Measurement of electric field due to electrostatic discharge using the Pockels effect

Electromagnetic waves radiated by an electrostatic discharge (ESD) are known to be one of the main noise sources which cause malfunctions in electronic equipment. To understand the characteristics of an ESD event, this paper presents results of measurement and calculation of the electric field due to ESD in the region where the electrostatic field is dominant, based on measurements by an electric field sensor which uses the Pockels effect. The dependence of changes of an electrostatic field when an ESD occurs on the distance and height with the discharge point as the starting point, and the charging voltage and capacitance of a charged matter is presented. An electric dipole model was used to compare calculated results with experimental ones and it was confirmed that the electric dipole model is applicable to some extent to estimate the changes of an electrostatic field