Optimizing EMC and RF Test Chamber Design and Performance

An EMC test chamber is a considerable investment impacted by many factors, a few of which include performance, space limitations, features, and budget. Most often the budget drives a series of tradeoffs between the size of your quiet zone, partial absorber linings, and performance. One rarely encounters a “standard” chamber, thus some customization is inevitable. How do you lower the risk of a chamber not meeting your expectations? In this presentation, we provide an overview of the EMC chamber design process and highlight the importance of an accurate EMC chamber simulation tool in meeting challenging design requirements. Case studies of four very different chambers will be shown, including predicted and validated performance data. Participants will gain a better appreciation of the technical challenges, limitations, speed, accuracy, and tradeoffs among the different simulation techniques. The presentation will also benefit those who wish to refurbish an existing chamber, those who have a chamber that struggles to meet site requirements and want to diagnose/correct the problem, and those who want to understand how a chamber impacts measurement uncertainties.