MarchApril 2005

THRESHOLD News bits The ESD Association newslet- ter, for everyone with an interest in the understanding and control of electrostatic discharge. ™ Volume 21, No. 2 March/April 2005 Program Manager in Asia ......... 1 Standards activity update ......... 2 From the President .................. 3 Website updates ...................... 3 2005 symposium program ....... 4 Education schedule for 2005 .... 5 Professional certification .......... 6 BoD nominations ...................... 6 Corporate membership ............ 7 Device/Design Seminar ........... 7 Online tutorial: grounding .......... 8 Symposium schedule .............. 8 Forum in the Philippines ........... 9 June meeting schedule .......... 10 Exhibit at symposium ............. 10 And the survey says ................ 11 Calendar ................................. 12 In this issue In Program manager courses in Asia Continued on page 2 This March the ESD Association again of- fers education opportunities in Asia. Four cities in Asia will host program manager certification related courses: Manila, Phil- ippines; Bangkok, Thailand; Penang, Ma- laysia; and Singapore. Course offerings include the following: • ESD Basics • ESD Auditing and Evaluation Measurements • ESD Program Development and Assessment • Packaging Principles for the Program Manager • ESD Standards Basics for EPA The demand for knowledgeable ESD program managers is growing. Qualified ESD personnel are needed to design, implement, and manage today’s ANSI/ESD S20.20 control programs to protect sensi- tive devices and assemblies. Organiza- tions and facilities with qualified ESD per- sonnel on staff are better prepared for S20.20 facility certification. These courses are designed to educate and train professional ESD program man- agers. The courses offered during this seminar series are required courses to obtain the ESD Association’s ESD Certi- fied Professional-Program Manager certi- fication. Although other tutorials and semi- nars are also necessary to fulfill the certifi- cation requirements, these programs are critical to understanding ESD fundamen- tals, program development and certifica- tion, and the ongoing process of verifying performance of a program’s technical ESD controls. Courses will be taught by Ron Gibson, Celestica International, Inc.; Stephen A. Halperin, Stephen Halperin & Associates, Ltd.; and John Kinnear, IBM. The following are brief descriptions of course content. Next online course: grounding The date is set: March 30. Instructor Dave Swenson prepares an hour of instruction that can be gained from the convenience of your desk. See page 8 for details. ESD Basics This tutorial consists of three sections. Section A defines the causes of ESD and critical elements related to charge genera- tion, material characteristics, and electro- static phenomenon. Section B explains and demonstrates the four critical device failure models. Section C provides an over- view of device protection during handling and product assembly, a summary of ESD control elements, and a fundamental over- view of S20.20 program requirements. This full day course is required for those in-plant auditors and program managers who are working toward professional ESD certification. ESD Auditing & Evaluation Measure- ments This program was designed to support S20.20 in-plant verification requirements. It reviews the evaluation and audit mea- surement procedures for S20.20 ESD Controls listed in the S20.20 document, Table 1-ESD Control Program Technical Requirements Summary. These recommended measurement procedures confirm the proper operation and use of ESD control products and ma- terials selected as part of a facility's S20.20 ESD control program. This course is an ESDA certification requirement for in-plant auditors and program managers who are working toward professional ESD certifi- cation. ESD ProgramDevelopment and Assess- ment This seminar provides instruction on de- signing 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 fa- cility audit. Device/Design Seminar set for May The Device/Design Seminar, which counts toward four classes required for ESD Cer- tified Professional-Device/Design certifi- cation is set for May 23-24 at ESDA Head- quarters. See page 7 for more informa- tion. Board of Directors nominations underway Candidates for the 2006 ESDA Board of Directors have been nominated and bal- lots will soon be sent to the general mem- bership. See page 6 for details.