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Introduction
Published in L. Ashok Kumar, S. Albert Alexander, Computational Paradigm Techniques for Enhancing Electric Power Quality, 2018
L. Ashok Kumar, S. Albert Alexander
IEC 61000-4-2 addresses one of the most common forms of transients in electronic systems: Electro Static Discharge (ESD). ESD results from conditions that allow the buildup of electrical charge from contact and separation of two non-conductive materials.
Calibration of Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) Generator in Accordance with IEC61000-4-2: 2008 at SCL
Published in NCSLI Measure, 2018
H. W. Lai, Michael W. K. Chow, K. Y. Chan
All electrical and electronic equipment are subject to electrostatic discharge under an electromagnetic environment. Electrostatic charge, which builds up on a human being, can be coupled to these devices by direct human contact or indirect contact via metallic objects. Electrostatic discharge (ESD) is a tiny version of lightning which can damage electronic circuitries. An ESD generator, also known as an ESD gun or ESD simulator, is often used to test the immunity of devices to ESD under certain DC high voltage pulses, typically 8 kV. To improve the reproducibility of the measured results and to have valid traceability, periodic calibration of ESD generators are necessary. The requirements for calibrating an electrostatic discharge (ESD) generator are given in Annex B.4 of the International Standard IEC 61000-4-2 Edition 2.0 (2008–12) of electromagnetic compatibility [1] and in the literature [2]. The properties to be tested for the waveform of current discharge pulses and DC high voltage pulses under contact discharge mode are specified in the International Standard. By following the recommendations in IEC 61000-4-2, the Standards and Calibration Laboratory (SCL) has developed a series of technical procedures to test the required parameters. The measured data includes the first peak current, the rise time, and the current at 30 ns and 60 ns of the output current discharge waveform for contact discharge test. The waveform is obtained by an ESD target-attenuator-cable, which is a current to voltage transducer. Tests are usually conducted at both positive and negative output pulse voltages at 2 kV, 4 kV, 6 kV, and 8 kV. The open circuit DC voltage of the ESD generator before discharge for both contact and air discharge modes are also measured using electrostatic voltmeter. For the air discharge mode, the measured voltage is up to ±15 kV. The calibration is traceable to various reference standards maintained at SCL, including DC voltage, DC resistance, RF power, attenuation, and frequency standards. In this article, an ESD generator in the SCL (the unit under test, or UUT) is calibrated using the procedures described in this paper as a demonstration. The measurement results together with the corresponding uncertainties are presented. Section 2 provides general information for the calibration. The current discharge pulse test and the DC high voltage test are described in Sections 3 and 4, respectively. The preparation of instrument, the measurement setup, the measurement procedure, and the uncertainty evaluation are discussed in detail in both sections. Finally, a conclusion is provided.