SBIR Phase I: Redesigning a Scientific Electric Field Instrument for use in Electronic Component Manufacturing

这个小型企业创新研究第一阶段项目将修改一个电场传感器，该传感器是为了研究粉尘电气化而开发的，以便在工业应用中使用。材料表面电荷的积累常常大到足以引起静电放电（ESD）。这在半导体和电子工业中是一个严重的问题，因为ESD会导致产品损坏，从立即失效到性能下降和寿命缩短。目前，传感器还不能监测工作区域的电荷积累，从而导致ESD。因此，业界关注的重点是防静电，而没有监测电荷积累。该项目将开发并演示一种用户友好的传感器，该传感器足够敏感，可以监测导致ESD的电荷积聚。与市场上的其他传感器相比，这种装置不仅可以测量电场的大小，还可以测量电场的方向。这使得用户能够在产生足以引起ESD的电场之前监测工作区域并采取纠正措施。通过这一努力，我们将研究该传感器的可行性，并分析其收集的数据，以提高制造质量和性能。该项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力在于，它将使电子产品制造商能够轻松识别ESD危害，并从源头解决潜在问题，从而降低成本并提高产品质量。由此产生的产品也将用于静电喷涂行业，因为所涂油漆的质量取决于喷涂机器人产生的电场。另一个工业应用是在处理易燃物和爆炸物时防止静电放电。除了这些工业应用之外，该产品还有许多科学应用。例如，有证据表明，电场在从物体表面扬起灰尘颗粒的过程中起着重要作用。这是一个重要的过程，因为尘埃气溶胶在我们的气候中起着重要的作用。政府间气候变化专门委员会认识到，在我们目前对气候的认识中，气溶胶与云的相互作用是最不确定的过程之一。气候预测的巨大不确定性限制了决策者对其的使用。用我们的电场传感器进行的测量可以提高我们对扬尘物理学的理解，减少气候预测中的不确定性。

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will modify an electric field sensor, developed to study dust electrification for it be used in industrial applications. The buildup of electric charges on the surface of materials is frequently large enough to cause electrostatic discharge (ESD). This is a serious problem in the semiconductor and the electronic industry because ESD causes product damage ranging from immediate failure to performance degradation and shortened lifetimes. At present, sensors are not capable of monitoring work areas for the buildup of the charge that leads to ESD. Therefore, industry focuses on ESD prevention without monitoring charge buildup. This project will develop and demonstrate a user-friendly sensor that is sensitive enough to monitor the buildup of charges that lead to ESD. In contrast to other sensors on the market, this device measures not only the magnitude but also the direction of the electric fields. This enables users to monitor work areas and take corrective actions long before electric fields large enough to cause ESD are produced. Through this effort, we will study the feasibility of this sensor, and analyze the data collected by it to improve manufacturing quality and performance.The broader impact/commercial potential of this project is that it will enable electronics manufacturers to easily identify ESD hazards and to address potential problems at their sources, reducing expenses and improving product quality. The resulting product will also be useful in the electrostatic painting industry because the quality of applied paint depends on the electric fields generated by painting robots. Another industrial application is the prevention of ESD during the handling of flammables and explosives. Besides these industrial applications, there are many scientific applications for this product. For example, there is evidence that electric forces play an important role on the lifting of dust particles from surfaces. This is an important process because dust aerosols play an important role in our climate. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change recognizes that the interaction of aerosols with clouds is one of the most uncertain processes in our current understanding of our climate. The large uncertainties in climate predictions constrain their use by decision makers. Measurements made with our electric field sensor could improve our understanding of the physics of dust lifting, reducing the uncertainties involved in climate prediction.