Dynamic system level ESD current measurement using magnetic field probe

Nowadays, embedded systems are playing an important role thanks to the increased performance of the integrated circuits (IC). ElectroStatic Discharges (ESD) at system level regarding their impact at IC level is not well defined. With the evolution on semi-conductor manufacturer requirements, ICs robustness becomes an important concern since more and more functionalities of a product are embedded into a single chip. One of the main problems to understand system level is to identify the propagation of an ESD stress within the system and to extract the precise resulting waveform and its impact on the IC. Characterization methods to understand the interaction between the IC and the rest of the system are missing. In this paper we present how to use a magnetic field probe for dynamic measurement of the current propagation at system level. The calibration procedure is presented, and comparison with measurements shows the accuracy of the probe for system level ESD measurement. Using this technique, a cartography procedure enables the realization of movies showing the propagation of the ESD stress within the system.