Latent EOS Damage

When discussing about ESD stress testing and the ESD robustness of electronic products, often concerns about the possibility of latent damage due to ESD are voiced. Unfortunately, in this regard it is often forgotten, that given the large failure rates due to EOS the likeliness of latent damage due to electrical overstress is by far larger than the chances of latent damage due to ESD.

Examples:

  • Impact of reverse-bias overvoltages on the useful lifetime of light-emitting diodes (LEDs)