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EMI Shielding Theory& Gasket Design GuideSECTION CONTENTSPAGETheory of shielding and gasketing192Conductive elastomer gasket design196Gasket junction design196Corrosion198Selection of seal cross section202General tolerances204Gasket mounting choices205Fastener requirements206Designing a solid-O conductive elastomer gasket-in-a-groove209Mesh EMI gasketing selection guide214Glossary of terms218Part number cross reference index220US Headquarters TEL (1) 781-935-4850 FAX (1) 781-933-4318 www.chomerics.comEurope TEL (44) 1628 404000 FAX (44) 1628 404090Asia Pacific TEL (852) 2 428 8008 FAX (852) 2 423 8253South America TEL (55) 11 3917 1099 FAX (55) 11 3917 0817191

EMI Shielding TheoryTheory of Shieldingand GasketingFundamental ConceptsA knowledge of the fundamentalconcepts of EMI shielding will aidthe designer in selecting the gasketinherently best suited to a specificdesign.All electromagnetic waves consistof two essential components, amagnetic field, and an electric field.These two fields are perpendicularto each other, and the direction ofwave propagation is at right anglesto the plane containing these twocomponents. The relative magnitudebetween the magnetic (H) field andthe electric (E) field depends uponhow far away the wave is from itssource, and on the nature of thegenerating source itself. The ratioof E to H is called the waveimpedance, Zw.If the source contains a largecurrent flow compared to its potential,such as may be generated by aloop, a transformer, or power lines,it is called a current, magnetic, orlow impedance source. The latterdefinition is derived from the factthat the ratio of E to H has a smallvalue. Conversely, if the sourceoperates at high voltage, and onlya small amount of current flows, thesource impedance is said to behigh, and the wave is commonlyreferred to as an electric field. Atvery large distances from thesource, the ratio of E to H is equalfor either wave regardless of itsorigination. When this occurs, thewave is said to be a plane wave,and the wave impedance is equalto 377 ohms, which is the intrinsicimpedance of free space. Beyondthis point all waves essentially losetheir curvature, and the surfacecontaining the two componentsbecomes a plane instead of asection of a sphere in the caseof a point source of radiation.The importance of waveimpedance can be illustrated byconsidering what happens when anelectromagnetic wave encounters adiscontinuity. If the magnitude of the192wave impedance is greatly differentfrom the intrinsic impedance of thediscontinuity, most of the energy willbe reflected, and very little will betransmitted across the boundary.Most metals have an intrinsicimpedance of only milliohms. Forlow impedance fields (H dominant),less energy is reflected, and moreis absorbed, because the metalis more closely matched to theimpedance of the field. This is whyit is so difficult to shield againstmagnetic fields. On the other hand,the wave impedance of electricfields is high, so most of the energyis reflected for this case.Consider the theoretical caseof an incident wave normal tothe surface of a metallic structureas illustrated in Figure 1. If theconductivity of the metal wall isinfinite, an electric field equal andopposite to that of the incidentelectric field components of thewave is generated in the shield.This satisfies the boundary conditionthat the total tangential electric fieldmust vanish at the boundary. Underthese ideal conditions, shieldingshould be perfect because the twofields exactly cancel one another.The fact that the magnetic fields arein phase means that the current flowin the shield is doubled.xEiPerfectlyConductivePlane z 0HiHrEErHzyFigure 1 Standard Wave Pattern of aPerfect Conductor Illuminated by aNormally Incident, X Polarized PlaneWaveShielding effectiveness of metallicenclosures is not infinite, becausethe conductivity of all metals is finite.They can, however, approach verylarge values. Because metallicshields have less than infiniteconductivity, part of the field istransmitted across the boundaryand supports a current in the metalas illustrated in Figure 2. Theamount of current flow at any depthin the shield, and the rate of decayis governed by the conductivity ofthe metal and its permeability. Theresidual current appearing on theopposite face is the one responsiblefor generating the field which existson the other side.EiEtJoJtFigure 2 Variation of Current Densitywith Thickness for Electrically ThickWallsOur conclusion from Figures 2and 3 is that thickness plays animportant role in shielding. Whenskin depth is considered, however,it turns out that thickness is onlycritical at low frequencies. At highfrequencies, even metal foils areeffective shields.The current density for thin shieldsis shown in Figure 3. The currentdensity in thick shields is the sameas for thin shields. A secondaryreflection occurs at the far side ofthe shield for all thicknesses. Theonly difference with thin shields isthat a large part of the re-reflectedwave may appear on the frontsurface. This wave can add to orsubtract from the primary reflectedwave depending upon the phaserelationship between them. For thisreason, a correction factor appearsin the shielding calculations toaccount for reflections from thefar surface of a thin shield.A gap or slot in a shield will allowelectromagnetic fields to radiatethrough the shield, unless thecurrent continuity can be preservedacross the gaps. The function of anEMI gasket is to preserve continuityof current flow in the shield. If thegasket is made of a materialidentical to the walls of the shieldedUS Headquarters TEL (1) 781-935-4850 FAX (1) 781-933-4318 www.chomerics.comEurope TEL (44) 1628 404000 FAX (44) 1628 404090Asia Pacific TEL (852) 2 428 8008 FAX (852) 2 423 8253South America TEL (55) 11 3917 1099 FAX (55) 11 3917 0817

EiEtJoCurrent onfront wall dueto reflectionfrom rear wallJtRereflectionfrom rear wallFigure 3 Variation of Current Densitywith Thickness for Electrically Thin Wallenclosure, the current distribution inthe gasket will also be the sameassuming it could perfectly fill theslot. (This is not possible due tomechanical considerations.)The flow of current through ashield including a gasket interface isillustrated in Figure 4. Electromagneticleakage through the seam can occurin two ways. First, the energy canleak through the material directly.The gasket material shown inFigure 4 is assumed to have lowerconductivity than the material in theshield. The rate of current decay,therefore, is also less in the gasket.It is apparent that more current willLines ofconstant currentσg σmMetal ShieldEiEtGasketgap exists in the seam, the flow ofcurrent will be diverted to thosepoints or areas which are in contact.A change in the direction of the flowof current alters the current distributionin the shield as well as in the gasket.A high resistance joint does notbehave much differently than openseams. It simply alters the distributionof current somewhat. A currentdistribution for a typical seam isshown in Figure 4. Lines of constantcurrent flow spaced at larger intervalsindicate less flow of current.It is important in gasket designto make the electrical properties ofthe gasket as similar to the shieldas possible, maintain a high degreeof electrical conductivity at theinterface, and avoid air, or highresistance gaps.Shielding andGasket Equations1The previous section was devotedto a physical understanding of thefundamental concepts of shieldingand gasketing. This section is devotedto mathematical expressions usefulfor general design purposes. It ishelpful to understand the criteriafor selecting the parameters of ashielded enclosure.In the previous section, it wasshown that electromagnetic wavesincident upon a discontinuity will bepartially reflected, and partly transmitted across the boundary and intothe material. The effectiveness of theshield is the sum total of these twoeffects, plus a correction factor toaccount for reflections from the backsurfaces of the shield. The overallexpression for shielding effectivenessis written as:Figure 4 Lines of Constant CurrentS.E. R A B(1)Flow Through a Gasketed Seamwhereappear on the far side of the shield.This increased flow causes a largerleakage field to appear on the farside of the shield. Second, leakagecan occur at the interface betweenthe gasket and the shield. If an airS.E. is the shielding effectiveness2 expressed in dB,R is the reflection factor expressed in dB,A is the absorption term expressed in dB, andB is the correction factor due to reflections fromthe far boundary expressed in dB.References1. Much of the analysis discussed in this section was performed by Robert B. Cowdell, as published in“Nomograms Simplify Calculations of Magnetic Shielding Effectiveness” EDN, page 44, September 1, 1972.The reflection term is largelydependent upon the relativemismatch between the incomingwave and the surface impedance ofthe shield. Reflection terms for allwave types have been worked outby others.3 The equations for thethree principal fields are given bythe expressions:Gf 3µr12RE 353.6 10 log10(RH 20 log10 0.462r1(2) Gf 0.136r fGµ 0.354) (3)µ16RP 108.2 10 log10 G x 10µf(4)whereRE, RH, and RP are the reflection terms for theelectric, magnetic, and plane wave fieldsexpressed in dB.G is the relative conductivity referred tocopper,f is the frequency in Hz,µ is the relative permeability referred tofree space,r1 is the distance from the source to theshield in inches.The absorption term A is thesame for all three waves and isgiven by the expression:A 3.338 x 10– 3 x t µfG(5)whereA is the absorption or penetration lossexpressed in dB, and t is the thicknessof the shield in mils.The factor B can be mathematicallypositive or negative (in practice it isalways negative), and becomesinsignificant when A 6 dB. It isusually only important when metalsare thin, and at low frequencies (i.e.,below approximately 20 kHz).(6)B (in dB) 20 log 101–((K – 1) 2(K 1) 2) (10 ) (e )–A/10–j.227AwhereA absorption losses (dB) K Z S /Z H 1.3(µ/fr 2G)1/ 2Z S shield impedanceZ H impedance of the incidentmagnetic field2. Shielding Effectiveness is used in lieu of absorption because part of the shielding effect is caused byreflection from the shield, and as such is not an absorption type loss.3. Vasaka, G.J., Theory, Design and Engineering Evaluation of Radio-Frequency Shielded Rooms,U.S. Naval Development Center, Johnsville, Pa., Report NADC-EL-54129, dated 13 August, 1956.US Headquarters TEL (1) 781-935-4850 FAX (1) 781-933-4318 www.chomerics.comEurope TEL (44) 1628 404000 FAX (44) 1628 404090Asia Pacific TEL (852) 2 428 8008 FAX (852) 2 423 8253South America TEL (55) 11 3917 1099 FAX (55) 11 3917 0817193