Sponsor: Central Coast Section
Speaker: Dan Bezzant

Date: 22 Apr 2026
Time: 06:00 PM PDT to 08:30 PM PDT
Cost:
Location: Rusty’s Pizza ­­ 5934 Calle Real, Goleta, CA 93117 or Optional Virtual Webex Attendance
Reservations: IEEE
Summary:
Electrostatic discharge is a significant threat to the reliability and performance of electronic systems. This presentation gives an overview of the physical mechanisms of static charge generation, including triboelectric effects, and the resulting high-voltage discharge events that can occur during normal handling and operation. The susceptibility of semiconductor devices to ESD is examined, along with the limitations of intrinsic protection structures within integrated circuits. Various ESD-induced failure modes are discussed, including catastrophic damage, parametric degradation, latent defects, and transient system upsets. Mitigation strategies are explored at multiple design levels, including component selection, circuit card assembly (CCA) design, and system-level protection. Techniques such as current limiting, transient voltage suppression, controlled grounding, shielding, and mechanical design practices are addressed. In addition, environmental controls and handling procedures are considered as part of a comprehensive ESD control program. The paper concludes with practical design and verification guidelines intended to improve system robustness and reduce ESD-related failures.

Bio: Dan Bezzant is a recently retired EE with over 40 years experience in electronic hardware development. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Brigham Young University and a Master of Science in Engineering Management from Santa Clara University. Dan’s career spanned various fields such as computing, test equipment design, and defense, including work on a Mini CW Radar for drone tracking and miniature synthetic aperture radar pods for IED detection. Dan is named on 12 patents.
Originally from Southern California, Dan grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and raised his family in Silicon Valley. He will be retiring to Utah at the end of the month, after living in Santa Barbara for 4 years by his daughter and 4 of his grandchildren. Dan is a lover of sailing and all things related to boats.