio

To ensure that your applications meet the most stringent requirements for the latest applications, ST’s ESD protection devices comply with IEC 61000-4-2 Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) standards. Specifically tailored for automotive applications, our portfolio ensures high efficiency with low clamping voltage, reliability with low leakage current and signal integrity with ultra-low capacitance and ultra-wide bandwidth.

ST’s ESD protection portfolio includes:

• General-purpose ESD protection
• Low capacitance (< 1 pF) ESD protection
• Automotive ESD protection

To help you find the best ESD protection solution for your designs, ST offers several tools:

• Online TVS smart selector helps designers select the right TVS for their application with just a few clicks. Only two application parameters are necessary for device selection.
• Protection finder mobile app lets you to explore the ST TVS portfolio using portable devices. You can easily define the device that best fits your application using the parametric or series search engine.

Compliance with ESD protection standards

To protect electrical or electronic parts, assemblies, and equipment susceptible to ESD damage, external ESD protection devices must observe two main items in order to comply with national and international regulations and safety standards:

• Transparency: the external ESD protection device must not impact system performance including operating voltage, bandwidth and power consumption.
• Efficiency: the external ESD protection device must protect the circuit against system-level ESD events by clamping the ESD surge transients.

Compliance with the most stringent ESD requirements

To ensure compliance with the most stringent requirements, ST’s ESD protection devices combine:

• Protection efficiency with low clamping voltage (V_CL)
• Protection transparency with low leakage current (I_RM)
• Signal integrity with ultra-low capacitance and ultra-wide bandwidth

Standard packaging options are available as well as advanced options which include single- and multiple-line, compact, flat, and flow-through versions to optimize space constraints.

They guarantee quality and service performance thanks to ST’s high-volume production capacity, integrated front-end and multiple back-end lines, as well as our partnerships with major players in the semiconductor industry.