Overview of 61340-5-1 & 2

The IEC 61340-5-1 Technical Report Protection of electronic devices from electrostatic phenomena – General Requirements was developed from earlier Standards including EN100015. It is accompanied by a User Guide IEC61340-5-2, which gives a lot of additional information to help the non-specialist implement IEC61340-5-1. As a IEC documents, they have world-wide applicability and are planned to be developed into full world-wide IEC standards in the future. 

In Europe, the 61340-5-1&2 documents have been adopted by CENELEC to replace EN100015. We recommend that the guidance given by the 61340-5-1 General Requirements document is considered mandatory, while the additional guidance given by the 61340-5-2 User Guide may be considered to be recommendations. 

Parts of 61340-5-1 may be found on technical grounds to be unnecessary or irrelevant to a particular installation or processes, and may be omitted. Where only partial compliance is required in this way, this should be made clear to all who use or audit your ESD facilities. A good way to achieve this would be to document it in an in-house ESD Programme or the EPA Certificate of Conformance.  

IEC61340-5-1 specifies general requirements for the design, use and control of a protected area so that electrostatic sensitive devices (ESDS), having sensitivity of 100V (Human Body Model test) or higher, can be handled with minimal risk of damage from procurement through to end of life. The Technical Report covers:

• Signs and markings
• The electrostatic protected area (EPA) including requirements for protective equipment, construction of the EPA, working practices, and field work
• Protective packaging
• Training requirements
• Quality responsibilities
• Periodic Audit instructions

An Annex describes test methods to be used to verify the performance of equipment, materials and packaging for use in protection of ESDS.

The Technical Report does not cover health and safety requirements, and compliance with local regulations and practices should always be observed in this respect.

The Technical Report warns that special care may be required in implementing static damage prevention measures under the following conditions:

Low humidity

The electrostatic properties of materials are very dependent on atmospheric humidity. A controlled humidity of 50 %rh suits most circumstances. If humidity reduces below 20 %rh, ensure that selected materials and equipment will perform effectively under operational conditions.

Clean room conditions

Some current materials and techniques in use for ESD protection are not suitable for use in clean rooms (class 100 or tighter).

Where high voltages may be present

If high voltages greater than 250VAC or 500VDC are present then take particular care to consider safety requirements.