Malfunctions of high impedance circuits caused by electrostatic discharges

An electrostatic discharge is known to be a noise source and causes the malfunction of electronic circuits. As a result, most of the studies to date have been made on electromagnetic noise radiated by electrostatic discharges. Here, the authors focus on the effect of an electrostatic field on electronic circuits. The electrostatic field strength of discharges was investigated theoretically and experimentally, and it was found that the electrostatic field is also a source of noise and causes the malfunction of an electronic circuit terminated with high impedance. Results obtained from analyses and experiments are presented.<>