The Bridge - Issue 2, 2022 - 5

Guest Editor
Letter from Guest Editor
Emily Hernandez, Gamma Theta Chapter
As academic and industry leaders push to add more
smarts and sensors into consumer products, vehicles,
and more, the topic of electromagnetics, more
specifically electromagnetic compatibility (EMC),
has become essential to consider in all stages of a
product's design.
At its core, electromagnetics describes the way
electrical circuits behave over the entire frequency
spectrum. At low frequencies, power delivery
can be considered instantaneous across wires. In
reality, signals propagate as electromagnetic (EM)
waves guided by physical structures. The higher in
frequency a circuit operates, the more important it is
to understand and pay attention to its wave behavior.
EM waves are susceptible to inconsistencies in the
medium in which they are traveling, and if circuits
are not designed with this model in mind, signal
waves may radiate outward and interfere with
nearby electronics. It is no longer enough for chips,
circuits, and systems to meet their ever-increasing
performance demands. All current and future
products must also meet rigorous electromagnetic
emission and interference specifications to avoid
causing system-level problems when integrating
complex electronic components.
EMC covers a broad range of topics, much beyond
the scope of a single magazine issue. The articles
featured here provide
an introduction
to three separate
EMC-related topics.
First, we introduce
the concept of
common-mode
current, how it differs from differential-mode current,
what electromagnetic interference issues it can
cause if left unchecked, and an approach for using
current probes to measure common-mode current
in physical devices. Next, we explore signal return
paths, how to identify where discontinuities exist in
return paths, a set of design guidelines to prevent
return path discontinuities, and real-world examples
of geometries that cause return path related EMC
issues. Finally, we discuss EMC challenges specific
to wireless devices, how to model EMI coupling for
wireless devices, and an example of how printed
circuit board (PCB) design changes can mitigate EMI
in a smart speaker.
Emily Hernandez is a 2016 graduate of Missouri S&T and
an editor of THE BRIDGE magazine. She currently is the New
Product Introduction (NPI) Engineering Manager at CelLink
Corporation, based in San Carlos, CA. Emily is the recipient
of the IEEE-HKN's 2016 Alton B. Zerby and Carl T. Koerner
Outstanding Student Award.
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The Bridge - Issue 2, 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Bridge - Issue 2, 2022