Measurement of the Susceptibility to EMI of ICs with Two-Tone Interference

The susceptibility to radiofrequency interference of ICs is usually carried out referring to the measurement methods listed in IEC 62132, which prescribes the use of continuous wave (CW) interference of amplitude that can be optionally modulated with a sinewave at 1kHz (AM). In facts, the electromagnetic interference that ICs should withstand in real environments, meaning when installed in real applications, is far from being CW or amplitude modulated but it is closer to the signals used for wireless communications. Given the great variety of modulations currently in use, instead of using something like that, this work explores the problem from the victim’s perspective. The phenomena induced by EMI in common ICs are analyzed leading to the conclusion that the two-tone interference is the most appropriate for IC qualification.