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电场传感器，开发用于研究工业应用中的粉尘带电。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，传感器无法监测工作区域中导致ESD的电荷积聚。因此，工业界关注ESD预防而不监控电荷积累。该项目将开发并演示一种用户友好型传感器，该传感器足够灵敏，可以监控导致静电放电的电荷积累。与市场上的其他传感器相比，该设备不仅测量电场的大小，还测量电场的方向。这使用户能够监控工作区域，并在产生足以引起ESD的电场之前采取纠正措施。通过这项工作，我们将研究这种传感器的可行性，并分析它收集的数据，以提高制造质量和性能。该项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力是，它将使电子制造商能够轻松识别ESD危害，并从源头上解决潜在的问题，降低成本，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，因为所涂油漆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物和爆炸物时防止ESD。除了这些工业应用外，该产品还有许多科学应用。例如，有证据表明，电力在从表面提升灰尘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起着重要作用。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沙尘物理学的理解，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.