The NSF Industry/University Center for Electromagnetic Compatibility

The list below provides titles of some of the projects that are currently the focus of EMC I/UCRC research:

Design for Guaranteed EMC Compliance

The goal of this project is to develop the processes and educational materials necessary to allow engineers to relate EMC specifications directly to product design decisions.

Efficient, Low-Noise Motor Drivers and Power Inverters

Center researchers are developing new active cancellation techniques that promise to reduce radiated emissions due to common-mode currents on cables at lower cost and significantly lower weight and volume than traditional common-mode filtering techniques.

Failure-Mode Models for MLCC and Tantalum Capacitors

Evaluating the gradual deterioration of MLCC and tantalum capacitors that can occur due to exposure to medium-to-high voltage transients; and developing models that represent the electrical behavior of these components..

Maximum Radiation Emissions Calculators for Printed Circuit Board EMI

Center researchers are developing algorithms for estimating the maximum possible radiated emissions from various printed circuit board geometries. These algorithms can be helpful for identifying potential EMI problems with circuit boards before they are built and tested. They are also useful for troubleshooting existing designs after a problem has been identified.

Improved Circuit Board Filters Employing SMT Capacitors

Center researchers are continuing to develop new methods and models for characterizing radiated emissions sources and coupling paths on printed circuit boards. They are also extending the models that have already been developed to analyze systems of printed circuit boards, cables and enclosures.

Using Unintentional Emissions to Anticipate MOSFET and IGBT Failures

Passive detection of MOSFET and IGBT degradation before it can result in a catastrophic system failure.

Component-Level Characterization for System-Level Modeling

New measurement techniques are being developed in order to characterize VLSI components and packages so that they can be accurately represented in system-level models for radiated emissions and susceptibility.

First-Pass Compliance with Automotive EMC Requirements

A design procedure for ensuring that components and systems comply with all automotive EMC requirements.

Application of Imbalance Difference Model for Modeling Common-mode Emissions

The imbalance difference model accurately describes how differential-mode signals are converted to common-mode noise by changes in the "imbalance factor" of the differential signal path. This modeling approach has greatly enhanced our ability to estimate radiated emissions from complex structures and helped us to develop better methods for suppressing these emissions without shielding or filtering.

Analysis of Via Transitions for Link Path Analysis

Link path analysis for high-speed signal integrity is a major focus of the center. Several center projects deal with the modeling of signal transitions through the circuit board. The specific models used depend on the board geometry as well as the signal characteristics.

Via Modeling using Multiple Scattering Method

The multiple scattering method is a relatively fast and efficient way of accounting for the interactions of the hundreds of vias found in typical board designs.

SAR Estimation for MIMO Systems

Work at the University of Houston focuses on modeling the interactions between antennas and human tissue.

Material Characterization of PCBs

Accurate high-frequency characterization of the dielectrics and ferrite materials used in PCB construction is essential in order to obtain useful modeling results.

New Applications of ESD Scanning Tools

The ESD scanning tool was first developed at Missouri S&T just a few years ago. It has proven to be a very useful tool for locating and identifying areas of a circuit board that are susceptible to transient fields and currents. Ongoing research is focused on enhancing ESD scanning tools and techniques.

New High-Frequency Current Probes

Accurately measuring high-frequency currents on a circuit board without changing these currents can be challenging. Center researchers are developing new probing techniques that promise to yield more accurate representations of the actual currents on traces or vias.

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