AES.5 ESD control program

AES.5.1 General

AES.5.1.1 ESD control program requirements

An ESD control program, that has been established using the technical limits required by this standard, will minimize ESD related damage to devices that have an ESD sensitivity greater than or equal to 100 V HBM as determined through testing using IEC 60749-26. The program shall include both administrative and technical requirements as described in this standard.

The organization shall establish, document, implement, maintain and verify the compliance of the program in accordance with the requirements of this standard.

AES.5.1.2 ESD coordinator

A person shall be assigned by the organization with the responsibility for implementing the requirements of this standard including establishing, documenting, maintaining and verifying the compliance of the program.

AES.5.1.3 Tailoring

This standard, or portions of it, may not apply to all applications. Tailoring is accomplished by evaluating the applicability of each requirement for the specific application. Upon completion of the evaluation, requirements may be added, modified or deleted. Tailoring decisions, including rationale and technical justification, shall be documented.

AES.5.2 ESD control program administrative requirements

AES.5.2.1 ESD control program plan

The organization shall prepare an ESD control program plan that addresses each of the requirements of the program. Those requirements concern

– training,

– compliance verification,

– grounding/bonding systems,

– personnel grounding,

– EPA requirements,

– packaging systems,

– marking.

The plan is the principal document for implementing and verifying the program. The goal is a fully implemented and integrated program that conforms to internal quality system requirements. The plan shall apply to all applicable facets of the organization’s work.

AES.5.2.2 Training plan

The training plan shall define all personnel that are required to have ESD awareness and prevention training. At a minimum, initial and recurrent ESD awareness and prevention training shall be provided to all personnel who handle or otherwise come into contact with any ESDS items. Initial training shall be provided before personnel handle ESD sensitive devices.

The type and frequency of ESD training for personnel shall be defined in the training plan.  The training plan shall include a requirement for maintaining employee training records and shall document where the records are stored. Training methods and the use of specific techniques are at the organization’s discretion. The training plan shall include methods used by the organization to ensure trainee comprehension and training adequacy.

AES.5.2.3 Compliance verification plan

A compliance verification plan shall be established to ensure the organization’s fulfilment of the requirements of the plan. Process monitoring (measurements) shall be conducted in accordance with a compliance verification plan that identifies the technical requirements to be verified, the measurement limits and the frequency at which those verifications must occur.

The compliance verification plan must document the test methods used for process monitoring and measurements. If the organization uses test methods that differ from the standards referenced in this standard, the organization must be able to show that the results achieved correlate with the referenced standards. Compliance verification records shall be established and maintained to provide evidence of conformity to the technical requirements.

The test equipment selected shall be capable of making the measurements defined in the compliance verification plan.

AES.5.3 ESD control program plan technical requirements

The following subclauses describe the essential technical requirements used in the development of an ESD control program.

The required limits are based on the test methods or standards listed in each table of this subclause. The compliance verification plan must document the methods used to verify the limits. These procedures may or may not be based on the test methods in each table. Test methods and corresponding limits used by the organization that differ from the test methods or references in Tables 1 through 4 shall be documented with a technical justification that supports their use.

Some of the technical elements listed in Tables 1 through 4 do not have a defined lower resistance limit. However, a minimum resistance value may be required for safety reasons.

See relevant national requirements and/or IEC 61010-1, IEC/TS 60479-1, IEC/TS 60479-2, IEC 61140 and IEC 60364 series.