Detecting ESD events using a loop antenna

Electrostatic discharge (ESD) is the rapid transfer of electrostatic charge between bodies at different electrostatic potentials. In an ESD event, a short burst of radiated energy in the form of an electromagnetic pulse or electromagnetic interference (EMI) is created. In this paper, we discuss the use of a homemade loop to detect the EMI generated by an ESD event. We also report the observed correlation between three industry defined ESD stress models and the radiated EMI signal as detected by the loop antenna. A Zapmaster Keytek 512 zapper is used to simulate the ESD events and a high-speed oscilloscope is used to capture the EMI detected by the loop antenna. In the paper, we also report use of the loop antenna in solving an ESD issue that affected the 32M Boot Block flash memory device.