Radiated emissions and immunity of microstrip transmission lines: theory and reverberation chamber measurements

The increasing complexity of electronic systems has introduced an increased potential for electromagnetic interference (EMI) between electronic systems. We analyze the radiation from a microstrip transmission line and calculate the total radiated power by numerical integration. Reverberation chamber methods for measuring radiated emissions and immunity are reviewed and applied to three microstrip configurations. Measurements from 200 to 2000 MHz are compared with theory, and excellent agreement is obtained for two configurations that minimize feed cable and finite ground plane effects. Emissions measurements are found to be more accurate than immunity measurements because the impedance mismatch of the receiving antenna cancels when the ratio of the microstrip and reference radiated power measurements is taken. The use of two different receiving antenna locations for emissions measurements illustrates good field uniformity within the chamber.