[sdiy] Storing ICs (and static sensitivity) - how much to worry?

[Needham, Alan]

I have a big problem with this explanation, even after inserting the
supplied correction.

An antistatic bag may measure a few hundred kOhms from corner to corner,
I do not believe that this is enough to slow down any charge front, and
if it did, it would result in the very thing you are trying to avoid -
pins at significantly different voltages.
As I understand it, the packaging attempts to provide some form of
Faraday cage around the device; no matter what static voltage is
applied, all the pins need to be maintained at the same potential, even
if that is 1000's of volts above ground. Aluminium foil would be ideal
IF you could guarantee a connection to every pin.

~~~Snip~~
The materials used in antistatic bags and foam etc are conductive but
have a relatively low conductivity. If you touch the antistatic
material when you are statically charged the charge spreads through
the material slowly, thus only producing a small local differential
between pins on ICs.
~~Snip~~
It is the high voltages typically involved in static discharge, combined
with a path of HIGH conductivity, that leads to high currents between
the IC pins and damage to the circuit inside.
~~Snip~~

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