The Contact Discharge applies the ESD current directly to the EUT. This method was devised to reduce the unpredictability of the ESD arc. The discharge current rise time is constant since the energy is directly transferred without the air-gap arc. In situations such as hand held systems, the ESD charge can be directly discharged to the equipment from a person already holding equipment.

The current is transferred on to the PCB of the equipment directly and then travels through the PCB and finally to the IC.

STS adheres to the following Industry Standards for the Contact Discharge ESD test:

IEC 61000-4-2

IEC 801-2

IEC 1000-4-2