Agenda

The EOS/ESD Association Technical Standards Summit brings together industry leaders, technology innovators, manufacturers, standards developers, and end users to identify emerging ESD and reliability challenges, assess gaps in current standards, and define priorities that will guide the evolution of industry standards for next-generation electronics technologies.

1. Identify Emerging Technology Challenges Impacting ESD and Reliability
2. Assess Gaps in Existing Standards and Industry Practices
3. Define Industry Priorities for Future Standards Development
4. Improve Alignment Between Technology Roadmaps and Standards Development
5. Strengthen Collaboration Across Industries
6. Improve the Link Between Manufacturing Reality and Standards Requirements
7. Establish a Vision for Ultra-Sensitive Device Manufacturing
8. Accelerate Standards Evolution

Energetic materials—including explosives, propellants, pyrotechnics, and other electrostatic discharge-sensitive materials—present some of the most demanding ESD control challenges of any industry. Unlike semiconductor manufacturing, where ESD events may damage devices, electrostatic discharge in energetics can have immediate safety consequences for personnel, facilities, and mission-critical operations.

As manufacturing technologies, automation, advanced materials, and global supply chains evolve, the standards industry has an opportunity to ensure ESD guidance remains current, practical, and harmonized across commercial, defense, aerospace, and government applications.

What does the energetics community need from the standards industry to improve safety, consistency, and implementation over the next decade?

Aerospace and military systems have some of the longest product life cycles of any industry, often exceeding 20–40 years. Increasing electronics density, advanced packaging, and heterogeneous integration are creating new ESD and latch-up risks. Supply chain globalization and component obsolescence continue to challenge qualification and reliability efforts. Mission-critical applications require extremely high confidence in standards, test methods, and compliance processes.

If the EOS/ESD Association could deliver one new standard, technical report, or industry initiative over the next three years that would provide the greatest value to aerospace and military organizations, what should it be?

Traditional ESD control programs were developed when devices were significantly more robust. Advanced packaging technologies are driving unprecedented CDM sensitivity. 2.5D heterogeneous integration introduces multiple handling points, suppliers, and assembly processes. The industry is moving toward a point where prevention—not qualification testing—is the primary defense.

How can manufacturing successfully control ESD when devices are approaching or below 5V CDM sensitivity?

Foundries are at the forefront of technology development and often see ESD challenges years before products reach volume manufacturing. As device geometries shrink, advanced packaging proliferates, and heterogeneous integration becomes the norm, foundries need clear guidance on future ESD expectations to make informed process, design, and investment decisions.

How can the EOS/ESD Association Technology Roadmap better support foundries in preparing for the next generation of ESD challenges?

The automotive industry is undergoing one of the most significant technology transformations in its history. Electrification, autonomous driving, advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), software-defined vehicles, high-speed communications, and increasingly complex semiconductor content are creating new ESD and reliability challenges. While automotive has historically relied on a combination of industry standards, OEM specifications, and supplier requirements, many stakeholders believe current standards are struggling to keep pace with technology evolution.

What gaps exist in today's ESD and reliability standards, and what does the automotive industry need from standards organizations over the next 5–10 years?

As semiconductor manufacturing moves toward greater automation and device sensitivities continue to decline, the role of manufacturing equipment in ESD control has become increasingly critical. Many organizations invest heavily in ESD control programs, yet a significant portion of ESD risk originates from automated handling equipment, assembly tools, robotics, conveyors, and test systems. Today, there is often no universally accepted certification framework that demonstrates a tool is truly suitable for handling increasingly sensitive devices.

What standards, performance criteria, and certification processes should be used to qualify automated manufacturing and assembly tools for ESD-sensitive production environments?

The challenges facing ESD and reliability engineers today no longer fit neatly within a single industry. Semiconductor manufacturers, automotive OEMs, aerospace contractors, medical device companies, consumer electronics manufacturers, foundries, OSATs, equipment suppliers, and materials providers are all confronting similar issues:

• Advanced packaging and heterogeneous integration
• Ultra-low CDM robustness
• Increasing system complexity
• AI and high-performance computing applications
• Electrification and autonomous systems
• Supply chain fragmentation
• Faster technology development cycles

No single industry can solve these challenges alone.

How can industries collaborate more effectively to develop the next generation of ESD and reliability standards that are both technically robust and broadly applicable?

As the electronics industry advances into an era of heterogeneous integration, AI hardware, advanced packaging, electrification, autonomous systems, and ultra-sensitive semiconductor devices,  there is increasing pressure to create new standards. However, many stakeholders believe that significant value can still be realized by strengthening, modernizing, and expanding existing standards before developing entirely new ones. 

How should the standards community prioritize improving existing ESD and reliability standards to ensure they remain relevant, practical, and effective for future technologies?

By the conclusion of the Summit, participants should aim to produce:

1. Top 10 Emerging ESD and Reliability Challenges
2. Priority Standards Gap Analysis
3. Recommendations for the ESDA Technology Roadmap\
4. Cross-Industry Collaboration Opportunities
5. Future Manufacturing Readiness Assessment
6. Recommended Standards and Technical Report Initiatives
7. Strategic Input for EOS/ESD Association Standards Committees

Together, we will build what's next.