Electrostatic discharge measurement and simulation of a charged power amplifier board

Various RF devices are sensitive to electrostatic discharges. However, current standard test models are lacking in accurately describing the discharge of the printed wiring board itself. This paper outlines a test method for the charged board model (CBM). The CBM event is then studied with 3-D electromagnetic simulations and measurements on a power amplifier test board. The results indicate that tests can be performed and that discharge currents can be high. Therefore, active standardization of CBM is encouraged. Additionally, it is shown that the discharge event can be predicted with simulations.