Educating EMC engineers
Richard A. Quinnell, Contributing Technical Editor -- Test & Measurement World, 4/1/2006
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| DR. TODD HUBING Professor University of Missouri at Rolla Courtesy of the University of Missouri. |
Q: How have the education and training needs for EMC engineers changed in recent years?
A: I don't think the basics have changed. Engineers are working with newer technologies. Components are smaller and faster. But the basic principles are the same.
Q: What are new graduates learning about EMC and electromagnetic interference (EMI)?
A: They are learning to identify basic coupling mechanisms, make meaningful measurements, develop models, and formulate solutions. In addition to basic EMC courses, they are likely to take courses in electromagnetics, high-frequency circuit design, signal integrity, microwave circuits, computational electromagnetics, and antenna theory. I believe it is also important for students to spend time in the lab learning to make good measurements and comparing measured results to model results.
Q: Are there any "hot topics" in academic research pertaining to EMC/EMI?
A: One topic that is getting more and more attention each year is "chip-level" EMC. EMC engineers have recognized for a long time that some VLSI devices are better designed than others. With the development of test procedures for quantifying the relative performance of VLSI components, the semiconductor industry has now started addressing the issue of chip-level EMC design. There is a significant push to learn to design and lay out VLSI devices that do well in these tests. Chip-level EMC is basically at the stage that board-level EMC was 15 years ago. We still have a lot to learn.
Of course, there's still a lot of research going on related to board-level and system-level EMC. The development of better analytical and computational models continues to be an active field of study. As new component and system technologies are introduced, new models are required in order to optimize designs for EMC.
Q: On what topics should established EMC engineers focus their continuing education efforts?
A: This is a difficult question to answer because established EMC engineers have widely varied skill sets. However, I believe some of the most important skills for any EMC engineer to have include an ability to visualize signal and power current paths and to quickly estimate parasitic inductances and capacitances. They should also be familiar with basic antenna and radiation concepts and basic coupling mechanisms: common impedance, capacitive, inductive, and radiation. And they should have an ability to make accurate high-frequency measurements.
It is also important to keep up with changes in technology that affect the products a particular EMC engineer is likely to be working on. My advice to anyone seeking additional EMC training would be to talk to other EMC engineers with a background similar to their own and get their recommendations.
Before investing time and money in any particular form of EMC training, it is always a good idea to talk to others who have completed that training. You will want to be sure that the level of instruction and the material presented are well matched to your specific needs.
