I-Corps: The Charge Tracker

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。2010年，电子制造业在防静电产品上花费了约9.5亿美元。目前，电场传感器不能监测人员和工作区域的电荷积聚，从而导致ESD。因此，业界将重点放在预防ESD上，而不是监控电荷积累。在NSF的资助下，该团队开发了一种能够以高精度和高灵敏度测量静电场矢量的传感器。设计并制作了两个版本的传感器，一个版本更简单，另一个版本更精确。该传感器正被用于科学和工程应用。它已经向潜在的工业合作伙伴展示，并取得了积极的成果。根据这些潜在客户的反馈，该团队建议改进该平台，并确定这两个版本作为商业产品的可行性。拟议的电荷传感器将使电子制造商能够识别ESD危险，并从根源上解决潜在问题，从而降低成本，提高产品质量和生产率。该传感器还将在静电涂装行业中有用，因为涂装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。除了工业应用，还有许多科学应用。例如，有证据表明，电力在将尘埃颗粒从表面上清除的过程中发挥着重要作用。这是一个重要的过程，因为尘埃气溶胶对气候起着重要作用。如果部署成功，建议的传感器有可能解决工业和研究中的多个机会。

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. In 2010 the electronic manufacturing industry spent approximately $950 MM in ESD prevention products. Currently electric field sensors are not capable of monitoring people and work areas for the buildup of the charge that leads to ESD. Therefore, industry focuses on ESD prevention without monitoring charge buildup. With funding from NSF, the team developed a sensor capable of measuring static electric fields vectors with high accuracy and sensitivity. The designed and fabricated two versions of the sensor, one version is simpler the other is more accurate. The sensor is being used in science and engineering applications. It has been demonstrated to potential industrial partners with positive results. Based on the feedback from these potential customers, the team proposes to refine the platform and determine the viability of both versions as commercial products. The proposed charge sensor will enable electronic manufacturers to identify ESD hazards and to address potential problems at their sources, reducing expenses, and improving product quality and productivity. The sensor 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 industrial applications, there are many scientific applications. For example, there is evidence that electric forces play an important role on the lifting of dust particles from the surface. This is an important process because dust aerosols play an important role on climate. If successfully deployed, the proposed sensor has the potential to address multiple opportunities in industry and research.