Rigorous characterization of EMC antennas

Abstract

The performance of three different antennas typically used in EMC testings is thoroughly analyzed: A doubleridged horn, a trapezoidal logarithmic-periodic, and a biconical antenna. Those antennas are briefly compared considering their relevant characteristics, their radiation patterns, and their operational frequency range. However, the emphasis of this paper is placed on the relevant aspects regarding their numerical modeling. In order to obtain reliable and highly precise simulation results, certain significant simulation guidelines should be followed, amongst others how to include the feeding in the models. The Finite-Volume Time-Domain (FVTD) method is applied here as an appropriate numerical tool in order to accomplish accurate simulations. The method exploits conformal meshing and therefore is capable of precisely modeling fine structural details in close proximity to an overall large structure.