Certification

EOS/ESD Association, Inc. Professional Program Manager

Certification Overview

EOS/ESD Association, Inc. offers a professional certification for ESD control program managers. This program is intended for individuals who are involved in designing, implementing, managing, and auditing ESD control programs in their facilities.

To enroll in this program, there is an official registration filing fee of $50.00, an exam fee of $60 and a Bundle price of $5,000 for all courses.

Professionals share credentials online in today’s digital world. Paper certificates do not afford the same benefit. EOS/ESD Association, Inc. is using Credly™ to provide our certified Program Managers with digital badge credentials that complement the current certificates and cards administered annually upon certification renewal.

Benefits

You stayed competitive and demonstrated skill now show it off.
Your free Program manager certification digital badge provides a way for you to show your verified knowledge and expertise.
Traditional forms of professional recognition, namely paper certificates, are not the best way to communicate your earned credentials.
Digital credentials (badges) act as a way to recognize professional achievements.
A digital badge allows earners to share with whomever they choose on social networks, e-mail signatures, and websites.

Benefits

Individuals

Demonstrates knowledge, experience, and competency.
Encourages self-development and continuing education.
A check mark in the "plus" column in performance reviews, career advancement, and new employment opportunities.

Employers & Industry

Helps raise the overall competency level of the entire ESD control field.
Provides a means to assess the qualifications of personnel hired to work in static control.
Helps assure that the industry has properly trained and  qualified personnel helping solve ESD control problems.
Helps prepare companies for ISO 9000 audits if professional certification is part of a company's formal program.
Improves seller-buyer relationships through better communication with fewer misunderstandings.

Requirements & Cost

Enrollment and Fees

To enroll in this program, there is an official registration filing fee of $50.00, an exam fee of $60 and a Bundle price of $5,000 for all courses.
Complete Prerequisite Courses

The courses are listed in the next section 'Courses'. To view course abstracts please visit https://www.esda.org/training-and-education/esda-tutorials/
Pass An In-Depth Examination

The examination is held annually during Symposium week. The examination consists of multiple choice and essay questions. The essay portion of the exam will be graded by two individuals. The examination is open book. You may bring any reference materials, including, but not limited to, books, standards, and tutorial notes. You may also bring a calculator and computer. No cell phones, internet connections or sharing of reference materials is allowed.
The examination is also administered online. Please contact us for more information/availability.
Note: If passing criteria is not met for one or more sections, you will need to attend the applicable tutorials before retaking the exam.
How do I pay?

Purchase options for your organization:
Issue a Corporate PO, receive Invoice from EOS/ESD Association, Inc., execute payment
Individual Pay-complete personal purchase, receive receipt, request invoice from EOS/ESD Association, Inc., submit to company for reimbursement
Bundle PO or Invoice - Bundle multiple items for a corporate PO or purchase. Ask EOS/ESD Association, Inc. for an invoice form multiple attendees, memberships, standards, any of our products or service to process one time inside your company

Courses

Title	Runtime	Abstract	Learning Outcome
FC100: ESD Basics for the Program Manager	5 Hours 30 Minutes	This tutorial provides the foundation material for understanding electrostatics and ESD and the role in the manufacturing and handling of ESD sensitive devices. The fundamental properties of charge, electric fields, voltage, capacitance, and current are discussed to understand key electrostatic phenomena and electrical processes. These include charge generation and decay, material properties, and induction. An overview of device failure mechanisms is presented, including how these models impact ESD control programs. Finally, the course provides an overview of ESD control procedures during handling and manufacturing and an overview of ANSI/ESD S20.20 program requirements. This full-day course is required for those in-plant auditors and program managers working toward professional ESD certification. The presentation includes many in-class demonstrations, videos, and animated slides. Some sample topics covered in this course are: • Definitions and relationships among important electrical and mechanical properties • Causes of charge generation and decay • Field effects and voltages • Role of capacitance in ESD (Q=CV) • Overview of key measurements including common pitfalls of some measurements • Review of ESD failure models • Understanding and demonstrating electrostatic induction • Utility and limitations of air ionization • Basic goals of ESD controls • Properties of effective ESD control products and materials • Overview of ANSI/ESD S20.20 ESD program development requirements	Attendees will: • Understand fundamental concepts necessary to manage an ESD Program. o Charge Generation o Charge Flow in Materials o Electrostatic Fields and Voltages o Static Induction • Learn about ESD models, test methods and failure modes • Understand important material properties for CDM mitigation • Learn the fundamental elements of an S20.20 program • Discover effective techniques for demonstrating a wide range of ESD fundamentals.
FC101: How To's of In-Plant ESD Auditing (or Survey) and Evaluation Measurements	5 Hours 30 Minutes	Compliance verification is one of the most important ESD program management elements, and many technical and administrative pitfalls can be avoided. The attendee will learn how to make valid auditing measurements per ESD TR53™ – Compliance Verification of ESD Protective Equipment and Materials and how to recognize and avoid common pitfalls. Common instruments will be explained, and the invalid test results that can result when used incorrectly. Advanced auditing techniques will also be covered that enable Class 0 devices to be handled successfully. There are many ways to administer effective compliance verification programs. Two successful examples will be presented that were developed independently by different companies. Hidden administrative pitfalls that often result in poor compliance will also be discussed. This tutorial will be highly interactive with live demonstrations, in-plant photographs, and compelling video clips. Students will be encouraged to ask questions and to participate in the discussions.	Attendees will be able to: • Make and correctly interpret essential auditing measurements for ESD programs. • Avoid common measurement pitfalls and program administrative oversights. • Develop real-world solutions from the review of successful case studies and class discussions
FC110: Cleanroom Considerations for the Program Manager	2 Hours 15 Minutes	Cleanrooms and clean environments are enabling technologies required for the manufacturing of many products that have exacting contamination control requirements to achieve defined yield and reliability targets. Clean man-ufacturing is required in the semiconductor, hard disk drive, flat panel display, and pharmaceutical industries, to name a few. Requirements of cleanroom and clean environments, and tooling therein, result in low humidity levels, low surface contamination levels, use of process-required insulators, and a lack of naturally occurring ions in the controlled environment. These factors can contribute to the generation of elevated static charge levels in close proximity to static sensitive products, presenting both a contamination and electrostatic discharge exposure.	The attendees will come away with a detailed understanding of the function of modern cleanrooms and clean environments and the ability to comprehend airborne particle performance standards and levels. Attendees will learn of the significant impact of electrostatic attraction on airborne particles and surface contamination. Finally, attendees will be instructed on cleanroom static charge generation challenges and come away with proven control methodologies that can be applied in real life scenarios.
FC120: Ionization Issues and Answers for the Program Manager	2 Hours 5 Minutes	The primary static charge control method is direct connection to ground for conductors, static dissipative materials, and personnel. Air ionization is also part of a static control program to handle issues of isolated conductors and in-sulating materials. This seminar is a basic course on ionizers, introduction to use and application information. It examines common problems caused by static charge and the need for ionizers in a static control program. Types of ionizers, their use environments, and performance test methods using Ionization Standards will be demonstrated. Installation, safety, maintenance, and contamination issues will be presented. Finally, case histories will be ana-lyzed illustrating the use of ionizers in a variety of work environments.	Attendees will be able to identify when ionization is needed, understand the pros and cons of different ionization technology types, and learn the methods needed to demonstrate the selected ionization system is adequately addressing the static charging issue.
FC140: System Level for the Program Manager	1 Hour	This tutorial is intended to help those tasked with testing products to IEC and other system-level ESD standards by providing detailed information on IEC 61000-4-2, the most widely used standard, and highlighting the harmonization and differences among IEC, ANSI, Telcordia, and some automotive ESD standards. We will answer common questions regarding test set-ups, test points, and procedures, and address key issues, including 1) Differences between “verification” and “calibration” and when is each required; the influence of ESDA WG14 technical report (TR) on IEC and how it affects the calibration and verification procedures. 2) Test set-up requirements, the test environment, ground connections, and return paths and ground plane effects. 3) Testing procedures with a demonstration on actual products, how the tester affects test results, and problems with test result variations due to simulator influences. 4) What points need to be tested and why, guidance on determining “operator accessible” points and ports, exempted points and ports, and what to do around connectors and connector pins. 5) ANSI and other ESD standards, the drive toward harmonization with IEC, why standards will probably never be the same as IEC, and the scope of different standards. This system-level ESD tutorial will cover several facets of ESD as applied to electronic systems.	The attendee will be able to determine which standards should be used for device testing and which should be used for system testing. They will understand the key differences between the tests.
FC200: Packaging Principles for the Program Manager	1 Hour 22 Minutes	Shipping electronic parts within a factory to another factory, distributor, or an end-user has always been an area of uncertainty within the manufacturing process. To provide clear-cut information on what type of controlled packaging should be used in any situation, EOS/ESD Association, Inc. released a comprehensive revision of the obsolete industry standard EIA 541-1988. The newer document, ANSI/ESD S541, is the focus of this inclusive session. It provides information and guidance, and material specifications to design and implement a packaging plan for an ANSI/ESD S20.20 based ESD control program. Current and newly released test method standards suitable for packaging material evaluation are described. Previous attendance at the "FC100: ESD Basics" and "FC101: How To's" tutorials is highly recommended.	Attendees will be able to develop a packaging plan for their facility, based on ANSI/ESD S541, that will meet the requirements of ANSI/ESD S20.20. Students will understand the measurement methods for packaging materials and how to apply them in the selection of packaging materials.
FC210: ESD Standards Overview for the Program Manager	1 Hour 50 Minutes	Many of the ESDA standards and standard test methods are discussed in depth in the individual tutorials related to the specific subject matter. This tutorial provides an overview of all the standards, grouped into common test types, based on measurement probe and test instruments. A common methodology is used in this tutorial to cover the requirements, applications, and specifications for each standard and standard test method.	Attendees will be exposed to all the EOS/ESD Association, Inc. standards. Understanding the standards, standard test methods, standard practices, advisories, and technical reports is essential in the development of any ESD control program plan.
FC220: Device Technology and Failure Analysis Overview for the Program Manager	1 Hour 33 Minutes	This tutorial provides the student an overview of integrated circuit (IC) device technology and specific aspects of IC pin and chip ESD protection techniques. It also describes IC component and system level ESD models and their test methods and related ESDA and IEC standards describing these test methods. With this, Failure Analysis (FA) techniques are described which first go into how devices fail for ESD and EOS and then the failure analysis tools used to identify physical damage. Also, electrical overstress (EOS), Absolute Maximum Rating (AMR) and Electrically Induced Physical Damage (EIPD) is defined and referenced, with concepts relating these terms and how they apply to failure modes and failure analysis. This class does not consider the depth necessary to equip the student to be an ESD Protection Designer or an ESD Failure Analysis Engineer. It does familiarize the student with the terms and concepts of ESD protection and FA to allow the student to interact and understand the work being done by the Designer or Failure Analyst. After completing this tutorial, the student should understand the basics of device ESD protection design and some of the trade-offs inherent in that process. The student should also be familiar with the most commonly used failure analysis techniques and tools to identify the root cause of an ESD failure. The topics covered include the most common IC ESD models: HBM, CDM; characteristics of ideal ESD protection; ESD failure analysis schemes; key characteristics of real ESD protection; failure analysis flow; and failure analysis tools and application to locate ESD damage as well as other EIPD damage types	The learning outcomes from this FC220 course include: • The student should understand the basics of IC chipmaking technology, aspects of device ESD protection design and some of the trade-offs inherent in that process. • The student should also become conversant with IC component (HBM and CDM) ESD models, their test methods and the referenced ESD standards for those methods. • The student will also be able to identify common IC damage characteristics of the above ESD models • The student will understand common diagnosis and failure analysis techniques used to identify characteristics of overstress damage, and how they are associated most commonly used failure analysis techniques and tools to identify the root cause of an ESD failure. • The student will learn the industry definitions of, and relationship between electrical overstress (EOS) and absolute maximum rating (AMR), and understand the term EIPD (electrically induced physical damage) which is a physical damage identification from the failure analysis process for which the root cause has not yet been determined. • The student will learn EIPD can result from a number of root causes and that true root cause identification of damage takes investigation including failure analysis and working together with all parties involved to identify the source of damage.
DD/FC 380: Electrostatic Calculations for the Program Manager	3 Hours 26 Minutes	This tutorial focuses on the basic calculations and techniques of use to the program manager and the ESD engineer. The content is at the introductory college pre-calculus and introductory college physics level set in the context of electrostatic discharge and its effects. It is suggested that the student gain some familiarity with these subjects before the tutorial. Topics covered include the electric force, the electric field and Coulombs law, electric potential, and voltage. Gauss’s Law is discussed related to the electric field, induction, and the Faraday cup. The capacitance in Q = CV is used to explain charge sharing. RC decay is discussed related to ESD discharge from humans, devices, wrist straps, and materials. After completing this course, the attendee should leave with a proper understanding of the differences among the calculations for peak current, power, energy, and threshold voltage for a simple device.	After taking this tutorial the student will have the skills to understand theoretically how electrostatic quantities are calculated with respect to simple devices and how humans interact with them. Anyone who needs certification in the area of ESD mitigation, ESD program management or ESD factory control will uses concepts in this course to be able to calculate quantities related to electric field, capacitance, volume and sheet resistance, decay time, energy and failure thresholds for popular standards such as Human Body Model (HBM) and Charge Device Model (CDM).
FC340: ESD Program Development & Assessment (ANSI/ESD S20.20 Seminar)	10 Hours	This seminar provides instruction on designing and implementing an ESD control program based on ANSI/ESD S20.20. The course provides participants with the tools and techniques to prepare for an ESD facility audit. This two-day course is an ESDA certification requirement for in-plant auditors and program managers working toward professional ESD certification. The following topics are covered in this course: • Overview of ANSI/ESD S20.20 • How to approach an assessment • Administrative elements • ESD program assessment • ESD program techniques for different applications • Technical elements • Overview of the assessment process • The audit checklist and follow-up questions It is recommended that the ESD Program Development and Assessment (ANSI S20.20) be taken after the certification candidate has taken most of the other program manager-related courses.	Attendees should be able to design, implement, and maintain an effective ESD control program after completing all the Program Manager-related courses. The preference is for students to attend this tutorial last in the Program Manager course sequence when possible. After completing the course curriculum, the attendees should be able to develop an ESD control program plan that fits their company needs and meets industry standards.

Continuing Education & Renewal

Certification Overview

Benefits

Individuals

Employers & Industry

What People Have to Say About This Certification