GTEM Cell – An Alternative Immunity Test Environment for Automotive Components

ALSE (Absorber Lined Shielded Enclosure), BCI (Bulk Current Injection), TEM (Transverse Electromagnetic) cell and stripline are some of the methods described by the ISO 11452-x standard series to test vehicle sub-components. Till today, the GTEM (Gigahertz Transverse Electromagnetic) cell was not considered for vehicle sub-component immunity testing. In this paper, the GTEM cell is assessed, using a simple EUT (Equipment Under Test) with an attached cable. Different cable layouts were tested in order to find the one with the worst case coupling of the external noise. Additionally, the GTEM cell’s measurement result is compared with the standard immunity methods, based on the measured RF current on the EUT cable harness and required forward power of the power amplifier.