Static can kill delicate electronics

Static can kill delicate electronics.
Use of a Scanning electron microscope to view integrated circuits and circuit manufacturing pieces. SEM image of an integrated circuit transistor that was “zapped” with electrostatic discharge. The square transistor structure seen in this picture is about 60 microns on a side (about 0.0025 inches).
From Cray Channels CC_V4_N4 “Cray Research’s new system test equipment focuses on quality.”

The company’s newly-established in house 
system test facility includes a JEOL Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and a Tracor Northern Xray spectrum analyzer. The SEM and X-ray spectrum analyzer units together offer an extremely wide magnification range (10 to 180,000 times actual size) and analysis of materials composition. The SEM also can be used to run a pulse through the pathway of an integrated circuit, thereby showing how the circuit is functioning. In this process, the voltage path of the circuit is illuminated and the brightness is monitored on the screen . If a circuit has a short or an open cut, the illumination will show a bias, which is a differential between expected brightness and registered brightness. With this tool, bad chips can be identified.
Anti Static Smock (new design)
Dr. Charles Fuller reading results of the X-Ray spectrum analyzer. The SEM is the tall cylinder in the background.
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