Course #43

Electromagnetic Shielding Engineering for Wired and Wireless Communications and Electronics

New date to be decided. 
Available as a corporate-exclusive / tailored course at your site.
Please contact Ms Elisabet Larsson for an offer: 
cei@cei.se   Phone: +46-122-17570   Fax: +46-122-14347

INSTRUCTOR
Dr. Anatoly Tsaliovich, ATInternational, West Windsor, N.J., USA

TECHNOLOGY FOCUS 
In modern technology, electromagnetic shielding uses and benefits are as ubiquitous as electricity, electronics, and telecommunications. To assure interference-free and EMC compliant products and systems, it is necessary to understand this EMI control technique and learn how to apply it in industrial and military, consumer and business, scientific and medical environments in the most economic and efficient ways. 

COURSE CONTENT 
This advanced level comprehensive course takes the "black magic" shroud off electromagnetic shielding. Both beginners and seasoned professionals will find, sometimes to their amazement, that shielding is often not at all what they expected. The emphasis is made on the development of "nuts and bolts" practical competence and its application to real life engineering problems. Based on system approach, the shielding-related physical phenomena are explained, analysed, and illustrated using numerous demonstrations, simulations, and hands-on work shops, while the mathematical background and specific details can be found in the recommended textbook by Anatoly Tsaliovich, "Electromagnetic Shielding handbook for Wired and Wireless EMC Applications".

Monday 

Understand Shielding 
The review and analysis of popular shielding theories, definitions, and units, reveal their limitations and ineffectiveness - how about 3000 dB errors? Applying system principles to the EMI channel, we identify the shielding processes and determinants, and develop scientific foundations of shielding system engineering for EMI control. The introduced Series System Model addresses the shielding environment effects, EMI coupling and propagation mechanisms, shield transfer function and its Parallel Model. We will explain the basic concept of transfer impedance and use it to characterize practical shields. 

• Dispelling Shielding Myths and Fallacies
• Defining Shielding: System View 
• Developing and Investigating the Shielding Series Model
• Shielding Determinants: Shielding Environment, Coupling, Shield Transfer Function and Transfer Impedance
• Parallel Model of Shield Transfer Function

Workshop: Testing Shielding Theories - Case Studies

Tuesday 

Transfer Function of Shielding Enclosures 
We will investigate the Design / Performance characteristics of shielded enclosures: cables and boxes. Deriving and analyzing the transfer impedance parameter, we will directly relate shield design to the electronic system EMC performance: emissions and immunity, crosstalk, biological safety. The effects of shield non-uniformities will be explained and quantified with regard to important wired and wireless electronic products. 

• From Microns to Miles and from Chips to Ships
• Using Transfer Impedance as the Shield's Figure of Merit 
• Shield Design and Performance
• Solid Wall, Foil, Spiral, Braid, Mesh Shielding
• Multilayer Shields
• Shielding versus Crosstalk and Radiation
• UTP versus STP
• Shielding in Static, Induction, and Radiation Fields
• Enclosure and Aperture Resonances
• Wireless and "Mobile" Product Shielding 

Workshop: Designing an On-Board PCB Shielding - Explaining Surprising Results 

Wednesday 

Expanding Shielding Understanding 
Building on case studies, we will establish the rationale for open compensation shielding, explain its physical mechanisms, and develop design techniques for shielding: from chips to PCBs to test sites. The classical image theory and simulations will provide an elegant and persuasive illustration and convenient formulas to design such shielding, evaluate its performance and impairment effects. We will introduce the complete shielding classification, provide a comparison between the different shielding techniques, and generalize the shielding theory. 

• Ground/Power Planes and Lines/Traces as Shields
• Separation versus Parallel Compensation Shielding
• Open Compensation Parallel Shielding Rationale
• Method of Images and Current Returns 
• Shielding as Balancing
• Finite Size Planes, Edge Effects, Cuts, and Vias
• Shielding Classes, Paradigms, Topologies, and Dimensions
• Is There a Transfer Function for Parallel Compensation Shields?
• Shield Effectiveness versus Shielding Effectiveness 

Optional Problem Workshop (Participant Choice): Ground Plane Effect on Common and Differential Mode Emissions; Shield Reaction on Signal Transmission; Steel and Copper in Multilayer Shields - Not a Simple Problem 

Thursday 

Shielding System Engineering and Integration 
System approach to shielding Engineering results in cost effective and optimal electrical, physical, mechanical, and economical solutions with regard to selected design criteria. We start the discussion with shielding system grounding techniques and problems: single- and multiple-point grounding, ground loops, shield termination - connectors, gaskets, doors, windows, joints. We will formulate, implement, and illustrate by simulations and test results the rules of shielding system grounding, topology, and zoning. We will develop shielding design criteria and methods for boundary and optimal design, compare shielding with alternative EMI control techniques. 

• Shielding, Grounding, and All That Jazz
• System Approach to Electrical and Mechanical Shield Design
• Shielding Optimization 
• Working with Shielding Impairments
• Shielding Performance Stability
• Issues with and Control of Shielding Reaction on Transmission Quality

Workshop: Shielding, Grounding, and All That Jazz - We will evaluate the dependence of a transmission line radiation on the shield quality, grounding, and shielded circuit balance.

Friday 

Shielding Evaluation 
We will address the shielding measurements, troubleshooting, testing, and test result interpretations. We will review the shielding standards, shielding system evaluation levels, measurement criteria, and logistics, and detail the shielding measurement triangle: test facilities + test instrumentation + test procedure. There are multiple test procedures and practices in use throughout the world, and their correct selection can make a difference between the product marketing success and failure. 

Shielding Horizons 
The course concludes with identifying shielding emerging applications, materials, technologies, and practices. Being more than 100 years old, shielding technology keeps innovating, leading to amazing and important developments in EMC. 

• Shielding Measurement Rationale
• Global versus Local Measurements
• Measuring Shielding Effectiveness
• Measuring Transfer Impedance
• Testing in Time Domain
• Test Result Correlation and Interpretation
• Modern Materials/Technologies and Novel Applications
• "Exotic" Shielding Designs and Technologies 
• "Fancy" and "Bogus" Shielding 

See also related course #45.

Regular Course Fee: EUR 2995

Early Registration Course Fee: EUR 2725
This applies to firm registrations received 2 months before course start. 

University Student and Faculty Rate:
Two university participants are welcome to attend for one course fee if payment is to be made from university funds.

Deliverables:
The course fee covers tuition, course material, and the day conference packages (morning/afternoon refreshments, lunches, etc.) paid on your behalf to the course venue. Accommodation is not included.

Payment should be made before course start.