Measuring the transfer function of a TEM waveguide

Modern electronic systems with a high degree of interconnectivity are prone to intentional and unintentional electromagnetic interference (IEMI/EMI). Therefore, emission and immunity measurements of all parts of a system are essential in order to prevent system failures or even breakdowns. Some of these IEMI measurements, especially the high-altitude electromagnetic pulse (HEMP) immunity tests are well described for transverse electromagnetic (TEM) cells in [1]. It has to be validated that the supplied transient pulses and the resulting £-field distributions are correctly transmitted by the TEM cell. The validation can be done under minimal effort and for any transient signal waveform with the knowledge of the transfer function of a TEM waveguide. This paper provides a measurement approach based on a wide band pulse performance in time domain.