Abstrait

Response of MSP-EXP430G2 LaunchPad Development Board to Electrostatic Discharge

Rajashree Narendra, M.L. Sudheer and D.C.Pande

In today’s highly competitive markets, efficient ESD protection has became an integral part of IC/ASIC design for system reliability. Reliable circuit protection following IEC61000-4-2 industry’s standard is usually accomplished by the implementation of ESD protection devices at critical pins. The IEC 61000-4-2 standard addresses ESD transients in electronic systems. It defines immunity requirements for ESD which can be coupled into the equipment, systems or system boards directly or through radiation (air discharge). The Human Body Model is considered as a valid representation of worst case ESD stress. Discharge into equipment may be through direct contact (contact discharge method) or just prior to contact (air discharge method). Direct and Indirect ESD test has been conducted on the MSP-EXP430G2 Launch Pad Development Board which has the state-ofthe- art protection for system level ESD. The primary purpose of this test is to determine the immunity of MSP 430 system to external ESD events during operation. We have observed all the IEC specified system-level failure criteria classifications during the system level ESD test.