Characterization of Electromagnetic Radiation Absorber Materials

Erik Farias da Silva, Jernimo Silva Rocha, Paulo Ribeiro Lins Junior, Shayenne Diniz da Nbrega and Marcelo Sampaio de Alencar Department of Electrical Engineering - Federal University of Campina Grande, Campina Grande/PB-58.109-970 - Tel/Fax: + 55 83 3101410 - Brazil E-mails: erik.silva@gmail.com, jeronimo@dee.ufcg.edu.br, paulo_milenium@yahoo.com.br, shayennedn@yahoo.com.br, malencar@dee.ufcg.edu.br
Abstract This paper describes the comparison of absorbing characteristics of ferrite, graphite and carbon black, in the frequency band of 1.5 GHz to the 3 GHz. The substance is mixed in distinct proportions with synthetic enamel and applied on plates of EPS covered with aluminum paper (NRL Arch technique) and without covering (Insertion Between Antennas technique). The experimental results show that the graphite presents the largest attenuation for the electromagnetic radiation in the in the frequency band analyzed. Index Terms Absorbing media. Anechoic chamber. Material characteristic. Ferrimagnetic materials.

the material: the technique of NRL arch and the technique of insertion between antennas. II. ABSORBER MATERIALS The Radiation Absorber Materials can be divided into dielectric and magnetic absorbers. The dielectric absorber presents electrical losses associated to the material permittivity. Among the dielectric absorbers one can cite: graphite, carbon fibers, conductivity polymers and metal particles. The magnetic absorber depends on magnetic permeability and hysteresis characteristics. The magnetic absorber more used is the ferrite with several formulations and granulations [5]. In this paper, one uses barium ferrite, graphite and carbon black as absorbing material. The ferrite is divided into three allotropic varieties: alpha-ferrite (austenite), with cubic structure centered in the faces (CCF), it remains steady up to 910C. Above 910C the alphaferrite transforms to gamma-ferrite, with CCF structure. Above 1401C, the gamma-ferrite transform to deltaferrite with cubic structure of centered body (CCB). The delta-ferrite is formed in the hypoeutectoid region of Fe-C phase diagram. Due to CCB crystalline structure of the delta-ferrite, the crystallographic planes sliding is possibility minimal. The delta-ferrite regularly used as an electromagnetic absorber [6]. The graphite is an allotropic form of the diamond. Its only constituent is the Carbon. However, its atomic structure presents more layers of Carbon atoms, hexagonally packed. That contributes to its lamellar character and low hardness. This characteristic added to high thermal and electric conductivity makes the graphite refractory.

I. INTRODUCTION Electronic equipments produce electromagnetic energy. That energy can provoke degradation or at least disturbance in the operation of nearby equipment. With the advancement of the technology, the electronic devices started to operate at higher frequencies, which cause more electromagnetic interference (EMI) [1]. Research environments, as well as anechoic chambers, for example, are utilized for studies regarding the effects of EMI in devices and equipments [2]. The material utilized as internal covering of those environments, called Radiation Absorber Materials (RAM), presents absorbing characteristics that ought to be studied for several frequencies. In this work, three types of RAM were studied, in an attempt to observe and compare their absorbing characteristics in the frequency band of 1.5 GHz to 3 GHz. The substances utilized in the study were ferrite, graphite and carbon black. They were mixed with synthetic enamel in distinct proportions and applied on a plate of Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) covered with aluminum paper and without covering. Two techniques were utilized to analyze the absorption characteristics of

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The carbon black (CB) is a polymeric additive used as radiation absorber and electrical conductor. The CB increases the electric conductivity and radiation absorption. The CB concentration should be low (1% generally) in order to not increase the composite viscosity and electric conductivity [7]. III. MEASURING TECHNIQUES The characterization of RAM is based on the determination of transmission or reflection characteristics. There are several characterization techniques with reference to reflectivity from RAM. The most commonly used are named Radar Cross Section (RCS) and NRL Arch (Naval Research Laboratory) [4] both use an incident signal in a target and a receiving antenna to measure the reflected signal. The target consists of a metal plate with one face covered with the RAM. For the RCS measurements, the metal plate is fixed in a revolving support localized in front of the transmitting/receiving antenna inside an ideal open-area test site (OATS an outdoor area provided with a ground screen and free from obstacles and interfering ambient fields [3]) or anechoic chamber. The support can rotate 360 and the uncovered surface is the reference for the measurements. For the NRL Arch technique, the metal plate is fixed in a static support in a distance in accordance with far field condition. The antennas are localized in a reference arch (manufactured in wood, commonly) used for alignment of the two antennas, using the same angle for emission and reception. The reflectivity is determined with reference to uncovered metal plate and is expressed in decibels (dB). There are several characterization techniques based in transmitting features. The waveguide technique is regularly used. This consists in disposing a sample of RAM inside the waveguide for signal attenuation measurements. The transmission coefficient is expressed in (dB). Another technique used is the Insertion between Antennas [8]. In this technique, a plate covered with the RAM is positioned between the transmitting and receiving antennas. The plate should be transparent to the electromagnetic waves in the used bandwidth. In this paper, one uses the Insertion between Antennas and NRL arch techniques. IV. DESCRIPTION OF THE EXPERIMENT Two types of experiment were performed, the NRL Arch Method and the Insertion Between Antennas Method. For both experiments, the measurements were

made using a network analyzer (Agilent 8753ET). The frequency band ranged from 1.5 to 3GHz. The antennas were a horn antenna, as transmitter, and a hornet antenna (with aperture of 60) as receiver. A. NRL Arch Method For each material tested, the reflective base used was an EPS plate measuring 40cm on side and with 8mm of thickness, one of the plate faces was covered by a thin aluminum paper which has been glued to the plate. The absorber materials were mixed with a synthetic enamel and this mix impregnated to the plate. Twenty plates were made, and four materials, each one with five concentrations, were tested. Table 1 shows the absorber materials percentage in the mix. The network analyzer was calibrated using a reflexive plate attached to the support; this plate was made of aluminum paper (without the RAM). The antennas were placed in order to maximize the received signal. That signal was considered the reference for all the measurements. This calibration significantly reduced the effects of the ambient reflections. A support was made of electromagnetic transparent materials and was placed in front of the antennas. The antennas stood on a wooden table. The antennas were placed at the distance of 1.22m from each other. B. Insertion Between Antennas Method In this test an EPS plate was used, measuring 40cm on each side and with 15mm of thickness. The absorber materials were mixed with a synthetic enamel and this mix impregnated the plate. Four plates were made, and four materials, each one with one concentration, and tested. Table 2 shows the RAM percentage in the mix. In this test the two antennas were placed in front of the each other, and the plate under test was placed between the antennas. For all the plates, tests of reflection were made and the results show that the reflection phenomena do not occur. For the calibration of the instrument, an unpainted plate was placed between the antennas at a distance of 12cm of the receiving antenna (where all the plates were placed one by one) and at 1m of the transmitting antenna. The signal measured was used as reference for the calibration of the analyzer. V. RESULTS ANALYSIS The NRL arch test was inconclusive in the determination of the EMR attenuation, because peaks and valleys (in adjacent frequencies) were observed.

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TABLE I NRL ARCH METHOD MATERIALS

Material Enamel/Ferrite Enamel /CB/Ferrite Enamel/Ferrite/Graphite Enamel/Graphite I 90/10 89/1/10 80/10/5 95/5 II 85/15 84/1/15 80/15/5 90/10 Concentration (%) III 80/20 79/1/20 72/20/8 85/15 IV 70/30 69/1/30 60/30/10 80/20 V 50/50 49/1/50 50/35/15 70/30

TABLE II INSERTION BETWEEN ANTENNAS METHOD MATERIALS

Material Enamel/Ferrite Enamel/CB/Ferrite Enamel/Ferrite/Graphite Enamel/Graphite I 85/15 84/1/15 80/15/5 90/10 Concentration (%) II 70/30 69/1/30 60/30/10 70/30 III 50/50 49/1/50 50/35/15 50/50

Therefore, only the data related to the insertion between antennas have been analyzed. Table III presents the results obtained using the insertion between antennas method. It shows the average attenuation (in dB) for two bands of frequency, the chosen central frequencies were 1.8 and 2.4 GHz, and the frequency span was 300MHz. It is possible to observe from the results that the best absorber material under test was the Enamel/Graphite for a percentage of 70/30, the results are shown in Fig. 1. The largest absorption was -5.74 dB in the frequency of 1.77 GHz. Fig. 1 also indicates the best average absorption in the analyzed frequency bandwidth (as shown in Table III). Another large attenuation result was obtained from the measurements with the Enamel/Graphite substrate for a percentage of 50/50. This result indicates that there is no direct relationship between the amount of material and the increase in the absorption results. The third considerable absorption was found for the Enamel/Ferrite/Graphite substrate for a percentage of 50/35/15. VI. CONCLUSIONS It was observed, from the data obtained with the method of the insertion between antennas that the mixtures based on Enamel and Graphite present larger attenuation for the electromagnetic radiation in the band of 1.5 to 3 GHz. The best results were obtained for the Enamel/Graphite II (70/30), for which the average attenuation was -3.7dB. For further work, it is interesting to vary the width of the absorber substrate and observe the corresponding absorption.

Fig. 1. Enamel-Graphite (at the percentage of 70-30) attenuation versus frequency.

REFERENCES
[1] J. L. Wallace, Broadband magnetic microwave absorbers: fundamentals limitations, IEEE Trans. Magnetics, vol.29, no. 6, pp. 4209-4214, November 1993. [2] C. L. Holloway, R. R. Delyser, R. F. German, P. Mckenna, and M. Kanda, Comparison of electromagnetic absorber used in anechoic and semi-anechoic chambers for emissions and immunity testing of digital devices, IEEE Trans. Electromagnetic Compatibility, vol. 39, no. 1, pp. 33-47, February 1997. [3] C. L. Holloway, and E. F. Kuester, Modeling semianechoic electromagnetic measurement chambers, IEEE Trans. Electromagnetic Compatibility, vol. 38, no. 1, pp. 79-84, February 1996.

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TABLE III INSERTION BETWEEN ANTENNAS METHOD MATERIALS

Material I 1.80.3 GHz 2.40.3 GHz Enamel/Ferrite -0.0224 0.0215 Enamel/CB/Ferrite -0.0337 0.0395 Enamel/Ferrite/Graphite -0.0251 0.0115 Enamel/Graphite -0.0429 0.0085 Average Attenuation (dB) II 1.80.3 GHz 2.40.3 GHz -0.0278 0.0220 -0.0505 0.0339 -0.3288 -0.1505 -4.7998 -4.1139 III 1.80.3 GHz -0.0432 -0.0712 -2.6529 -3.1995 2.40.3 GHz 0.0456 0.0332 -1.9810 -2.3207

[4] M. C. Rezende, E. V. Nohara, I. M. Martin, and M. A. S. Miacci, Medidas de refletividade de materiais absorvedores de radiao eletromagntica usando as tcnicas RCS e NRL, Revista de Fsica Aplicada a Instrumentao, vol. 16, no. 1, pp. 30-36, March 2003. [5] J. C. Dias, F. S. Silva, M. C. Rezende, and I. M. Martin, Absorvedores de radiao eletromagntica aplicados no setor aeronutico, Revista de Cincia e Tecnologia, Ed. Unimep, vol. 8, no. 15, pp. 33-42, June 2000. [6] F. H. Norton, Refractories, New York: McGraw-Hill, 1949. [7] M. F. Rabelo, Aditivao de polmeros, So Paulo: ETDA, 1998. [8] E. L. Nohara, Materiais absorvedores de radiao eletromagntica (8-12 GHz) obtidos pela combinao de compsitos avanados dieltricos e revestimentos magnticos, Ph.D Thesis, ITA, So Jos dos Campos, 2003.

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