Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) and Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Design

Aim

This course intends to provide the knowledge of printed circuit board processing and design considerations, design rules and EMC. After this course the student should:

• Knowledge and understaning of the concept electromagnetic compatibility, and its impact on electronic systems from design to product.
• Understand how and why phenomenon like cross-talk occurs.
• Implement EMC design rules for printed circuit boards.
• Learn the EMC requirements for electronic systems, directives, standards and legal aspects
• Design high frequency PCBs, using electronic design automation (EDA) software, and simulate electromagnetic (EM) radiation.
• Perform conducted and radiated emissions testing for EMC.
• Evaluate critical disturbers, coupling and susceptibility and EM-compatibility.

Content

The primary focus of the course is EMC theory and techniques, but it also addresses design and production of printed circuit boards since it strongly affect the EMC performance of electronic systems. In printed circuit board design for modern electronics a number of requirements need to be fulfilled; a substrate stack that have the desired electrical and physical parameters must be chosen, which affects design-rules with respect to minimum detail, track spacing, layer connectivity options (VIAs). Moreover, the production process must also be considered ven though it isn''t an main objective. EMC theory: Conducted emissions, radiated emissions, and emission susceptibility. Non ideal behaviour of components. Crosstalk and Signal integrity. Regulations and product certifications makes electromagnetic compatibility a modern electronics important from several aspects. Therefore, the course adresses technical aswell as regulatory aspects. Robustness against EM-interferers and emission level control are important properties. In this course the student learn, PCB design rules, substrate stacks, track spacing, track width, production requirements such as panel size, minimum/ maximum feature size, EMC related environmental aspects, consequences for production, effect of material selections etc. Regarding EMC, the student learns the cross-talk phenomenon, EM emissions, radiated and conducted conduction-paths. Furthermore, the student will learn how to implement the knowledge from EMC to design a PCB with source, coupling and susceptibility considered.