TECH SPOTLIGHT

Conductive Coatings
Protect Circuitry from
EMI/RFI and ESD

Master Bond Inc. 154 Hobart Street, Hackensack, NJ 07601 USA

Phone +1.201.343.8983 | Fax +1.201.343.2132 | WhitePaper@masterbond.com

Conductive Coatings Protect

Circuitry from EMI/RFI and ESD
Electromagnetic interference (EMI) and radio frequency
interference (RFI, so called because the offending source
is within the frequency range dedicated to radio frequency
transmission) are very important issues in the world of
electronics. EMI/RFI is energy that unintentionally affects
an electrical circuit and causes it to degrade its operation
or, in the worst cases, malfunction. This energy is emitted
from various sources, such as radios or appliances, and
can be present whenever current is interrupted through an
inductive load. For example, electromagnetic interference
at 2.4 GHz can be caused by 802.11b and 802.11g wireless
devices, Bluetooth devices, baby monitors, and microwave
ovens.

take a few minutes for a brief review of what, why, and how
EMI/RFI occurs.
There are two possible scenarios here, electromagnetic
source pulses may be generated either internally from
the affected equipment itself, or externally. In either case,
interference occurs when there is a source, a receptor, and
a coupling between the source and the receptor.
There are four basic coupling mechanisms between
components, circuits, or equipment: conductive, capacitive,
magnetic (also sometimes referred to as inductive), or any
combination of these, and radiative. Conductive coupling
occurs when the coupling path between EMI sources and

Since electronic devices, components and the ICs that

enable them are all getting smaller, EMI/RFI is more of
an issue than it was previously. With the proliferation
of mobile electronics such as cell phones and phablets
(cell phone-tablets) employing higher-output-power and
higher-chip-speed/higher-frequency CPUs, the result too
often is leakage of extraneous electronic signals, causing
unintentional EMI/RFI interference. EMI/RFI protection also
has become a more significant issue due to the increased
use of plastic enclosures/ housings for manufacturing
digital electronic devices, which has increased the need
for shielding components from this insidious and stray
electromagnetic radiation.
EMI/RFI shielding can be defined as the process of blocking
interfering signals from one circuit to another by separating
them with a barrier made of conductive material. In
particular, coatings can be applied in order to protect the
devices from these types of interference, providing a sort
of immunity for sensitive components and/or preventing
excessive emissions of EMI to other susceptible equipment.
Well shortly see why coating is an effective and reliable
solution for circuitry being protected in such critical
applications as military, aerospace, and medical equipment.
But first, for the engineer to best apply the concepts
of shielding effectively, one requires an understanding
of the source of the interference, and the environment
surrounding the source as well as the receiver (the
components and boards we are trying to protect). So lets

High quality conductive coatings protect medical

ultrasound equipment against performance
degradation from EMI/RFI interference.
EMI-susceptible equipment is formed by direct contact
with a conducting body; for example, a transmission line,
wire, cable, PCB trace, antenna leads, or even a ground
return used in common by two circuits. Typical sources of
conducted interference include switching power supplies,
AC motors, and microprocessors.
Capacitive coupling occurs when a varying electrical field
exists between two adjacent conductors usually less than a
wavelength apart (which is only 30 cm for a 1 GHz wave,

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one reason why this must be accounted for in particular

by designers in high frequency applications), inducing
a change in voltage across the gap. Capacitive coupling
must be taken into consideration not just when circuits
are involved; it can happen when two cables of a system
are routed close to each other, thus in effect forming a
capacitor.

considered a vital element of survivability, not just to ensure

optimal performance but to prevent detection by opposing
forces. EMI also can be intentionally used for obstructing
communication, as in some forms of electronic warfare.
In all of these applications, a highly conductive coating is
required to shield against EMI/RFI effects and/or attenuate
the electronic signatures.

Inductive coupling is basically broken down into magnetic

or electrical. These occur when the source and receiver are
separated by a short distance. Electrical induction occurs
when a varying electrical field exists between two adjacent
conductors, inducing a change in voltage across the gap
(and without physical contact of the conductors). Magnetic
induction can exist when a varying magnetic field exists
between the source and the receiver. In common usage,
electrical induction is referred to as capacitive coupling (as
just described above), and magnetic induction as inductive
coupling.

Whats more, with lighter weight plastics having made

substantial inroads into the electronic battlefield, there
is an ever-increasing need to protect the sensitive digital
electronics with coatings that guard against EMI/RFI and
thereby ensure that components are fit for duty. Among
the many real-world military applications affected by EMI/
RFI are sensing devices on weapons systems, vehicle
electronics and aircraft systems.

Environmentally friendly, economical, conductive

coatings provide excellent shielding effectiveness for
plastic enclosures in electrical household appliances.
Radiated EMI coupling is normally experienced when the
source and victim are separated by a large distance
typically more than a wavelength. Radiated RFI is most
often found in the frequency range from 30 MHz to 10 GHz.

Considering Interference Potential for

Critical Applications
Military equipment presents particularly challenging
situations. The ambient conditions can be extreme;
invariably there are severe vibration and shock issues
and the environment itself is subject to a great deal of
electromagnetic noise. Simply put, shielding against
EMI/RFI is a must here. Additionally, with the advent of
electromagnetic and electro-optical sensors in modern
military platforms, the suppression of EMI/RFI is also

Electrostatic Dissipation Protection

A related application is for electrostatic dissipation. The
requirements for ESD are similar to those of EMI, but
the level of conductivity needed is lower- resistivities of
102 to 104 ohm-cm are adequate. (Note: The acronym
ESD can and is used to refer to both Electrostatic
Discharge and Electrostatic Dissipative techniques. To
prevent confusion going forward, this article will refer to
Electrostatic Dissipative techniques as static protectiona
means of preventing unwanted charge build-up on the
surface of parts that could otherwise transfer to sensitive
components. And this article will use the acronym ESD to
refer to discharge events.)
Basically, ESD can happen any time a charged conductive
object approaches another conductive object. Initially,
a strong electric field forms between the objects, then
an arc can occur; in 0.7 to 10 ns, the current in this arc
can sometimes exceed 100 A. The arc continues until the
objects touch or until the current drops too low to sustain
the arc. Current injected by the arc can penetrate the thin
insulating layers inside components, damaging the gates of
MOSFETs or CMOS components and triggering latch-up in
CMOS devices.
However the situation is made more difficult since the
trends in semiconductors include shrinking geometries,
thinner gate oxides, higher-speed circuit operation, and an
increasing number of I/O pins. These scenarios just about
guarantee that electronic components will have increased
susceptibility to damage due to electrostatic discharge.
Electrical overstress (EOS) is another important issue here.
EOS is a term used to describe the thermal damage that
may occur when an IC is subjected to a current or voltage
that is beyond the datasheet specification limits of the
device. EOS is a much slower phenomenon than ESD, but
the associated energy is very high. The thermal damage is
the result of the excessive heat generated during the EOS
event.

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In a sense, electrostatic discharge (ESD) is a special type of

EOS. While ESD is a very high-voltage (more than 500 V)
and moderate-peak-current (about 1 A to 10 A) event that
occurs in a short time, EOS is a lower-voltage (less than
100 V) and large-peak-current (more than 10 A) event that
occurs over a longer time frame.
A discharge of static electricity can be viewed as a
miniature lightning bolt. And while a human being cannot
feel the ESD shock until it reaches several thousand volts, a
components rated ability to withstand ESD may be 50 V or
lower.
Static protection materials are generally subdivided into
three categories: conductive, dissipative and anti-static.
Materials are divided into these groups based on their
individual surface resistance, which is a measurement of
how easily an electric charge can travel across a medium.

may offer modest EMI reduction at very low currents,

they generally do not work at currents over 2 A with
electromechanical contacts.
One of the ways shielding effectiveness is measured is by
attenuation. This refers to the differences of an incoming
intensity of a source and its decrease after it passes
through the coating. The actual unit of measurement
is decibels (dB). It should be noted that this scale is
logarithmic, and a difference of 10 dBs indicates 10 times
the effectiveness. One of the test methods used for
measuring the effectiveness, is IEEE 299 and a reference
material like aluminum or copper can be used for
comparison.

An efficient way to prevent ESD is to use materials that are

not too conductive but will slowly conduct static charges
away. These dissipative materials the most important
category for the purposes of discussing ESD protection for
electronic circuitry-- allow the charges to flow to ground
more slowly and in a more controlled manner than with
conductive materials.
Anti-static materials are generally referred to as any
material that inhibits triboelectric charging. This is
commonly seen when substrates become electrically
charged by the rubbing or contact with another material.
A materials anti-static characteristic is not necessarily
correlated with its resistivity or resistance.
Master Bond also offers products for ESD that include
coatings to protect against static charge buildup. These
formulations provide dependable protection by allowing
static to dissipate safely without wearing off or losing
resistivity. It is important that the coatings used can be
easily applied to most surfaces and is highly resistant to
weathering, abrasion, humidity, and corrosion. If the coating
can be readily removed, it vastly diminishes the protection.

Coatings: An Effective Shielding Solution

Returning to EMI/RFI, a range of compounds using
different conductive fillers have been developed to absorb
and attenuate electromagnetic energy, thus, shielding
susceptible electronics. These provide numerous resistance
and attenuation levels and can be applied by brushing and
conventional spray techniques.
It is also important to note that coatings can lower system
costs by reducing the amount of filtering needed to pass
certain emissions standards. And unlike a snubber network
a resistor in series with a capacitor across a pair of
contacts it doesnt come with additional component cost
and board space penalty. Whats more, while snubbers

Aqueous based sodium silicate MB600S offers high

thermal stability, impressive shielding effectiveness,
non-flammability and is easy to apply.
In conclusion, stray energy emitted from various sources
can interfere with the internal circuitry of a device,
degrading its operation or in the worst cases, causing a
malfunction. To guard against this possibility, conductive
coatings for EMI/RFI shielding applications feature high
electrical conductivity and offer resistance to heat and
humidity.
Similarly, when electrostatic charge is discharged through
an IC it can create a large current flow and energy
dissipation, which can damage the IC. Here, too, protective
coatings are a proven way of ESD control and, with the
shrinking size of ICs and less and less real estate available,
coatings provide a needed static protection solution
without adding physical components that do not have any
other purpose beyond ESD protection on the chip.
For further information on this article, for answers to any
adhesives applications questions, or for information on any
Master Bond products, please contact our technical experts
at Tel: +1 (201) 343-8983

MOSFETs: Metal-oxide semiconductor field effect transistor

CMOS: Complementary metal oxide semiconductor

Master Bond Inc. | Tel: +1 (201) 343-8983 | www.masterbond.com | whitepaper@masterbond.com

Three Examples of Master Bonds Innovative Coatings for EMI/RFI Shielding

Master Bond MB600G is a new coating for electromagnetic interference and radio frequency interference
shielding applications; it is an aqueous-based, sodium silicate system with a graphite filler. Graphite-filled
materials are well-suited for shielding and static dissipation applications because of the balance of shielding
effectiveness and cost.

MB600G

Aluminum

120
100

Attenuation (dB)

80
60
40
20
0
1000

10000

100000

Frequency (Hz)

Master Bond MB600S is a silver-filled water-based sodium silicate system used as a coating in situations where
EMI shielding effectiveness is paramount. Unlike many other metal oxides, the silver filler is quite resistant to
oxidation. It provides a highly effective moisture barrier and bonds well to a wide variety of substrates.

Master Bond RF Shielding Effectiveness

MB600S
MB600S

Aluminum
Aluminum

120
120

Attenuation (dB)
dB

100
100

8080
6060
4040
2020
00
1000
1000

10000
10000

100000
100000

Frequency (Hz)

Master Bond Inc. | Tel: +1 (201) 343-8983 | www.masterbond.com | whitepaper@masterbond.com

Master Bond MB600SCN is an aqueous-based sodium silicate system with a silver-coated nickel filler. With its
relatively low conductivity as compared to other metal fillers, the silver nickel formulation provides exceptional
shielding for applications where both external RF fields must be excluded, and internal radiated emission must
be attenuated. It is intended for use in applications where very good shielding effectiveness is required and cost
considerations might be more pronounced.

MB600SCN

Aluminum

120

Attenuation (dB)

100
80
60
40
20
0
1000

10000

100000

Frequency (Hz)

Master Bond Inc. | Tel: +1 (201) 343-8983 | www.masterbond.com | whitepaper@masterbond.com