EOS/ESD ASSOCIATION, INC. NOV/DEC 2025 VOLUME 42, NO 6 THRESHOLD™ SETTING THE GLOBAL STANDARDS FOR STATIC CONTROL! 1 IN THIS ISSUE: Letter From The President - #2 Message From Our Senior Executive Director - #3-4 ESDA Events Schedule - #5-6 Emerging Professionals Tech Talk #7 47th Annual EOS/ESD Symposium & Exhibits #8-17 Academia Spotlight #18-20 Press Release #21 ESD External Article - #22-36 Connect With Us On LinkedIn - #37 Tech Questions - #38 Services/Advertisements - #39-43 Entertainment Center - #44-46 Would You Like To Publish Something in Threshold? - #47
THRESHOLD™ NOV/DEC 2025 ACL Staticide 840 W. 49th Place, Chicago, IL 60609 Tel: 847-981-9212 Fax: 847-981-9278 info@aclstaticide.com • www.aclstaticide.com Manufacturer of anti-static topicals, dissipative coatings for plastic and floors, ESD workstation products including meters. ISO 9001:2008 certified QS CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENTS PO Box 779, Amherst, NH 03031 Tel:973-920-7000 Fax:603-672-3028 www.cemag.us web_ce@viconmedia.com Leading source of digital and print information on contamination prevention, detection, and control for cleanrooms and critical environments From the President EOS/ESD Association, Inc, President Nathaniel Peachey 2 Dear Friends of the ESDA, As I close out my second year as the President of EOS/ESD Association, Inc., it is time for both a bit of reflection as well as reaffirming our vision for the future. I started this journey as President by forming a team to help us with visioning and re-imagining. Looking back, the ESD Association has gone through significant change in the decade or so previous, and it was time to think about who we had become and who we wanted to be moving forward. We settled on answers to “why do we do what we do?” that included building a network of experts to address the pressing issues of reliability in general and EOS/ESD mitigation in particular for the industry at large. We build excellence by collaborating and partnering to serve the electronics industry. Those of us who work in for-profit companies are continually driving innovation to beat the competition. What drives us is the fear of losing in the marketplace. However, for the ESDA, we only have networks and collaborators; we do not have competitors. What drives us is serving the industry, not beating the competition. While this does not mean that we are naïve, it does mean that the ESDA will continue to focus on activities that will maintain its vitality in the electronics industry. While defining our mission and vision statements is critical, implementing these in the processes and systems of the ESDA is even more important. This will be the particular focus for the coming year. The passion and energy that has driven the re-imagining of the ESDA for the last 2 years will need to be directed into a review of what we do and how we do it. In many ways, this is the much more difficult work. It certainly will take more time. This is the work of taking the lofty mission statements and comparing our processes, procedures, and policies with what they should be if they are to reflect our core mission and vision. To achieve this, there will need to be a commitment to accountability within the EXCOM and Operations teams that tolerates critical analyses. For such accountability to be effective, it must be coupled with vulnerability by each of the team members, which will allow them to hear constructive criticism. But predicating such vulnerability is the development of trust within the entire team. During the last 2 years, we have wrestled with the practicalities of developing such trust, accountability, and vulnerability. My commitment to all of you is to continue this journey towards a full incarnation of our mission and vision and to see this continue transforming our corporate culture until we truly do what we say. Warm regards, Nate Nate Peachey President of EOS/ESD Association Inc.
Transforming Technologies, LLC 3719 King Road, Toledo, OH 43617 Tel: 419-841-9552 • Fax: 419-841-3241 Email: info@transforming-technologies.com www.transforming-technologies.com Transforming Technologies provides unique and outstanding products to detect, protect, eliminate, and monitor electrostatic charges. IEST - Institute of Environmental Sciences and Technology 2340 S. Arlington Heights Road, Suite 100, Arlington Heights IL 60005 Tel: 847-981-0100 • Email: information@iest.com • www.iest.com As secretariat of ISO/TC 209, IEST offers ISO 14644 and ISO 14698 standards, as well as peer-approved standardized procedures, IEST Recommended Practices. 3 Executive Perspective: Strong Engagement at the EOS/ESD Symposium in Riverside, CA EOS/ESD Association , Inc., Sr. Executive Director Lisa Pimpinella From Our Senior Executive Director Last month’s EOS/ESD Symposium in Riverside, California was a powerful reminder of the strength of our professional community and the value of coming together to share knowledge, exchange ideas, and advance our field. From the opening sessions to the closing discussions, participation was strong. Attendance across technical sessions, workshops, and tutorials was consistent, reflecting both the relevance of the topics presented and the commitment of our community to staying at the forefront of EOS/ESD control and mitigation. More importantly, the level of interaction within those sessions was exceptional. Presenters and attendees alike engaged in thoughtful dialogue, asked challenging questions, and openly shared experiences from their own organizations. This active participation not only enriched the sessions themselves but also underscored the Symposium’s role as a true collaborative forum. Inspiring Keynotes to Set the Tone The Symposium opened with keynote addresses that immediately set an optimistic and forward-looking tone. Speakers highlighted the critical role of ESD control in enabling next-generation technologies, from advanced semiconductors and 5G to electric vehicles and AI-driven systems. Attendees were encouraged to think not only about today’s technical challenges, but also about the broader responsibility of our industry in building reliability, safety, and trust into the technologies that power modern life. One keynote emphasized the importance of cross-industry collaboration—reminding us that solving tomorrow’s challenges requires leveraging expertise from across the supply chain, from materials and device design to systems integration. Another keynote underscored the need for continuous investment in both research and workforce development, ensuring that the ESD community has the knowledge, skills, and tools necessary to keep pace with rapid technological change. These messages resonated deeply with participants and framed the discussions that unfolded throughout the week. Engagement Beyond the Sessions Equally important were the hallway conversations, networking events, and committee meetings where ideas flowed freely. It was clear that our community values not just formal presentations, but also the informal opportunities to connect, learn, and collaborate. This energy reinforced the Symposium’s unique role as both a technical forum and a community hub. THRESHOLD™ NOV/DEC 2025
ESDEMC Technology, LLC 4000 Enterprise Dr., Suite 103, Rolla, MO 65401 Tel: 573-202-6411 • Fax: 877-641-9358 www.esdemc.com ESDEMC Technology designs, manufactures, and markets ESD/EMC related products and consulting services. Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. 200 Research Drive, Wilmington, MA 01887 Tel: 978-275-0800 • Fax: 978-275-0850 www.thermoscientific.com Leading manufacturer of semiconductor test equipment for the simulation of Electro Static Discharge (ESD), Latch-up, and TLP events. All the best, Lisa Lisa Pimpinella Sr. Executive Director EOS/ESD Association, Inc. Looking Ahead As we look ahead, the energy and enthusiasm demonstrated in Riverside set a strong foundation for our continued work together. The Symposium affirmed that our collective efforts—driven by curiosity, expertise, and collaboration—are vital to addressing the evolving challenges in electrostatic discharge and electrical overstress. I want to thank all who contributed to making this year’s Symposium such a success: our speakers, volunteers, and most importantly, our attendees. Your engagement is what makes the EOS/ESD Symposium not only an event but an experience that advances our shared mission. Together, we will continue to build on this momentum as we prepare for the next chapter of innovation and collaboration in our field. 4 THRESHOLD™ NOV/DEC 2025
RMV Technology Group, LLC, A NASA INDUSTRY PARTNER NASA Ames Research Center, Space Portal, Moffett Field, CA 94035 www.esdrmv.com and www.esdaerospacetraining.org Internationally Accredited ESD Product Qualification Laboratory The Exclusive iNARTE® Certified Space & Defense ESD Engineer Training Center 650-964-4792 or renee@esdrmv.com Proline 10 Avco Rd., Haverhill, MA 01835 Tel: 800-739-9067 Fax: 978-374-4885 www.1proline.com E-mail: Bench@1proline.com Manufactures ESD modular and ergonomic work benches Upcoming Events 5 November 4, 2025 Tech Talk: Mastering ESD Compliance: A Step-by-Step Guide to Crafting Your ESD Control Plan Virtual https://www.esda.org/events/tech-talk-mastering-esd-compliance-a-step-by-stepguide-to-crafting-your-esd-control-plan/ EOS/ESD SYMPOSIUM 2026 CALL FOR PAPERS Abstract submission due February 6, 2026 https://www.esda.org/assets/2026-Call-for-papersv2.pdf March 13-15, 2026 ESD Compliance Verification Technician to TR53® Plaza Hotel, Las Vegas, NV https://www.esda.org/store/product/134/tr53-registration-2026/ March 16-22, 2026 Standards and Committee Meeting Series Plaza Hotel, Las Vegas, NV https://www.esda.org/events/eosesd-association-inc-meeting-series-1-2-3-4-5-6-78-9-10-11-12-13/ March 25-28, 2026 Process Assessment Engineer Certification EOS/ESD Association, Inc., Rome, NY https://www.esda.org/store/product/190/esd-process-assessment-engineercertification-pae-march-25-28-2026/ May 13-15, 2026 ESD Compliance Verification Technician to TR53® EOS/ESD Association, Inc., Rome, NY https://www.esda.org/store/product/134/tr53-registration-2026/ THRESHOLD™ NOV/DEC 2025
Desco Industries Inc. 3651 Walnut Ave., Chino, CA 91710 www.Descoindustries.com • Tel: CA-909-627-8178• MA-781-321-8370 ESD Control Products & More. Our brands include: APR, Desco, Desco Asia, Desco Europe, EasyBraid, EMIT, ESDSystems.com, Menda, Protektive Pak, SCS, SpecialTeam, Statguard, TRONEX and US Toyo Fan. SelecTech, Inc. 33 Wales Ave, Suite F, Avon MA 02322 USA Ph: 508-583-3200 Fax: 877-738-4537 Email: info@selectechinc.com www.selectechinc.com Manufacturer of StaticStop interlocking flooring 6 Upcoming Events Continued June 1-7, 2026 Standards and Committee Meeting Series Plaza Hotel, Las Vegas, NV https://www.esda.org/events/eosesd-association-inc-meeting-series-1-2-3-4-5-6-7-89-10-11-12-13-14/ July 2026 International Electrostatic Discharge Workshop (IEW-Asia) – Co-Located with IPFA Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre, Singapore Call for Posters Deadline: March 2026 https://www.esda.org/events/2026-international-esd-workshop-iew-asia/ September 21-25, 2026 Standards and Committee Meeting Series Embassy Suites by Hilton Frisco Hotel, Frisco, TX https://www.esda.org/events/eosesd-association-inc-meeting-series-1-2-3-4-5-6-7-89-10-11/ September 26-28, 2026 ESD Compliance Verification Technician to TR53® Embassy Suites by Hilton Frisco Hotel, Frisco, TX https://www.esda.org/store/product/134/tr53-registration-2026/ September 26-October 1, 2026 48th Annual EOS/ESD Symposium and Exhibits Embassy Suites by Hilton Frisco Hotel, Frisco, TX Call for Papers Deadline: February 6, 2026 https://www.esda.org/events/48th-annual-eosesd-symposium-and-exhibits/ THRESHOLD™ NOV/DEC 2025
7 Key Resin Co./Flowcrete 4050 Clough Woods Drive, Batavia, OH 45103 513-943-4225, Fax 513-943-4255 sales@keyresin.com www.keyresin.com Manufacturer of conductive and ESD resinous flooring and floor sealers. Key Resin West 1315 E. Gibson, Suite D., Phoenix, AZ 85034 602-523-9353, Fax 602-523-9349 SCS - Formerly 3M Static Control 914 JR Industrial Drive, Sanford, NC 27332 USA Ph: 919-718-0000 www.staticcontrol.com ESD control products: bags, floor tiles, foot grounders, ionizers, mats, testers & monitors, smocks, vacuums, wrist straps, Static Control Management and more. Emerging Professionals: November Tech Talk Tech Talk: Mastering ESD Compliance: A Stepby-Step Guide to Crafting Your ESD Control Plan November 4, 2025 01:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada) Effectively managing electrostatic discharge (ESD) risk requires a robust and clearly articulated ESD Control Program. This Tech Talk walks you through the EOS/ESD Association's customizable ESD Control Plan Guidance document, offering step-by-step instructions to tailor each critical section to your organization's specific needs. Learn how to clearly define your ESD objectives, identify sensitivity thresholds, implement appropriate administrative and technical controls, and ensure compliance verification. Whether you're establishing a company-wide ESD program or a focused control plan for specific areas, this Tech Talk equips you with the tools and insights needed to confidently meet ANSI/ESD S20.20 requirements, protect sensitive electronic components, and maintain industry-leading ESD safety standards. Register online for this complimentary talk: https://www.esda.org/events/tech-talk-mastering-esdcompliance-a-step-by-step-guide-to-crafting-your-esd-control-plan/ TECH Talk THRESHOLD™ NOV/DEC 2025
8 Core Insight, Inc. 186 Galmachi-ro, Seongnam-city, Gyeonggi-do, 13230, Korea Phone: +82-31-750-9200. Email: sales@coreinsight.co.kr: www.coreinsight.co.kr Steady-State DC Ionizer Manufacturer for BenchTop, Overhead, Nozzle, Gun, Air Assist, and Ceiling Ionizers Molded Fiberglass Tray Co. 6175 US Highway 6, Linesville, PA 16424 USA Ph: +1-814-683-4500 Fx: +1-814-683-4504 www.mfgtray.com Manufactures fiberglass reinforced plastic Fiberstat ESD products; trays, bins, totes, and mats 47th Annual EOS/ESD Symposium and Exhibits EOS/ESD Symposium serves as a leading platform for professionals to explore the latest advancements in EOS and ESD. The conference program was organized into six focus modules: emerging technologies, EMC & ESD co-design, electrostatics, ESD latch-up & EDA, device testing, and manufacturing . Each module included sessions with technical papers, talks, tutorials, seminars, workshops, and handson sessions in manufacturing. The Technical Program Committee selected 34 peer-reviewed papers from industry and academia on key ESD topics. Additionally, 4 invited talks and five workshops covered a range of EOS/ESD issues, including SL-DPE, system level, circuit design, emerging technologies, and manufacturing. Notably, the symposium featured four keynote speeches from experts on semiconductor innovation, GaN devices, induction, and backside interconnects for advanced nodes. THRESHOLD™ NOV/DEC 2025
9 HPPI GmbH Stadlerstrasse 6A, D-85540 Haar, Germany Phone: +49 (0)89 / 878 06 98 – 443; www.hppi.de Development and sales of ESD Testers Hanwa Electronic Ind. Co., Ltd. 689-3, Ogaito, Wakayama, Japan 649-6272 TEL:+81-73-477-4435 • FAX:+81-73-477-3445 keiichih@hanwa-ei.co.jp • www.hanwa-ei.co.jp Full Automatic Wafer Level ESD Tester / HBM, MM, HMM, and SCM ESD Tester, TLP Tester/ CDM Tester/ Electrostatic Imaging System Exhibitor Tours & Showcases Navigating the exhibitor floor can sometimes feel overwhelming, especially when passing booths offering tempting giveaways like argyle socks, t-shirts, mini LED clips, and reusable tote bags. While many attendees are genuinely interested in learning about new companies and products, striking up a conversation can feel intimidating. We brought back our Exhibitor Tours, guided by ESDA staff, leading attendees to select booths for indepth demonstrations of the latest technologies and services. This initiative removed the pressure of initiating conversations or joining marketing lists, while giving participants a comfortable way to explore and engage. Attendees also had the chance to revisit booths later for more detailed discussions. In addition, we scheduled in-booth demonstrations throughout the Symposium, giving exhibitors a platform to showcase their newest innovations. Together, these formats created a more engaging, interactive experience for attendees and effectively increased visibility for exhibitors’ products and services. THRESHOLD™ NOV/DEC 2025
10 Simco-Ion, Technology 1141 Harbor Bay Pkwy, Ste 201, Alameda, CA USA 94502 (800) 367-2452 (510) 217-0600 ioninfo@simco-ion.com www.simco-ion.com/technology Simco-Ion has been the world’s largest provider of solutions for static charge control for over 40 years. Products include ionizing bars, ionizing blowers, in-line ionizing products with balance control as low as ±1V, Novx real-time monitors and ESD event detection. BARTH ELECTRONICS, INC. 702.293.1576 Original Equipment Manufacturers of: CMT Generator, TLP+, VFTLP+, and HMM+ Test Systems Please see barthelectronics.com for more info on our products. 1589 Foothill Drive, Boulder City, NV USA 89005 beisales@barthelectronics.com Since 1964 Symposium ESD Model Workshop Summary This workshop was hosted by Michael Stockinger (NXP Semiconductors) and Meng Miao (Broadcom), both active in Si2’s CMC workgroups. The focus was on development and usage of standardized ESD compact models, particularly the ESD diode model and the emerging FET snap-back model. The goal was to understand industry needs, gather feedback, and promote adoption of standardized models across foundries and design teams. Many companies and academia develop their own ESD models. The Compact Modeling Coalition (CMC) that is part of the Silicon Integration Initiative (Si2) aims to standardize these models for broader industry use. The ASM-ESD diode model has already been released to the public in 2022 and implemented in several commercial simulators. However, adoption of this standard model is slow due to lack of awareness, lack of foundry support, and complexity in model extraction. Foundries often provide proprietary ESD models based on limited TLP I-V data or missing important transient effects. Users often build in-house models due to insufficient foundry offerings. Some of the important model features and capabilities of the ASM-ESD diode model include TLP I-V curve matching, turn-on delay/voltage overshoot, self-heating, reverse breakdown I-V, and capturing the parasitic BJT using a third terminal (Collector). The new ESDFET model, which is still in development, will focus on the snap-back behavior of a MOSFET during ESD. A wrapper model concept has been proposed that will contain an existing standard MOSFET model (e.g. BSIM) as the model core, but with several add-ons to capture the parasitic bipolar behavior. Both the diode and snap-back ESD models will be fully applicable in normal operating regimes as well. This should avoid the need for switching device models between ESD and non-ESD simulations. The workshop was guided by interactive polling using Mentimeter for providing anonymous feedback, which proved to be a great stimulant for discussions. The poll results showed that few participants had already used the ASM-ESD standard diode model and almost no one was aware of any foundry starting to adopt it. The poll also showed that there is keen demand on compact models, and that other common ESD devices (FET, SCR, etc.) with various model features would be useful. Workshop participants had a debate on balancing model complexity versus usability. The biggest barriers for adopting ESD standard models were perceived as difficulties in model extraction and the lack of support by enablement teams and foundries. It was suggested that publishing modelling examples may motivate the broad adoption of standard ESD models. A main takeaway from this workshop was that there is a strong need for easing model extraction, e.g., by offering an extraction guide document, a standard practice document, offering a tutorial, or creating a user group where members can share their experiences and learn from each other. THRESHOLD™ NOV/DEC 2025
The System Level Workshop - Steps towards the root cause took place during the 47th EOS/ESD Symposium. Attendees were from different industries, namely from Automotive, Industrial, Aerospace and Consumer market segments gathered to discuss system level ESD topics. A system can be very different: it can range from a small building block inside a larger system inside a car to the automobile itself. Some general questions were asked. The main consensus was that the Transmission Line Pulse (TLP) technique is used for characterization. As a variation the rise time of the pulse was varied. In addition, longer surge pulses such as IEC61000-4-5 are used. The Gun stress (IEC61000-4-2) is mainly used only for the final qualification. To bridge the gap some attendees, use a small system like a board as a replacement for the final system to test relevant components for the system level robustness. Most of the attendees use air discharge on the actual contact pins even though the IEC61000-4-2 standard excludes this kind of test. Here it was noted that lower voltages are more likely to affect the connector pins and higher voltages create larger spark lengths. As the air discharge is highly dependent on ambient conditions sometimes these are considered, dependent on the application. A recent paper [1] offers more insight into the variability of the air discharge. Depending on the application and the use cases the system level is either in powered or its unpowered mode. The latter is regarded as a worst-case scenario. There are two kinds of failures: hard failures which damage the system and soft fails, which range from small glitches up to situations where the system needs to be turned off to recover. Hard fails are easier to test and also at an earlier project stage, while soft fails may suffer from the issue that the software is not final at the time of the test. Normally, the worst-case scenarios are done first to evaluate the system for soft fails. Some of these fails are more obvious such as display flickering others are less visible. Therefore, the power consumption needs to be monitored as well as registers can be read out. The attendees agreed that this is generally a large effort, and the majority uses common root cause analysis methods. However, sometimes there is no time to employ them. 11 NRD, LLC 2937 Alternate Boulevard, Grand Island, NY 14702 716-733-7634, Fax 716-773-7744 sales@nrdllc.com www.nrdllc.com NRD, LLC is recognized as a global leader in the field of static elimination using non-electrical nuclear ionization. The company is dedicated to developing and manufacturing static control technologies including advanced solutions utilizing Alpha and Beta emitters that meets regulatory requirements of sealed source technology. PurePulse ESD - formally Grund Technical Solutions 393-J Tomkins Ct. Gilroy, CA 95020, USA Phone: +1-408-216-8364 x103 Email: sales@grundtech.com https://www.GrundTech.com Manufacturer of ESD Test equipment for devices and wafers including PurePulse 2-pin set-up for HBM, MM, TLP and VF-TLP. Titan for independent device HBM testing. Test House Services with true 2-pin ESD Verification. Symposium System Level Workshop Summary THRESHOLD™ NOV/DEC 2025
12 Botron Company, Inc. 21601 N. 21st Ave Phoenix, AZ 85027 Phone: (623) 582-6776 Fax: 623-582-6700. https://www.botron.com Industry-leading ESD compliance automation. Estatec LLC 8175 Saint Andrews Ave. San Diego, CA 92154 Phone: (619) 934-8759 https://usa.estatec.com/ casales@estatec.com Most of the attendees used simulation tools to evaluate the systems.While full wave simulations are able to find failure locations and estimate voltage across different pins, the SEED methodology is more focused on the path between the IC connected to an external pin. For the SEED methodology to work, models for all relevant components need to be created. One attendee noted that TLP data of the IC for the relevant pins could be shared which would facilitate the SEED model creation. The attendees agreed that more collaboration would be good to address system level issues faster and a sizable percentage of them are already working actively with other parties. [1]: H. Kunz, "The Impact of Discharge-Point Geometry on Air-Discharge ESD Testing: Current-Waveform Shape and Intensity," in IEEE Transactions on Electromagnetic Compatibility, vol. 67, no. 5, pp. 14011409, Oct. 2025, doi: 10.1109/TEMC.2025.3576324 System Level Workshop Continuted THRESHOLD™ NOV/DEC 2025
13 ERGOFORM, S.A. DE C.V. Av. Palmas Nte. 562, Bellavista 62140 Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico Phone: +52.777311.6970. Fax: +52.777.311.666 Email: info@ergoform.com.mx https://wwwergoform.com.mx ERGOFORM is the leading Industrial, Manufacturing and Technical chair ESD manufacturer for 34 years focusing on the endusers health and the erdonomics and durability of our products. WORK SURFACES CORPORATION 47 East Highland Ave.Unit B, Sierra Madre, CA 91024 Phone: +1.626.485.2555. Email: bp@worksurfaces.com https://worksurfaces.com/ We make solid brass ESD grounding systems for electronic workstations. We sell custom ESD equipment covers, wrist straps, ground cords, ect. Manufacturing Hands-on Demonstrations Attendees didn’t just listen to presentations on critical ESD topics, they also gained practical, hands-on experience through manufacturing hands-on demonstrations. These sessions offered participants the opportunity to actively perform ionization and packaging measurements. The hands-on activities were reinforced by a series of Invited Talks, which provided deeper insight into the corresponding test methods. In addition, attendees visited Manufacturing Showcase demonstrations in the exhibit hall, where they observed event detection, static dissipative materials and garments. THRESHOLD™ NOV/DEC 2025
14 Tru Vue, Inc. 9400 W. 55th St. McCook, IL 60525, USA Phone: (740) 789-0623 Email: chanderson@tru-vue.com www.tru-vue.com Tru Vue is a leading manufacturer of ultra clear ESD-safe plastics, offering high-performance solutions. With over 80 years of expertise, Tru Vue provides advanced TRU-ESD™ acrylic and polycarbonate solutions for effective safety and contamination control. Staticworx Inc. Williston, Vermont, USA Phone: (617 ) 923-2000 https://staticworx.com StaticWorx high-performance static-control floors protect electronic components, explosives, and high-speed computers from damage caused by static electricity. 2025 Symposium Award Winners Presidents Award Ginger Hansel In recognition of significant contributions, leadership, and management that has enhanced our operations and effectiveness in serving industry and our organization. Carl Newberg In recognition of significant contributions, service, leadership, and achievement in the field of EOS/ESD Standards development. Excellence in Standards Award THRESHOLD™ NOV/DEC 2025
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS | 3 : 2108 | DOI: 10.1038/srep02108 15 EOS/ESD Association Services, LLC 218 W Court St Rome, NY 13440, USA Phone: +1.315.339.6937. Email: lpimpinella@esda.org https://www.esda.org/eosesd-association-services-llc/ ESD Control Program Plan Development assistance, Preassessment to ANSI/ESD S20.20, auditing, and more. BIMOS ESD Seating 1235 N. Clybourn, #349 Chicago, IL 60610 Phone: +1.630.205.9136 Email: us.support@bimos.com www.info.bimos.com BIMOS ESD Seating is the largest and best-in-class brand globally for chairs and stools to support ESD, technology, manufacturing, research and science workers, and much more. 2025 Symposium Paper Awards THRESHOLD™ NOV/DEC 2025
16 Your company could be here! Contact info.eosesda@esda.org to find out how to advertise your company in the Bi monthly Threshold. Your company could be here! Contact info.eosesda@esda.org to find out how to advertise your company in the Bi monthly Threshold. THRESHOLD™ NOV/DEC 2025
218 W. Court St., Rome, NY 13440 + 315-339-6937 Email: info.eosesda@esda.org Web Site: https://www.esda.org/ 17 EOS/ESD Association, Inc. Annual Report THRESHOLD™ NOV/DEC 2025
218 W. Court St., Rome, NY 13440 + 315-339-6937 Email: info.eosesda@esda.org Web Site: https://www.esda.org/ “Life is like a sinusoidal wave — every valley of challenge is the gateway to a peak of opportunity.” This belief drives Wei-Min Wu to pursue growth through every turn, both professional journey and personal development. From RF Design to ESD Protection: Wei-Min’s Dual-PhD Journey Bridging Taiwan and Belgium Wei-Min’s educational background reflects a journey shaped by both technical excellence and an openness to unexpected opportunities. Growing up in Taiwan, he earned his Master’s degree in electrical engineering with a focus on radio frequency (RF) circuit design. His graduate research concentrated on the design of frequency doublers (mixers) and low-noise amplifiers, which are critical in wireless communication systems. At that point, his path seemed set: a career in RF circuit engineering. However, external circumstances altered that trajectory. 18 THRESHOLD™ NOV/DEC 2025 Dr. Wei-Min Wu: A Passionate Young Researcher at imec Academia Spotlight Editor’s Note: Over the last two decades, the world of ESD technology has witnessed the emergence of talented young student researchers contributing to enhanced knowledge through research and development, thereby meeting the current-day demands of high-performance IC devices. The ESD Association is pleased to recognize these young professionals. The profile of one such talent, Dr. Wei-Min Wu, is featured in this issue. After graduation, Wei-Min faced a challenging job market. Instead of remaining idle or switching to an unrelated field, Wei-Min saw this as a turning point. He took the opportunity to further his education by applying to a PhD program at National Chiao Tung University (NCTU) [1]. He joined the lab of Professor Ming-Dou Ker, one of the most recognized names in electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection design. Although ESD was not his original area of expertise, Wei-Min embraced the challenge and applied his RF design knowledge to this new field. While progressing through his PhD, Wei-Min learned about the possibility of pursuing a dual Ph.D. program between NCTU and KU Leuven in Belgium, in partnership with imec, one of the world’s leading nanoelectronics research centers. He immediately recognized the potential of this opportunity, not just as a way to broaden his academic exposure, but as a serious personal and professional challenge. Without delay, he proposed the idea to Prof. Ker, who supported him fully and helped connect him with Dr. Shih-Hung Chen at imec and Prof. Guido Groeseneken at KU Leuven in 2016.
218 W. Court St., Rome, NY 13440 + 315-339-6937 Email: info.eosesda@esda.org Web Site: https://www.esda.org/ 19 THRESHOLD™ NOV/DEC 2025 Academia Spotlight By 2018, Wei-Min was officially registered as a PhD researcher at imec, marking the start of his dual PhD journey. This phase of his education expanded his experience into an international setting, exposing him to cutting-edge semiconductor research and a global network of collaborators. In 2022, he successfully completed his dual-Ph.D. program, becoming the first to be granted dual-PhD degrees under the official KU Leuven-NYCU [1] agreement. From Taiwan to Belgium, from RF circuits to ESD protection, Wei-Min’s path illustrates how technical skill, flexibility, and initiative can reshape a career—and lead to new and impactful contributions in engineering research. [1] NCTU was merged with one university in Taiwan and now called National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (NYCU) since 2021. Integrating Academic Teaching and ESD Research: A Foundation for Innovation During his time at imec as part of the dual-PhD program with KU Leuven, Wei-Min actively contributed to three key research projects in the field of electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection and reliability: (1) Design of Low-Capacitance ESD Diodes in CMOS technology, aimed at improving BEOL parasitic capacitance and corresponding ESD evaluation. (2) Characterization and Modelling of Low-Impedance Contact CDM Testers, focusing on understanding the parasitic effect of the tester setup to reproduce stable CDM current waveforms. (3) Exploration of ESD Robustness in GaN RF HEMTs, extending ESD research into emerging wide-bandgap semiconductor devices used in high-power RF systems. Based on the three main research topics, Wei-Min contributed to 12 peer-reviewed IEEE publications and 2 International ESD Workshop (IEW) posters. Among the publications, four papers are primarily published in journal articles of Transactions on Electron Devices (TED) and Electron Device Letters (EDL). From the eight conference papers, five papers are demonstrated at the EOS/ESD symposium, and two papers are presented at the prestigious International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM) in 2021 and 2022. Moreover, due to his RF technical background, he collaborated with imec RF teams and co-authored two papers. In addition to his research, Wei-Min served as a Teaching Assistant for a Reliability course at KU Leuven, supporting ESD-related lectures since 2019. This teaching experience not only reinforced his ESD foundational understanding and teaching skills but also helped him bridge core scientific principles with advanced research topics. It reinforced his conviction that strong fundamentals are crucial for advancing research in complex and previously unexplored areas. In parallel, Wei-Min expanded his mentoring experience at imec by supervising a master’s student in an independent project focused on ESD robustness of GaN HEMTs by wafer-level Human Body Model (HBM) measurements. This collaboration resulted in one IEDM paper and one IEEE Electron Device Letters (EDL) publication, further strengthening his confidence and demonstrating his ability to mentor early-stage researchers toward producing high-impact scientific contributions.
218 W. Court St., Rome, NY 13440 + 315-339-6937 Email: info.eosesda@esda.org Web Site: https://www.esda.org/ 20 THRESHOLD™ NOV/DEC 2025 Academia Spotlight Bridging Academia and Industry: A Researcher’s Journey at imec Building on the work initiated during his PhD, Wei-Min is now a full-time ESD researcher at imec, where he leads RF ESD research efforts in both silicon (Si) and III-V semiconductor technologies. He collaborates closely with four professors from Belgium, Croatia, and Taiwan, and actively mentors PhD and master’s students, particularly in GaN RF research. His strong track record in academic collaboration led to an invitation to join the ESDA’s Academia Committee in 2024, extended by Dr. Shih-Hung Chen, the Committee Chair. In this role, Wei-Min is responsible for developing the ESD lecture packet for the ESD Association—a teaching resource aimed at university-level education. He plans to distribute the material to his collaborative professors and students, gather feedback, and continuously refine its content. At imec, which plays a pivotal role in bridging academia and industry, Wei-Min contributes his technical expertise in RF and ESD within the Advanced RF Program. He collaborates with several major industrial partners, including Intel, Qualcomm, and GlobalFoundries, ensuring that his research remains aligned with practical, product-driven challenges in next-generation technologies. Outside of his professional work, Wei-Min maintains a balanced lifestyle by playing volleyball and padel, traveling to explore new cultures, and actively participating in international conferences to expand his professional network. He remains motivated to take on the next wave of challenges in his career, aiming to solve increasingly complex ESD problems with real-world impact.
21 218 W. Court St., Rome, NY 13440 + 315-339-6937 Email: info.eosesda@esda.org Web Site: https://www.esda.org/ THRESHOLD™ NOV/DEC 2025
ESD Technical Article 218 W. Court St., Rome, NY 13440 + 315-339-6937 Email: info.eosesda@esda.org Web Site: https://www.esda.org/ Demonstration of static electricity induced luminescence Kazuya Kikunaga & Nao Terasaki Can we visualise static electricity, which everyone in the world knows about? Since static electricity is generated by contact or peeling, it may be a source of malfunction of electronic components, whose importance is steadily increasing, and even cause explosion and fire. As static electricity is invisible, makeshift measures of static electricity are taken on various surfaces; there is also a common view that it is hard to take effective measures. Here we present a specific luminescent material, SrAl2O4: Eu2+, which emits light at excitation by an electrostatic charge in the air. Till now, in the interaction between electricity and luminescent materials, it was considered that emission of light is enabled by accelerated particles colliding with the luminescent material in vacuo. There have been no reports on luminescent materials being responsive to low-energy electrostatic charges under atmospheric pressure. Using SrAl2O4: Eu2+ luminescent material discovered by us, we succeeded for the first time in static electricity visualisation in the form of green light. In addition to the fact that such static electricity induced luminescence assists in solving electrostatic-related problems in the industry, it also provides a new measurement method that facilitates the observation of previously invisible electric charges in the air. Static electricity is well known to most people, and everybody must have experienced sparks (that is, electrostatic discharge: ESD) when a charged person puts their fingers close to a metallic car or door. Just before one touches a metal, electrons are emitted from the metal due to the strong electric field formed between the charged finger and metal. This induces dielectric breakdown in the air, and this electrostatic discharge is accompanied by finger tweaking, light and sound. This type of electrostatic discharge is also called spark discharge, it emits light due to the ionisation of gas atoms in the air. However, as the emitted light intensity is extremely weak, it can hardly be seen in a well illuminated place. The potential of a charged body that induces electrostatic discharge is as high as several kV, but the average current is very weak, about 10−5 A. Such static electricity is reported to cause various failures and disasters in the industry1,2. Furthermore, electronic devices, e.g., large-scale integrated circuits, that have emerged due to advances in the semiconductor miniaturisation technology and electronic device systems equipped with them are very vulnerable to static electricity, which causes issues such as ESD damage and device failure. 22 Scientific Reports | (2022) 12:8524 | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-12704-5 THRESHOLD™ NOV/DEC 2025
218 W. Court St., Rome, NY 13440 + 315-339-6937 Email: info.eosesda@esda.org Web Site: https://www.esda.org/ Static electricity was discovered in ancient times, and around 600 BC, the Greek natural philosopher Thales described the attractive power of amber when it is rubbed with fur. In 1600, Gilbert found that apart from amber, various substances possess similar attractive force, and these substances were collectively named ‘electrica’. Cabeo discovered that the rubbed electrica also had the effect of repelling or attracting the material3. In 1733, du Fay discovered that charged objects of identical type repel each other, and charged objects of different type attract each other, assuming that there are two types of electricity, positive and negative4. In 1750, Franklin considered that every object contains an electric fluid in their respective portion, pointing out that its excess or deficiency is the ‘charged state’; this led to the discovery of polarity classified as positive (excessive) and negative (deficient)5. In 1836, Faraday demonstrated that the measurement of a charge depends on the observer’s electrical state and developed the Faraday cage to measure static electricity quantitatively for the first time. Thereafter, along with the Industrial Revolution, the research on electricity utilisation had intensified. Electrostatic-related issues in the industry were in focus since approximately 1970 that encouraged active research on measurement techniques for industrial applications. As a non-contact static electricity measurement technique, electrostatic voltmeters of various dielectric electrodes (rotating6 or standing7, vibrating8), field mill9, micro-electromechanical system sensors10,11, and methods using sound waves12–14 were developed. In addition, the electrostatic charge tends to localize in the plane, so it is important to grasp the planar two-dimensional distribution of charges. Therefore, to measure static electricity, methods for its screening point by point15,16, scanning probe microscopy17–20, and techniques using an array of sensors21,22 have been developed. Based on these methods, static electricity imag- ing on a computer screen became possible by combining the amount of static electricity and its spatial position. Sensing System Research Center, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, 807-1 Shuku-Machi, Tosu, Saga 841-0052, Japan. email: k-kikunaga@aist.go.jp 23 Scientific Reports | (2022) 12:8524 | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-12704-5 THRESHOLD™ NOV/DEC 2025
24 218 W. Court St., Rome, NY 13440 + 315-339-6937 Email: info.eosesda@esda.org Web Site: https://www.esda.org/ Figure 1. Static electricity induced luminescence (SEL) induced by charging and discharging. (a) Setup for measuring static electricity induced luminescence. (b) SEL at charging with electrostatic generator gun. (c) Surface potential distribution on the SEL film. (d) SEL at discharging by antistatic brush. (e) Surface potential distribution on SEL film after brushing. (f) Ion movement during charging. However, these techniques had a low spatial resolution and poor real-time performance. On the other hand, it is possible to increase the area and realize real-time performance by combining light with a camera, so static electricity measuring techniques using the electro-optic effect such as the Pockels effect23,24 and the Kerr effect25,26 have been developed. However, in a medium such as a crystal plate or gas, the Pockels and Kerr effects were weak, and the detection sensitivities were low. In this way, despite various challenges during 2700 years since the discovery of static electricity, it was not possible to clearly recognise static electricity with a human eye and to observe its behaviour. In the meantime, luminescent materials have been used in different research fields as a tool for observ- ing different physical phenomena. Examples include biomarkers or fluorescent materials incorporated in light sources and visualisation displays27, electroluminescent materials28,29, Longpersistent phosphors30,31, and further mechanoluminescent materials enabling visualisation of mechanical stress32,33. There are cathodoluminescence materials34 as well that emit light at the absorption of electrons accelerated in vacuo. However, an observation of static electricity in the air at atmospheric pressure and room temperature has not been reported using these types of materials. We have chosen a specific luminescent material, and emission of which is excited by charged ions generated in the air and succeeded in visualising static electricity. Scientific Reports | (2022) 12:8524 | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-12704-5 THRESHOLD™ NOV/DEC 2025
25 218 W. Court St., Rome, NY 13440 + 315-339-6937 Email: info.eosesda@esda.org Web Site: https://www.esda.org/ Results and discussion Charge generated by corona discharge in air, and SrAl2O4: Eu2+ light emission. Light emission peak around the wavelength of 510 nm was observed directly under the needle electrode in the device shown in Fig. 1a, immediately after subjecting static electricity induced luminescent film (SEL film: resistance ~ 1014 Ω) made of a mixture of SrAl2O4: Eu2+ and an acrylic resin to corona discharge by means of an electrostatic gen- erator gun (Fig. 1b). Further, the initially observed light emission area expanded with time from the centre, its brightness saturated and whitened out even with a commercially available digital camera with time, while the light emission intensity decreased in the centre. The light emission decayed upon stopping the corona discharge. At this time, the heat of the sample was measured by thermography, and the temperature change in the light emitting area was 0.5 °C or less. As this light-emitting phenomenon, probably, relates to static electricity, it is called Static Electricity Induced Luminescence (SEL); and the substance that induces this phenomenon is called SEL material. The results of measuring the surface potential distribution of the SEL film are shown in Fig. 1c. The electrostatic charge formed by the corona discharge on the insulating SEL film is evidenced by the surface poten- tial distribution, and the location of this charge coincided with the light emission area in Fig. 1b. In the case of dielectric breakdown in air, such as electrostatic discharge, spark discharge and short-circuit occur between the electrodes if the electric field strength exceeds approximately 3 MV/m at normal temperature and pressure35. As the applied electric field strength in this experiment was about 0.8 MV/m, and it is extremely inhomogeneous, there is no spark discharge, but corona discharge occurs in the region where electron avalanche concentrates in the vicinity of the electrode. The electrons near the needle electrode collide with the neutral air molecules under a strong electric field at the beginning of the discharge. The neutral molecules are ionized into positive ions and electrons, the positive ions move toward the negative electrode under the electric field, and the electrons continue to ionize other neutral molecules. The electrons will enter the plasma region after leaving the ioniza- tion region. The electric field in the plasma region cannot provide sufficient energy for the electrons. Therefore, the electrons combine with the neutral air molecules to form negative ions in the plasma region, then enter the drift region, and move towards the ground electrode36. In other words, in corona discharge, negative ions are emitted from the needle electrode and are incident to the SEL film owing to the potential difference between the needle electrode and the ground (Fig. 1f). Scientific Reports | (2022) 12:8524 | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-12704-5 THRESHOLD™ NOV/DEC 2025
218 W. Court St., Rome, NY 13440 + 315-339-6937 Email: info.eosesda@esda.org Web Site: https://www.esda.org/ 26 Figure 2. Light emission when luminescent substances was irradiated with corona discharge. (a) State of an experiment when the sample was irradiated with corona discharge. (b) White light observed in Y2O2S:Tb, which is a fluorescent substance. (c, d) Blue light and Red light observed in methyl salicylate and Eu(TTA)3Phen, which are an organic triboluminescent substances. The negative ions include OH−, NO −, HCO − 37,38. Negative charges 3 3 are formed when these negatively charged ions collide with the SEL film. This is the initial stage of the lumi- nescence process demonstrated in Fig. 1b when it is supposed that the electric charge excites emission in the luminescent material due to radiative electronic transitions in Eu2+. Then, negative ions continuously generated by the corona discharge propagate alongside the SEL film as a negative potential is formed in the initially charged place. It is presumed that this process was observed as light emission expanding from the centre. Although this phenomenon differs in speed of the light emission area extension depending on the applied voltage in the range of 4–11 kV, similar results were obtained. This experiment was also tried with a positive electrode needle, and the same results as the negative electrode needle were obtained, and there was almost no difference between positive and negative. Scientific Reports | (2022) 12:8524 | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-12704-5 THRESHOLD™ NOV/DEC 2025
27 218 W. Court St., Rome, NY 13440 + 315-339-6937 Email: info.eosesda@esda.org Web Site: https://www.esda.org/ Next, the charged SEL film was brushed with an anti-static brush. In the SEL area, light emission persisted right after the brushing as shown in Fig. 1d and Supplementary Video 1. Figure 1d shows the observation results in the bright field, and bright light emission was induced by the brushing. This antistatic brush is a self-discharge type destaticising tool for suppressing static electricity. The charge is removed through the thin conductive fibres at the tip of the anti-static brush, which provides grounding. Another, when the conductive fibre gets close to a charged object, a locally generated high electric field ionises the air layer between them, causing weak corona discharges. In Fig. 1d and Supplementary Video 1, it is considered that the charge transfer occurred due to the grounding and the corona discharge, and the phenomenon of the same light emission as Fig. 1b was observed. The maximum surface potential (Fig. 1c,e) of the SEL film before and after the brushing decreased from 285 to 160 V. In the surface potential measurements in this study, the distance between the sensor and the SEL film was 0.5 mm, the capacitance of a sensor of a 1 mm × 1 mm square was about 1.8 × 10−14 F; hence, a voltage of 1 V corresponded to 1.8 × 10−14 C mm−2 charge density. Consequently, the total electrostatic charge calculated from the results of surface potential distribution in Fig. 1c was 9.3 × 10−10 C. Also, the electrostatic charge was 6.8 × 10−10 C on the SEL film after the brushing. Luminescence was induced upon a charge difference of 2.5 × 10−10 C before and after brushing. This indicates that the SEL may have been induced with a very low-energy charge. Scientific Reports | (2022) 12:8524 | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-12704-5 The phenomenon of light emission in response to electric charge is known as cathodoluminescence or elec- troluminescence. Generally, those light emission phenomena occur when electrons collide with a substance, such as a fluorescent material, but this requires the injection of high-energy electrons in an environment like a vacuum where there is no energy attenuation. For confirmation of the SEL phenomenon, similar experiments were conducted using other fluorescent substances (ZnS: Cu, Al, ZnS: Ag, Al, Y2O2S: Tb, Sakai Chemical Co., Ltd., Osaka, Japan) and organic triboluminescent substances applied in cathodoluminescence and electrolumi- nescence, but no clearly recognisable light emission was observed (Fig. 2). The material used in this research may demonstrate luminescence (afterglow) excited by ultraviolet (UV) rays or blue light, heat or mechanical action. In Fig. 2b,c, it is considered that the light emission was excited by the UV rays accompanying the discharge. On the other hand, Fig. 1 shows a different emission compared to Fig. 2. If UV was generated by the irradiation of the corona discharge, SEL would be considered to emit light. Therefore, we placed an UV transmitting glass on the SEL film and the same experiment shown in Fig. 1 was carried out, but no light emission in SrAl2O4: Eu2+ was observed. In other words, the contribution of excitation by UV rays and blue light is small, indicating that it is highly possible that the ions contributed to SEL. Also, since the temperature change was small, it is considered that the contribution of excitation by heat is also small. Moreover, although triboluminescence can be considered in brushing, the contribution of typical triboluminescence is considered to be small because the luminescence phenomenon in the uncharged area could not be confirmed. Therefore, the light emission from the charged area caused by brushing with an anti-static brush cannot be explained by these phenomena, and the contribution of static electricity to the luminescence is possible. THRESHOLD™ NOV/DEC 2025
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