New advanced methodology for near field measurements for SAR and antenna development

The issue of RF safety has recently come to the forefront of both public and regulatory attention. In 1996, the US FCC released its Report and Order 96-326, which specified the acceptable limits for wireless devices and systems, and tightened the requirements for certification and licensing purposes. In 1998, the Industry Canada department responsible for radio licencing initiated development of certification methodology for compliance with non-ionizing radiation specific absorption rate (SAR) limits established by Health Canada in its Safety Code 6. The SAR measuring system developed by APREL Laboratories and selected critical components of the system are discussed here.