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改进一种电场传感器，该传感器是为研究粉尘带电而开发的，用于工业应用。材料表面的电荷积累往往大到足以引起静电放电(ESD)。这在半导体和电子行业是一个严重的问题，因为ESD会导致产品损坏，从立即故障到性能下降和寿命缩短。目前，传感器不能监测工作区域导致静电放电的电荷积聚。因此，业界将重点放在预防ESD上，而不是监控电荷积累。该项目将开发和展示一种用户友好的传感器，该传感器足够灵敏，可以监测导致ESD的电荷积累。与市场上的其他传感器不同，这种设备不仅可以测量电场的大小，还可以测量电场的方向。这使用户能够监控工作区域并在产生足够大的电场导致ESD之前很久就采取纠正措施。通过这项工作，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。该项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是，它将使电子制造商能够轻松地识别ESD危害，并从根源上解决潜在问题，从而降低成本和提高产品质量。由此产生的产品也将在静电涂装行业中有用，因为涂装涂料的质量取决于涂装机器人产生的电场。另一个工业应用是在处理易燃易爆物品时防止ESD。除了这些工业应用，该产品还有许多科学应用。例如，有证据表明，电力在清除表面尘埃颗粒方面发挥着重要作用。这是一个重要的过程，因为尘埃气溶胶在我们的气候中扮演着重要的角色。政府间气候变化专门委员会认识到，气溶胶与云的相互作用是我们目前对气候的理解中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的使用。使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.