System-Level Modeling for Transient Electrostatic Discharge Simulation

This paper introduces an improved electrostatic discharge (ESD) system-level transient simulation modeling method and discusses its validation using IEC 61000-4-2 ESD pulses on a real-world product. The system model is composed of high current and broadband (up to 3 GHz) models of R, L, C, ferrite beads, diodes, and integrated circuit IO pins. A complex return path model is the key to correctly model the system's response to the IEC excitation. The model includes energy-limited time-dependent IC damage models. A power-time integral method is introduced to accurately determine if a junction would experience thermal runaway under an arbitrary injection waveform. The proposed method does not require knowledge of the junction's microscopic geometry, material information, defect location, or melting temperature.