Since electronic equipment was first developed, static electricity has been a
source of problems for users and designers. In the last few years, however,
electrostatic discharge (ESD) has become a source of major problems. This
has occurred because newer electronic devices, such as integrated circuits,
are much more susceptible to ESD problems than previous devices, such as
vacuum tubes. Another trend compounding this ESD susceptibility problem
is the spread of sophisticated equipment into home and office environments
where ESD is quite common.
