ANSI-ESD-S541-2008

ANSI/ESDS541-2008ReaffirmationofANSI/ESDS541-2003FortheProtectionofElectrostaticDischargeSusceptibleItemsPackagingMaterialsforESDSensitiveItemsElectrostaticDischargeAssociation7900TurinRoad,Bldg.3Rome,NY13440-2069AnAmericanNationalStandardApprovedSeptember29,2008ANSI/ESDS541-2008ESDAssociationStandardfortheProtectionofElectrostaticDischargeSusceptibleItems–PackagingMaterialsforESDSensitiveItemsESDAssociationApprovedJune8,2008ANSI/ESDS541-2008ElectrostaticDischargeAssociation(ESDA)standardsandpublicationsaredesignedtoservethepublicinterestbyeliminatingmisunderstandingsbetweenmanufacturersandpurchasers,facilitatingtheinterchangeabilityandimprovementofproductsandassistingthepurchaserinselectingandobtainingtheproperproductforhisparticularneeds.Theexistenceofsuchstandardsandpublicationsshallnotinanyrespectprecludeanymemberornon-memberoftheAssociationfrommanufacturingorsellingproductsnotconformingtosuchstandardsandpublications.NorshallthefactthatastandardorpublicationispublishedbytheAssociationprecludeitsvoluntaryusebynon-membersoftheAssociationwhetherthedocumentistobeusedeitherdomesticallyorinternationally.RecommendedstandardsandpublicationsareadoptedbytheESDAinaccordancewiththeANSIPatentpolicy.CAUTIONNOTICEInterpretationofESDAStandards:Theinterpretationofstandardsin-so-farasitmayrelatetoaspecificproductormanufacturerisapropermatterfortheindividualcompanyconcernedandcannotbeundertakenbyanypersonactingfortheESDA.TheESDAStandardsChairmanmaymakecommentslimitedtoanexplanationorclarificationofthetechnicallanguageorprovisionsinastandard,butnotrelatedtoitsapplicationtospecificproductsandmanufacturers.NootherpersonisauthorizedtocommentonbehalfoftheESDAonanyESDAStandard.THECONTENTSOFESDA’SSTANDARDSANDPUBLICATIONSAREPROVIDED“AS-IS,”ANDESDAMAKESNOREPRESENTATIONSORWARRANTIES,EXPRESSORIMPLIED,OFANYKINDWITHRESPECTTOSUCHCONTENTS.ESDADISCLAIMSALLREPRESENTATIONSANDWARRANTIES,INCLUDINGWITHOUTLIMITATION,WARRANTIESOFMERCHANTABILITY,FITNESSFORPARTICULARPURPOSEORUSE,TITLEANDNON-INFRINGEMENT.DISCLAIMEROFWARRANTIESESDASTANDARDSANDPUBLICATIONSARECONSIDEREDTECHNICALLYSOUNDATTHETIMETHEYAREAPPROVEDFORPUBLICATION.THEYARENOTASUBSTITUTEFORAPRODUCTSELLER’SORUSER’SOWNJUDGEMENTWITHRESPECTTOANYPARTICULARPRODUCTDISCUSSED,ANDESDADOESNOTUNDERTAKETOGUARANTYTHEPERFORMANCEOFANYINDIVIDUALMANUFACTURERS’PRODUCTSBYVIRTUEOFSUCHSTANDARDSORPUBLICATIONS.THUS,ESDAEXPRESSLYDISLAIMSANYRESPONSIBILITYFORDAMAGESARISINGFROMTHEUSE,APPLICATION,ORRELIANCEBYOTHERSONTHEINFORMATIONCONTAINEDINTHESESTANDARDSORPUBLICATIONS.DISCLAIMEROFGUARANTYNEITHERESDA,NORITSMEMBERS,OFFICERS,EMPLOYEESOROTHERREPRESENTATIVESWILLBELIABLEFORDAMAGESARISINGOUTOFORINCONNECTIONWITHTHEUSEORMISUSEOFESDASTANDARDSORPUBLICATIONS,EVENIFADVISEDOFTHEPOSSIBILITYTHEROF.THISISACOMPREHENSIVELIMITATIONOFLIABILITYTHATAPPLIESTOALLDAMAGESOFANYKIND,INCLUDINGWITHOUTLIMITATION,LOSSOFDATA,INCOMEORPROFIT,LOSSOFORDAMAGETOPROPERTYANDCLAIMSOFTHIRDPARTIES.LIMITATIONONESDA’sLIABILITYPublishedby:ElectrostaticDischargeAssociation7900TurinRoad,Bldg.3Rome,NY13440Copyright©2008byESDAssociationAllrightsreservedNopartofthispublicationmaybereproducedinanyform,inanelectronicretrievalsystemorotherwise,withoutthepriorwrittenpermissionofthepublisher.PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmericaISBN:1-58537-149-1ANSI/ESDS541-2008FOREWORDPackagingisnecessarytoprotectelectronicitemsfromphysicalandenvironmentaldamageduringmanufacture,transportation,andstorage.Whilemosttypesofpackaging(notforstaticsensitiveitems)providephysicalandenvironmentalprotection,italsomayharmstaticsensitiveelectronicitemsbyallowingtheaccumulationorthedischargeofstaticelectricity.(SeeAnnexBfordevicedamageinformation.)PackagingforESDsensitiveitemsiscommonlyderivedbymodifyingexistingpackagingtopreventthepackagingitselffromcausingstaticdamage.Thepackaginggenerallyretainsitsphysicalandenvironmentalprotectivequalities.ESDprotectivepackaginghasbeenmodifiedfurthertopreventothersourcesofstaticelectricityfromdamagingapackageditem.Thiscanbeillustratedbyconsideringbags.Polyethylenebagsareusefulpackagesforcontainingitemsandprovidingprotectionfromphysicalandenvironmentaldamage.However,polyethylenebagsaccumulatepotentiallydamagingamountsofstaticelectricity.Chemicals(antistats)areaddedtothepolyethylenebagtorenderitlowcharging.Theresultisalowcharging(antistatic)polyethylenebagthatislesslikelytodamagestaticsensitiveitems.Byaddingaconductivelayertothelowchargingpolyethylenebag,anESDshieldingbagiscreated.Thisshieldingbagislowcharging,andshieldspackageditemsfromESDandtheelectricfieldgeneratedbyotheritems.Otherstandardpackagingincludingpapercorrugateandplasticboxes,trays,andclamshellshave,orarepresently,followingsimilarpaths.AcompleteESDcontrolprogram,asdefinedbyANSI/ESDS20.20,requirestheuseofESDprotectivepackagingtoproperlymanufacture,transport,andstoreESDsensitivedevices.ThisStandardprovidesrequirementsforESDprotectivepackagingthatmustbeincludedinsideandoutsideanElectrostaticProtectedArea(EPA).Becausemostphysicalandenvironmentalconsiderationscanbelefttotraditionalpackagingdesignandtestingmethodolo