Metallized bag for static protection of electronic components

A method for protecting electrostatically sensitive items from static voltages comprising packaging the item with a flexible sheet material adaptable for forming a package, bag, or envelope, having outer and inner surfaces, said sheet material having an aluminum metallic layer bonded to an antistatic polymeric layer, said antistatic layer defining the inner surface of the package, bag, or envelope, said outside aluminum metallic surface providing, due to the presence of Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 on said outside aluminum metallic surface, a high non-conductive surface resistivity no less than about 10.sup.8 ohms/square at ambient conditions of about room temperature and 40 to 60% relative humidity, whereby said aluminum metallic layer and said antistatic layer in combination will provide static protection for the electrostatically sensitive item as determined by a capacitive probe test of discharging 1000 volts direct current onto the outer surface, by preventing the voltage from capacitively coupling to the electrostatically sensitive item.

A packaged electrostatically sensitive item protected from electrostatic charges comprising a static sensitive item having conformed thereabout a flexible sheet material adaptable for forming a package, bag, or envelope, for receiving an electrostatically sensitive item, said sheet material having outer and inner surfaces, said sheet material having an aluminum metallic layer bonded to an antistatic polymeric layer, said antistatic layer defining the inner surface of the package, bag, or envelope, said outside aluminum metallic surface providing, due to the presence of Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 on said outside aluminum metallic surface, a high non-conductive surface resistivity no less than about 10.sup.8 ohms/square at ambient conditions of about room temperature and 40 and 60% relative humidity, whereby said aluminum metallic layer and said antistatic layer in combination will provide static protection for the electrostatically sensitive item as determined by a capacitive probe test of discharging 1000 volts direct current onto the outer surface, by preventing the voltage from capacitively coupling to the electrostatically sensitive item.