ESD protection methods in Ethernet based embedded systems

Electrostatic discharge can happen anytime a charged conductive object approaches another conductive object. A strong electric field forms between the objects which can cause field induced breakdown. When the voltage between the objects exceed the breakdown voltage of the air and the insulation between them, an arc occurs. The current in this arc can reach tens of amps in a few nanoseconds which may cause damage or loss of functionality to susceptible devices. One of the major problems in ESD immunity design is identification of coupling paths. This paper shows a few ways of identifying the coupling paths and outlines some methods of suppressing them or avoiding them. The case study considered here is an Ethernet based embedded system.