The Wonders of an Electrostatic field meter

By its name, an electrostatic field meter is commonly used to measure the electrostatic field which is emanated by a charged object.
The electrostatic field or e-field from the charged object is the symptoms of the presence of electrostatic charges on the object.
Electrostatic field from the charged object, E, at any point in the space is influenced by the amount of electrostatic charges on the object and the squared distance away from the charged object.
The further away from the charged object, the weaker the electrostatic field, E. Similarly, the E-Field at any point in space is weaker for a charged object with less electrostatic charges.

An Electrostatic field meter is a key meter in the ESD Control program. It helps to locate the source of charged object. It measures Electrostatic field of the charged object in a specified distance, commonly at one inch distance.
ANSI/ESD S20.20 standard controls Electrostatic field from any charged object at 2kV/inch. Anything above 2kV at an inch distance, the ESD sensitive items shall be removed by at least 30 cm away from the source charged object. When this can not be done, ionizers should be used to neutralize the static charges on the charged object which is located nearby the ESD sensitive items.

An Electrostatic field meter is a great tool for any ESD Coordinator.
The ESD Coordinator should bring the Electrostatic field meter to an ESD protected workstation and move it across the area to detect for any harmful E-field, i.e. > 2Kv at one inch distance.

Accuracy of measurement displayed on the Electrostatic field meter depends on several factors such as:
•The grounding of the Electrostatic field meter. This can be done by having a grounded person holding the conductive casing of the meter or grounding the meter via a ground cord.
•Zeroing the meter reading before use.
•Measure the E-field at one inch distance. The one inch distance occurs when the two LEDs light are focused and become one circle.
•When measuring at one inch distance, the size of the object must be at least 3 inch square.

When coupled with other ESD Test kit such as a Charging Plate and a Charger, some Electrostatic field meters in the market place offers additional benefits to ESD Coordinators.
The additional benefits include:
•Measure ionizer performance
•Measure voltage generation on people, material and equipment

An Electrostatic Field meter can do many wonders for any ESD Coordinator. It is a must have equipment in the ESD Control Program.