Investigation of Buck Converter Radiated Emissions (150 kHz - 30 MHz) Measured according to CISPR 25

Sammanfattning: Electromagnetic compatibility and compliance with relevant standards is imperative for commercial success for any type of electronic equipment. Since more and more electronics are constantly added into today’s vehicles, this is a highly significant matter in the automotive business. The primary source of electric energy in an on-road vehicle is typically a 12 or 24 volt battery; this makes voltage step down converters ubiquitous in virtually any automotive electronic system. In strive for ever more environmental friendly and energy efficient solutions a switch mode power supply is most often the given choice when it comes to the task of voltage conversion. However, the use of switch mode power supplies presents a new set of challenges when it comes to successfully comply with the electromagnetic emission standards. Knowledge and understanding about how different design parameters impact on EMC performance is key when few prototype runs and short time to market lies in focus. This text will investigate just how different layout design parameters affect the radiated emissions from a buck converter. Emphasis lies on radiated emissions in the lower frequency range up to a few MHz. Both computer simulations and practical measurements indicate the same thing; in the lower part of the frequency spectrum, when measured according to CISPR 25, radiated emissions from buck converters are dominated by voltage driven mechanisms. Along the way we will see how PCB layout alone can be responsible for differences in measured radiated emission levels of well over 20 dB.