Electromagnetic

Compatibility (EMC)
 Introduction to EMC
• Numerous sources of electromagnetic
emissions such as
– lightning, relays, dc electric motors, and
fluorescent lights generate electromagnetic
waves that are rich in spectral content and
can cause interference in other electronic
devices.
 Introduction to EMC
– There are also sources of electromagnetic
emissions that contain only a narrow band of
frequencies.
• High-voltage power transmission lines generate
electromagnetic emissions at the power frequency
[60 Hz; 50 Hz].
• Radio transmitters transmit desired emissions by
encoding information (voice, music, etc.) on a
carrier frequency
 Introduction to EMC
– Radar transmitters also transmit pulses of a
single-frequency carrier. The spectral content
of this radar pulse is distributed over a larger
band of frequencies around the carrier than
are radio transmissions.
– The spectral content of digital devices
generally occupies a wide range of
frequencies and can also cause interference
in electrical and electronic devices
 Introduction to EMC
• Electromagnetic emissions cause
interference in electrical and electronic
devices.
– The lightning discharge is rich in frequency
components, some of which pass through the
input filter of the radio, causing noise to be
superimposed on the desired signal.
 Introduction to EMC
– A strong transmission from an FM radio
station or TV station may be picked up by a
digital computer, causing the computer to
interpret it as data or a control signal resulting
in incorrect function of the computer.
– A digital computer may create emissions that
couple into a TV, causing interference.
 EMC
– An electronic system that is able to function
compatibly with other electronic systems and
not produce or be susceptible to interference
is said to be electromagnetically compatible
with its environment.
– The objective of EMCs is to learn how to
design electronic systems for electromagnetic
compatibility (EMC). EMC design techniques
and methodology have become as integral a
part of design.
 EMC
• A system is electromagnetically
compatible with its environment if it
satisfies three criteria:
– 1. It does not cause interference with other
systems.
– 2. It is not susceptible to emissions from other
systems.
– 3. It does not cause interference with itself.
 ASPECTS OF EMC
• EMC is concerned with the generation,
transmission, and reception of
electromagnetic energy. These three
aspects of the EMC problem form the
basic framework of any EMC design.
• Electromagnetic interference (EMI):
Interference occurs if the received energy
causes the receptor to behave in an
undesired manner.
 Three ways to prevent
interference:
– Electromagnetic emissions can occur from the
ac power cord, a metallic enclosure
containing a subsystem, a cable connecting
subsystems or from an electronic component
within a nonmetallic enclosure
• 1. Suppress the emission at its source.
• 2. Make the coupling path as inefficient as
possible.
• 3. Make the receptor less susceptible to
the emission.
 Electrostatic discharge (ESD)
• Walking across a nylon carpet with rubber-
soled shoes can cause a buildup of static
charge on the body.
• If an electronic device such as a keyboard
is touched, this static charge may be
transferred to the device, and an arc is
created between the finger tips and the
device.
 Electrostatic discharge (ESD)
• The direct transfer of charge can cause
permanent destruction of electronic
components such as integrated circuit
chips.
• The arc also bathes the device in an
electromagnetic wave that is picked up by
the internal circuitry. This can result in
system malfunction.
 EMC UNITS
• Conducted emissions:
– voltage in volts (V), and current in amperes
(A)
• Radiated emissions:
– electric field in volts per meter (V/m) and
magnetic field in amperes per meter (A/m).
• Power in watts (W) or power density in
watts per square meter (W/m2)
 EMC UNITS
• The power gain expressed in decibels is
defined as:
– Power gaindB = 10 log10(Pout/Pin )
• The voltage gain and current gain of the
amplifier:
– Voltage gaindB = 20 log10(vout/vin)
– Current gaindB = 20 log10(iout/iin)
 EMC UNITS
• Vout, dBmV = 20 log10(Vout/1 mV)
• Pout, dBm = 10 log10(Pout/1mW)
• EdBmV/m = 20 log10(E:1 mV/m)
• HdBmA/m = 20 log10(H:1 mA/m)
 EMC Requirements for
Electronic Systems
• There are basically two classes of EMC
requirements that are imposed on electronic
systems:
– 1. Those mandated by governmental agencies,
imposing the requirement to control the amount
of “electromagnetic pollution” that the product
generates.
– 2. Those imposed by the product manufacturer.
They are imposed for the purpose of ensuring a
reliable, quality product.
 GOVERNMENTAL
REQUIREMENTS
• These will be divided into two sectors:
those imposed on products marketed in
the United States (USA) and those
imposed on products marketed outside its
borders.
• The regulatory requirements of each
country are further subdivided into those
for commercial use and those for military
use.
Requirements for Commercial
Products Marketed
in the United States
– In the United States the Federal Communications
Commission (FCC) is charged with the regulation
of radio and wire communication.
– With the increasing proliferation of computers and
other digital devices, the FCC realized that some
limits on the electromagnetic emissions from
these devices was necessary in order to minimize
their potential for interfering with radio and wire
communications.
 The FCC class A & B products
• The FCC further breaks the digital device
class of products into Class A and Class B.
– Class A digital devices are those that are
marketed for use in a commercial, industrial, or
business environment.
– Class B digital devices are those that are
marketed for use in a residential environment.
 Conducted emissions
• Conducted emissions are those currents
that are passed out through the unit’s ac
power cord and placed on the common
power net, where they may radiate more
efficiently because of the much larger
expanse of this “antenna” and thus cause
interference with other devices.
• The frequency range for conducted
emissions extends from 150 kHz to 30
MHz.
 Conducted emissions
• Compliance is verified by inserting a line
impedance stabilization network (LISN)
into the unit’s ac power cord. Although the
emission to be controlled is current
passing out the ac line cord, the limits are
given in volts. This is because the test
device (LISN) measures a voltage that is
directly related to the interference current.
FCC and CISPR 22 Conducted
Emission Limits
for Class B Digital Devices
Frequency (MHz) mV QP (AV) dBmV QP (AV)
0.15 1995 (631) 66 (56)
0.5 631 (199.5) 56 (46)
0.5–5 631 (199.5) 56 (46)
5–30 1000 (316) 60 (50)
FCC and CISPR 22 Conducted
Emission Limits for
Class A Digital Devices
Frequency (MHz) mV QP (AV) dBmV QP (AV)
0.15–0.5 8912.5 (1995) 79 (66)
0.5–30 4467 (1000) 73 (60)
 Radiated emissions
• Radiated emissions concern the electric
and magnetic fields radiated by the device
that may be received by other electronic
devices, causing interference in those
devices.
• The FCC requires measurement of the
radiated electric field, and the regulatory
limits are given in terms of that field in
dBmV/m.
 Radiated emissions
• The frequency range for radiated emissions
begins at 30 MHz and extends to 40 GHz.
• Compliance is verified by measuring the
radiated electric fields of the product either
in a semianechoic chamber or at an open-
field test site.
• The radiated emissions must be measured
with the measurement antenna in both the
vertical and horizontal polarizations with
respect to the ground plane of the test site.
FCC Emission Limits for Class B
Digital Devices (Measured at 3 m)
Frequency (MHz) μV/m dBμV/m
30–88 100 40
88–216 150 43.5
216–960 200 46
>960 500 54

>1 GHz 500 (AV) 54 (AV)

5000 (PK) 74 (PK)
FCC Emission Limits for Class A
Digital Devices Measured at 10 m
Frequency (MHz) μV/m dBμV/m
30–88 90 39
88–216 150 43.5
216–960 210 46.4
>960 300 49.5

>1 GHz 300 (AV) 49.5 (AV)

3000 (PK) 69.5 (PK)
 Requirements for Commercial
Products Marketed
outside the United States
• The International Special Committee on
Radio Interference (CISPR), which is a
committee of the International
Electrotechnical Committee (IEC).
 The International Special
Committee on Radio Interference
(CISPR)
– Although CISPR writes standards, they are not
mandatory. However, most international
countries adopt the CISPR recommendations.
– The most widely used standard is CISPR 22
( the European Norm EN 55022) that sets
limits on the radiated and conducted emissions
of information technology equipment (ITE),
which basically includes digital devices in the
similar meaning as for the FCC.
 Requirements for Military
Products Marketed in the US
• Specification of limits on emissions for
control of interference is obviously more
critical for military products than
commercial products since interference
can affect mission performance of the
system containing the product.
• The typical electromagnetic environment
of a military system is considerably more
harsh than that for a commercial product.
 Requirements for Military
Products Marketed in the US
• The EMC requirements for products that are
produced for use by the U.S. military (all
branches of the Department of Defense or
DoD) are contained in the military standard
MIL-STD-461E:1999.
• Requirements of MIL-STD-461E:
– Conducted emissions: CE101/102/106
– Conducted susceptibility: CS101-116
– Radiated emissions: RE101/102/103
– Radiated susceptibility: RS101/103/105
 Measurement of Emissions
for Verification of Compliance
• Every standard that sets out limits on
radiated and conducted emissions (FCC,
CISPR 22, and MIL-STD-461) clearly
defines how the data are to be measured.
This includes test procedure, test
equipment, bandwidth, and test antennas.
 Radiated Emissions
• The radiated electric fields are to be
measured either at an open-area test site
(OATS) or in a semianechoic chamber
(SAC).
– The OATS is preferred;
– The SAC provides allweather measurement
capability as well as security.
• A semianechoic chamber is a shielded room
having radio-frequency absorber material on
the sides and at the top of the room to
prevent reflections and simulate free space
 Radiated Emissions
– The product is placed 1 m above the floor of
the chamber.
– A ground plane without absorber constitutes
the floor of the room.
– There are two purposes for the semianechoic
chamber.
• The first is to prevent electromagnetic emissions
from outside the room from contaminating the test.
This is provided by the shielded room.
• The second is to prevent reflections at the walls of
the shielded room so as to simulate free space,
and this feature is provided by the radio-frequency
absorber material that lines the walls.
 Radiated Emissions
– The measurement receiver uses a quasi-peak
detector for the FCC and CISPR 22
measurements, whereas the MIL-STD-461E
receiver must use a peak detector.
– The FCC Class B measurement distance is 3
m, and the Class A distance is 10 m.
– The CISPR 22 measurement distance is 10 m
for both Class B and Class A ITE equipment.
 Antennas
• The preferred measurement antenna for
the FCC measurements is a tuned, half-
wave dipole.
– A half-wave dipole is a linear antenna whose
length is 0.5λ at the measurement frequency.
• Antennas having large bandwidths are
used in swept-frequency measurements:
– The biconical antenna may be used from 30
to 200 MHz,
– The log-periodic antenna is used from 200
MHz to 1 GHz.
 Antennas
• The measurement antennas in the FCC
and CISPR 22 tests are to be scanned
from a height of 1 m above the floor to 4 m
and the maximum level recorded. Also the
antennas are to be placed in horizontal
polarization (parallel to the floor) and in
vertical polarization (perpendicular to the
floor) and the maximum recorded
emissions in both polarizations must not
exceed the standard.
 Antennas
• The antennas for the MIL-STD-461E
measurement antennas are specified as a
104-cm rod dipole antenna from 10 kHz to
30 MHz, a biconical antenna from 30 to
200 MHz, and a double-ridge horn
antenna above 200 MHz.
 Conducted Emissions
• The conducted emission is the noise
current passing out through the product’s
ac power cord, will be placed on the
common power net which represents a
large antenna, therefore radiate quite
efficiently, which can produce interference.
 Conducted Emissions
• The conducted emission that should be
measured is the noise current conducted
out through the ac power cord of the
product.
• The FCC and CISPR conducted emission
limits are given in units of volts. This is
because the tests are to be conducted by
inserting a line impedance stabilization
network (LISN) in series with the ac power
cord of the product.
 Conducted Emissions
• There are two purposes of the LISN:
– to prevent noise external to the test (on the
common ac power net) from contaminating the
measurement.
– to present a constant impedance (50Ω) in
frequency and from site to site to the product
between phase and ground and between
neutral and ground.
This 50Ω resistor represents the standard 50Ω
input impedance to the spectrum analyzer or
receiver that is used to measure the phase VP
and neutral VN voltages.
 Conducted Emissions
The measured voltages are directly related to
the noise currents passed out the phase and
neutral conductors IP and IN:
• VP=50IP
• VN=50IN
 Radiated Susceptibility
(Immunity)
• The purpose of these tests is to ensure
that the product will operate properly when
it is installed in the vicinity of high-power
transmitters.
• The EU and MIL-STD-461E standards
include a radiated susceptibility test; the
FCC requirements do not.
 Conducted Susceptibility
(Immunity)
• Products can be susceptible to a wide
variety of interference signals that enter it
via the ac power cord: lightning-induced
transients, thunderstorms, circuit breakers.
• The EU and MIL-STD-461E standards
include conducted susceptibility tests; the
FCC standards do not.
 Electrostatic Discharge (ESD)
• The basic phenomenon is the buildup of
static charge on a person’s body or
furniture with the subsequent discharge to
the product when the person or the
furniture touches the product.
• The static voltage can approach 25 kV in
magnitude. When the discharge occurs,
large currents momentarily course through
the product. These currents can cause IC
memories to clear, machines to reset, etc.
 Electrostatic Discharge (ESD)
• The EU standards include an ESD test.
The FCC and MILSTD-461E standards do
not.
• Two mechanisms by which an ESD arc
discharge can create functional problems:
– 1. Conduction tends to produce both
malfunction and damage in the electronics.
– 2. Radiation (near-field radiation here) tends
to cause only upset, but may also cause
damage.
 EMC components
• Absorbers
• Antennas
• Chambers
• Helmholtz Coils
• Industrial Shielding
• LISNs
• Positioners
• Probes & Monitors
• SAR/HAC
• Software
• TEM Devices
• Test Enclosures
 Absorbers

Curvilinear RF Absorber

Microwave Convoluted Absorber

Ferrite Tile Absorber

High Performance Hybrid Ferrite Tile
Polyurethane Dielectric
 Antennas

Dipoles

BiConiLogs

Double-Ridged Guide

Loops Octave Horn

 Defense Chambers

SpaceSaver™ Chambers
FACT™ Chambers

MIL-STD Chambers SMART™ Chambers

 EMC Helmholtz Coils

Monaxial Helmholtz Coil - Helmholtz

Coils create an extremely uniform low
frequency magnetic field between and in
the center of the coils. The strength of
the magnetic field generated is directly
proportional to the number of turns in the
coils and the current applied to them.
 Industrial Shielding

Single Knife EdgeTM Door Shielded Rooms

ASDS Door

WE Welded Fabrication Enclosures

DEI Enclosures
LISNs (Line Impedance
Stabilization Network )
 Positioners

Antenna Towers

Tripods

Turntables Multi-Axis Positioner (MAPS)

 Probes & Monitors

E & H Near Field Probe Sets Current Probes

Probe Stand Electric Field Probes

 SAR/HAC

Full Compliance Measurement

SAR/HAC Equipment

Pre-Compliance Measurement
 Software
Software is an integrated approach to
designing, performing, reporting and
archiving complex electromagnetic
compatibility (EMC) tests.

• Flowchart – a visual display of the sequence of

steps necessary to perform a test.
• Data – controls the definition of each data
element used by the test.
• Instruments - identifies the instruments that will
be used during the test.
• Log – logs the execution of the test.
• Audit Trail – lists all the settings used within a
test, such as instrument settings, etc.
 TEM Devices

Tri-Plate

Electric Field Generator

Horizontal/Vertical (H/V) Electric Field Generator GTEM! Test Cells

 Test Enclosures

Wireless Interface Test System Access Point Test Enclosure

Table Top Test Enclosures Mini-Reverb Cell

Thank you!