The effect of grounding on electrostatic damage

Electrostatic damage during semiconductor manufacturing is nothing new, but despite considerable advancement in the management of electrostatic problems, ESD damage is still being sustained. Reticles (photomasks) are among the most delicate objects in the semiconductor manufacturing environment and since they are critical to the production of virtually everything electronic, a great deal of attention has been paid to preventing them from being damaged. In studying how reticles become damaged, new insight has been gained that is relevant to the damage mechanisms in other electrostatic-sensitive objects.