This post is edited from an article I originally wrote in 2007, and is included herein as in a way also a re-edit of the post “Static is Your Enemy“, based upon the same source material.

Every now and again I see and / or hear, horrific things: Things like pictures of perfectly good motherboards being placed face-up on nylon carpets to photograph in the hope of selling them. Things like RAM-sticks being wrapped in bubble-wrap and popped into a plastic shopping bag. The sight of trainee-technicians combing their hair while handling processors, or a workshop junior without a care in the world trying to bend processor pins back into place with all-metal tweezers, while at the same time brushing the dust they picked up from inside the spares cupboard off their polyester garments. – Harmless activities to the layman perhaps; but fatal or potentially hazardous to the electronics. The reason – Static electricity:

In the case of all CMOS computer circuitry; anti-static precautions are a necessity at all times when handling, packing, and storing any item of computer equipment or componentry. This is even more important, in some ways, than avoiding exposure to damp and high temperatures, as damp can always be dried out before fitting and use. 9 times out of 10 there’s no lasting damage from a bit of damp: Well nothing that drying out won’t put right anyway; provided that nobody attempts to use electronic components while they’re damp.

The Technical Bit.

Computer components such as RAM sticks, processors, motherboards, graphics cards…you name it, either consist to a large extent of a combination of discrete transistors and integrated circuits or "chips", containing in some cases millions of transistors, or are themselves “chips”, as in the case of a CPU or processor. These transistors are in most cases, other than some power-controller transistors, of the MOSFET variety. : In a very basic terms and on a nanoscopic level, these consist of a microscopic layer of doped semiconductor material laid and adhered to a micro-thin silicon wafer: A tiny gate-electrode is insulated from the semiconductor material by an incredibly-thin and fragile insulating material alongside the semiconductor.

Under normal operation; the gate, being totally electrically insulated from everything else except the lead connecting to it, regulates the flow of electrons through the semiconductor material between the drain and the source connections at either end of the semiconductor material; which is how the transistor works. Due to the fragile nature of the insulating layer between the gate and the semiconductor, however, it doesn’t take much energy, in the form of electrical current, to break down the insulation between the gate and the semiconductor creating a low-current potential divider with the gate as the centre connection, i.e connected to the semiconductor through the break in the insulation, thus ruining the action and function of that individual transistor. Static electricity can build up on virtually every surface, even the human body in some cases, to a potential of thousands, sometimes millions of volts, and at currents greater than the insulated gate of a MOSFET is capable of withstanding. When these charges are applied to any type of MOSFET circuitry, usually without the culprit realising that they are even present, the obvious occurs; the transistor(s) break down due to the insulating layer depleting or being arced through due to the current of the static-charge, and in an instant the device is rendered inoperative, dead, ruined, broken, kaput, finito, had it, shagged, destroyed, fried…

Some people might at this point be of the opinion that with millions of transistors it wouldn’t hurt if one or two don’t work: After all people don’t die if a few cells in their body die, or they injure themselves slightly.

There are a different set of conditions affecting either though. The human body and the electronic circuit are totally different in many respects: The human body can replace dead cells in days, and can bypass the function of dead cells until new ones are grown by its automatic-repair process, at least to a certain extent. With an electronic circuit if a transistor dies then the function in the pathway of a particular electron flow is rendered inoperative and the device malfunctions, in some cases triggering a chain-reaction in which many other transistors along or connected to that path also die; and when a transistor’s dead there’s no magical resurrection, no afterlife or reincarnation.

Destruction of the component can happen naturally with the age of the component; causing it to break down with usage; but it’s relatively rare in modern electronics. A static charge, however, can "fry" a device; literally causing a micro-detonation of the active components within the device, rendering it totally useless for anything other than melting down and making furniture out of.

How to Avoid Damage

Bearing the above in mind, what needs to be done to prevent this involuntary micro-vandalism from happening?

Stringent anti-static precautions should be adhered to at all times, rigorously, when handling CMOS and MOSFET circuitry. – Which encompasses nearly all circuitry within a computer, except for some parts of the Power Supply Unit.

Anti static precautions are aimed at preventing static electrical charge from reaching a device, or, in many cases, from building up in the first place. – But it’s not quite as simple as it sounds: People seem to think that since polythene is a good electrical insulator, then it’ll protect components from being exposed to static electricity.

WRONG. Polythene is one of static electricity’s favourite places to lurk. A charge builds up easily on any polythene surface by means of friction with another material. Nylon also is an excellent static-capacitor, as is your carpet, your leather sofa, and most of your clothes.

“What if I pack electronics naked?” You ask.

Your naked body is a conductor of static electricity, from the carpet, your sofa, your dress, straight into the nearest transistor, and you needn’t necessarily feel a shock either. – To avoid damaging circuitry you need to keep all possibility of static discharge well away from it.

Ground Thyself

An anti-static wristband should be worn at all times when handling semiconductors or semiconductor-based circuitry; CMOS, MOSFET, whatever. Go into any electronics lab, even at college, and you’ll see everyone wearing one on their wrist. This is providing any static charge that comes into contact with their body with a path to electrical earth; the quickest path to destination, which is the path all electricity will take in all cases.

All handling of electronic circuitry and components should be within a static-proof environment. If a static electrical charge contacts the component just once then it’s fried. – End of story. Always always always pack electronics in an anti-static bag. NEVER pack them in polystyrene or polythene. Always wear an anti-static wristband when touching a circuit-board or "card"; preferably on the wrist attached to the hand with which you are holding it. NEVER allow the component to come into contact with the carpet or any manmade fibre: Even if it did happen to be made by a woman. (Avoid carpets in the packing/handling environment if at all possible.) a polythene, polycarbonate, polystyrene, poly methyl methacrylate, poly-whatever surface, and don’t allow it into a strong electromagnetic or electrostatic field. (Microwave, electrical transformer, close to a television screen, etc.) Avoid touching any exposed metal part or component on the board/card if at all possible.

Electronics are fragile. – That’s one of the reasons they’re shielded and kept away from contact with anything else wherever possible. There’s a general rule these days that newer the part the more static-sensitive it is; notwithstanding any extra built-in durability and protection.

Take care and always use proper anti-static precautions; otherwise it could cost you a fortune in parts.