Theoretical and experimental characterization of transient electromagnetic fields radiated by electrostatic discharge (ESD) currents

The problem of the evaluation of the electromagnetic (EM) field radiated by an electrostatic discharge (ESD) current is examined, and an efficient numerical code for the evaluation of the radiated field is developed. The considered radiating structures, a monopole and a loop, are analyzed in the time domain using a modified electric field integral equation (EFIE). A modification of the integral equation was introduced in order to take into account the reflection of the incident pulse at the input terminals of the antenna, when fed by a transmission line. The reflected wave is very significant and its evaluation is fundamental for the comparison of theoretical and experimental data. The ESD current flowing along the wire is determined using the method of moments in time domain (MoMTD). From the knowledge of the transient current, the radiated EM field is evaluated by a standard technique. The developed model is the first stage of a project for the characterization of the measurement environment during an ESD test. All numerical results are validated by measurements and good agreement is shown.