[Garare, 3(7): July, 2014] ISSN: 2277-9655

Scientific Journal Impact Factor: 3.449

(ISRA), Impact Factor: 1.852

IJESRT
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENGINEERING SCIENCES & RESEARCH
TECHNOLOGY
EMI/EMC Analysis and Noise Reduction in High Frequency Devices
Sunil.R.Gagare1, Arun E. Kachare2
Department of Electronics & Telecommunication Engineering ,Amrutvahini College of Engineering,
Sangamner, Affiliated to University of Pune, India
[email protected]
Abstract
Electromagnetic interference (EMI) or radio frequency interference (RFI) is a type of electric or electronic
emission that can degrade the performance of electronic circuit.The effects of electromagnetic interference (EMI) is
particularly troublesome for printed circuit board (PCB) designed for high frequency RF circuits. The components
on a PCB may be digital and analog. Transmission lines connecting the two different sections are used to transmit
signals back and forth. Unfortunately, as frequency increases and signals are enhanced, noise related to those
frequencies is also enhanced, thus creating EMI and RFI. In terms of propagating path, it classifies into conducted
EMI and radiated EMI. The conducted EMI results from that the radiated signal stick on the power line and hard to
detect and recognize. Therefore, it is necessary to build the causes and effects methodology by way of the correct
measurement to maintain the electromagnetic compatibility (EMC), to target the electromagnetic interference, and to
detect radio frequency interference.Electronic systems are expected to operate normally within a given environment
without internally or externally radiating excessive amounts of electromagnetic energy. In this state, they are called
electromagnetically compatible (EMC).
This paper presents a methodology to minimize radiated EMI by proper designing of PCB and conducted EMI by
using EMI filter.

Keywords: Electromagnetic interference (EMI), radio frequency interference (RFI), Electromagnetic compatibility
(EMC).
Introduction generated EMI into free space. The main causes of
Basically electronic devices/modules typically EMI due to PCB are following [1]:

 Common impedance coupling via power

generate undesirable electromagnetic energy. This
electromagnetic energy often generates an unwanted
EM field or a transient within the RF band (10 kHz -
 Antenna loops formed by ICs and their
and ground traces.
10 GHz) of the EM spectrum and are commonly
referred to as EMI’s (Electromagnetic interference). bypass capacitors, which include power and
Such electromagnetic interference (EMI) is being
 Printed circuit board traces carrying signal
ground leads.
known to interfere with the designated operation of
the electronic circuitry of other proximate electronic
 Crosstalk between adjoining signal traces.
currents.
devices . Radio frequency interference (RFI) is often
used interchangeably with EMI, although it is In general, power supply decoupling holds the
restricted to the radio frequency (RF) portion (10 kHz transient currents up to some extent within the bypass
- 10 GHz) of the EM spectrum. loop. However, significant parts of the high
The printed circuit board (PCB) acts as a frequency components tend to escape onto the power
propagation channel for unwanted noise sources and and ground traces. In order to avoid common
couples this unwanted noise interference onto other impedance noise coupling due to these currents, care
peripheral circuitry, leading to the radiation of must be taken to reduce the impedance of the power
and ground traces to minimum value.
The simplified approach to overcome this problem is
to avoid use of power and ground planes (2-layer or
http: // www.ijesrt.com(C)International Journal of Engineering Sciences & Research Technology
[481-486]
[Garare, 3(7): July, 2014] ISSN: 2277-9655
Scientific Journal Impact Factor: 3.449
(ISRA), Impact Factor: 1.852

multi-layer PCB) instead of traces. A typical 4-layer levels. Two main coupling mechanisms from parallel
board with power and ground plane “sandwich” conductors on the PCB board can increase noise.
inside the board with the signal trace on the top and Parallel conductors can couple a signal onto each
bottom, results in intrinsic high frequency other if the signal on one conductor is a time-varying
decoupling. Due to the overlapping, power and signal. (A time-varying signal has electromagnetic
ground planes act as an inherent distributed capacitor, fields that can couple on the other conductor as
thus they result in decoupling. Keeping into the defined in Maxwell’s equations). The conductors are
consideration of interconnects the main advantage of not physically connected but are electromagnetically
ground plane is the substantial reduction in signal connected, this is known as the transmission line
loop area that it supports. In a typical PCB layout, effect. On the Schematic a capacitor or transformer
signal current flows out through one trace and returns appears to be connected between the two conductors
through a ground trace, resulting high inductance for [5].
the traces with follow-on consequences of signals
ringing, EMI radiation and crosstalk. The design
objective is to reduce the inductance by reducing the
loop area through which the signal current flows.
A number of international government agencies
impose guidelines on the allowable EMI that
electronic modules can emit. In the United States of
America (USA), the Federal Communications
Commission (FCC) has divided EMI for computing
electronic devices into two categories: (1) Radiated
and (2) Conducted Emission. Table-I lists the
maximum permissible Radiated Emission (RE)
interference from the electronic devices, measured in
terms of Electric Field Strength [2]-[4]. The Fig.1 Types of EMI: conducted and radiated
maximum permissible limit of Conducted Emission
(CE) interference is typically 260 μV over the A. Differential-Mode EMI Radiation:
frequency range of 450 kHz to 30 MHz, and related The two main sources of electromagnetic radiation
with the noise interference fed back to the power from a PCB are radiation from signal loops and
supply lines. circuit tracks. This section present a minimization of
radiated EMI from PCB.
Table-I. Maximum permissible Radiated Emission
Freq. (MHz) Distance (M) Strength
Field (µV/m)
30-88 MHz 3 Meter 100µV/m
88-216 MHz 3 Meter 150µV/m
216-1000 MHz 3 Meter 200µV/m

Model of EMI
Noise emissions can be conducted by power
lines into systems or systems can conduct noise
emissions onto power lines. Noise emissions can also
radiate into the internal circuit space and internal
circuits can also be susceptible to radiated noise. For
example, a PCB ground loop makes an antenna that
effects other portions of the circuit. As illustrated in Fig.2 Differential-mode EMI radiation from a PCB
Fig.1, radiated noise can be coupled into a system
and appear as conducted noise. This noise causes
logic gates to trip at the wrong voltage level or Figure 2 shows current flowing in a single circuit
sensitive analog circuits to have incorrect voltage path on a PCB. Radio frequency EMI fields are

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[481-486]
[Garare, 3(7): July, 2014] ISSN: 2277-9655
Scientific Journal Impact Factor: 3.449
(ISRA), Impact Factor: 1.852

emitted by the circuit loop and measured by an

antenna at a distance. The strength of that EMI field
at the antenna is:

f2 A I
E= 1.32 ( )
�
(1)
where: E = V/meter

f = MHz
A = loop area (L • W) in cm2
I = loop current (amp)
r = antenna to loop distance (m)

Using equation (1), the EMI field strength can be

calculated. For example,

where: f = 30 MHz
Vp-p = VOH - VOL = 5V - 0.2V
Fig.3 Ground plane added to PCB
= 4.8Vp-p
For the circuit shown in Fig. 3, the loop width now is
Zc= 100 Ohm, r = 3 m , L = 5 cm,W = 5 cm 0.15 cm compared to 5.0 cm in Figure 2. Using the
A = L • W = 5 cm • 5 cm = 25 cm2 same length dimension of 5.0 cm, there is a 32 times
��−� 4.8 improvement in the EMI performance for this PCB.
I= = = 0.048A
��
E=(1.32x 302 x 0.75 x 0.048)/ 3
2
E=(1.32x 30 x 25 x 0.048)/ 3 = 14.3 ��/�
E= (1.32 x 1080)/3= 475 ��/�
The FCC Class A limit at 3 m is 300 µV/m while the In Figure 3, the actual path of the current flow is
Class B limit is 100 µV/m. from IC 1 decoupling capacitor through the chip to
the IC 1 output pin. The current then flows to the
Reducing the Loop Area: input pin of IC 2, through the chip to the ground pin,
So what is solution? The solution is to reduce the and via the ground plane to the input pin. From here
loop area of circuit. The higher the frequency, the the return current flows to the ground terminal of the
better the performance and the higher the emissions decoupling capacitor IC1.
potential. Loop current, to a large extent, depends on
the device technology, the loads, and the operating B. Conducted EMI measurement:
frequency. Faster devices with higher peak currents In this paper, the design and implementation of
produce higher emissions. EMI filter for power converters switching in MHz
PCB layout is the best control over loop area, and frequency is also presented. The measurement of
smaller loops are better [7]. Attention to detail in the conducted EMI under a constant condition requires
layout will help minimize emissions radiating from Line Impedance Stabilization Network (LISN) for
the PCB. EMC compliance testing. The LISN is designed and
The PCB layout must be designed to keep high-speed implemented on PCB. Measurements are performed
loop areas small [5]-[7]. by spectrum analyzer using a LISN between input
and the converter under test. The frequency spectrum
of input conducted noise is analyzed. The filter is
designed and implemented on PCB and after
application
C. of filter the spectrum is analyzed.
The basic setup shown in Fig.4 consists of Line
Impedance Stabilization Network (LISN), Equipment

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[Garare, 3(7): July, 2014] ISSN: 2277-9655
Scientific Journal Impact Factor: 3.449
(ISRA), Impact Factor: 1.852

under Test (EUT) which is a 2-transistor SMPS 1) Basic EMI filters:

circuit, mains power supply and a noise separator The conducted EMI consists of both common
circuit[5]. mode and differential mode noise signals. The
frequency range of EMI signals generated by power
electronic equipment extends up to 1GHz [6]. There
are various standards e.g. CISPR, FCC IEC, VDE
and military standards that specify the limit on
conducted EMI [7].
The common mode noises are high frequency
noises that are in phase with each other having circuit
paths through ground. Common mode noise is
generally the more difficult noise to deal with. It
originates due to charging and discharging of
parasitic capacitances, primarily, the heat sink and
Fig.4 Conducted emissions measurement setup transformer inter-winding capacitance [8]. The main
cause of common-mode EMI is the parasitic
The LISN shown in Fig.4 is required for capacitances between those points of the system that
measurements of conducted noise on a power line to have high dv/dt and ground [9].
separate the high frequency noise signals from the The differential mode noise is predominantly
input current. It allows spectrum analyzer to measure caused by the magnetic coupling L.di/dt where L is
the noise current through 50 Ω source impedance. the parasitic loop inductance which experiences high
The internal circuit of LISN is a high pass filter. It switching current slew rate di/dt [8]. The parameters
isolates the measurements from any high frequency such as cable spacing and filtering determine
shunting which might exists in power distribution differential mode coupling. The differential mode
network. It ensures that the equipment under test current generated at the input of the SMPS is
receives the proper dc voltage and current levels and measured as an interference voltage across the load
also sees the controlled impedance for the ripple impedance of each line with respect to earth at
frequencies of interest. The mono cell LISN structure measured point [10].
is designed and implemented according to
CISPR standards. It is the simplest and commonly 2) EMI filter design and implementation
used topology [11]. It comprises inductors, capacitors The direction of the common mode noise is
and 50 Ω resistors. The 0.1uF Capacitor and 50 Ω from load and into the filter. The EMI filters bypass
resistor provide a path for the conducted EMI with the noise by using shunt capacitors and block it by
constant impedance with respect to frequency. This using series inductors[17]. The common mode
characteristic impedance is defined by standards. The inductor becomes high impedance to this noise. It
schematic of LISN designed for EMI measurements absorbs the noise and then dumps it to ground
is shown in Fig.5. through low impedance Y capacitors. The commonly
used EMI filter topologies used to attenuate the high
frequency conducted noise include LC low pass
filters. To attenuate a certain frequency, band reject
filters can also be used. The single stage EMI filter
topology is shown in Fig.6.

Fig.5 LISN Schematic

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[Garare, 3(7): July, 2014] ISSN: 2277-9655
Scientific Journal Impact Factor: 3.449
(ISRA), Impact Factor: 1.852

3) EMI measurements after application of

filter
It is observed that by using this filter the input
noise of the converter is suppressed according to
CISPR 22 class-A limits. The fundamental frequency
component is at 64 dBμV and it is attenuated by 40
dBμV. The EMI plot after the application of the filter
is shown in Fig.7.

Fig.6. EMI Filter for power converters

The actual size of the filter depends on the design

approach, the materials and the components used.
However, in general, the size of the filter can be
expected to decrease with increasing cutoff frequency
and vice versa [13]. A single stage common mode
filter is implemented. The value of the common mode
choke used in the filter is 80 μH and CX and CY are
330nF and 560pF respectively.
The self-resonant frequency of common mode
choke is about 7 MHz. The capacitors used in the
filter determine the attenuation behavior of the filter Fig.7. EMI plot after using filter
above the self-resonant frequency of the common
mode choke. From the measurement results of the converter
The inductors and capacitors used in a filter are circuits, it is observed that the converter switching at
complex components. Their effectiveness is higher frequency needs smaller EMI filter. Therefore,
dependent on material properties and placement. the overall size of the converter can be reduced by
There exist various parasitic parameters in the filter increasing the switching frequency of the converter.
which cannot be determined by measurements.
Therefore two identical filters may behave differently Conclusion
in a given application [14]. The electromagnetic The main aim of this paper is to measure
couplings among filter components and circuit and analyze the radiated and conducted EMI of high
layouts play very important roles in the high frequency devices. The radiated EMI is controlled by
frequency performance of EMI filters [15]. The keeping small loop area in PCB layout. The
layout of EMI filter is very crucial, therefore, it needs conducted EMI is controlled by using EMI filter
special consideration. circuit.
Following measures are used in the implementation In order to measure the noise spectrum, a LISN is
of EMI filters: designed and implemented. The frequency spectrum
• In order to avoid inductive coupling between of common mode input noise of the converter is
capacitors and inductors, the common mode choke is plotted and it is observed that the fundamental
soldered on the top side of PCB and capacitors are frequency components as well as other higher order
soldered on bottom side. harmonics are not within regulatory limit. A single
• In order to avoid coupling between inductors and stage compact common mode EMI filter is designed
ground plan, common mode choke is soldered on the and implemented on PCB. It is observed that the size
top side of PCB without ground plane. There is of the converters as well as the EMI filter, required
ground plane only on the bottom side of PCB. for these converters, is reduced by increasing their
switching frequency.

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[Garare, 3(7): July, 2014] ISSN: 2277-9655
Scientific Journal Impact Factor: 3.449
(ISRA), Impact Factor: 1.852

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