Electromagnetic Cell With Three-Dimensional Polarization Dynamic Control

An electromagnetic (EM) cell is demonstrated to create the uniform electric field with 3-D polarization dynamic control for the EM compatibility/interference (EMC/EMI) testing. We utilize 3-D orthogonal slotline structures to build the walls of the EM cell and produce uniform electric field inside the cell by feeding the slotlines in phase and terminating them with matching loads. The uniform electric field is similar to a standing wave produced by the slotline modes propagating in opposite directions. Microwave switches are integrated into the slotlines so that we can choose the operating slotline dynamically and change its orientation in a 3-D manner by adjusting the ON/OFF state of the appropriate switches, which will consequently change orthogonally the polarization of the EM field generated by the operating slotline in 3-D. Both simulation and experiment show that a polarization controllable uniform field can be achieved in the center region of the EM cell from dc frequency to its first EM resonant frequency, enabling EMC/EMI testing more flexible without rotating the device under test.