Unintentional Antennas: Why PCBs and Cables Start Radiating and How You Can Stop It

Karen Burnham

Vice President of Standards
IEEE EMC Society Board of Directors

Unintentional antennas: What causes PCBs and cables to emit radiation and methods to prevent it

This webinar on unintentional antennas is presented by Karen Burnham.

One of the biggest causes of EMC test failures is radiating structures in a unit, whether from the PCB or cabling, that are acting in ways designers never intended. This talk covers basics of antenna theory and how to identify potential radiating “antennas” in your product.

What you’ll learn:

• Basic antenna theory
• Different kinds of antennas
• Examples of structures that can accidentally become antennas
• Easy design steps to mitigate these risks

About Karen Burnham

Karen Burnham, a Principal Scientist at Electro Magnetic Applications in Denver, CO, brings a wealth of experience as an iNARTE certified EMC engineer. Her career spans the aerospace/defense and automotive industries, including impactful contributions at NASA JSC, where she worked on the Orion spacecraft and pyrotechnic systems. Her expertise extends to projects like the Dream Chaser spacecraft and the F-35 fighter jet. With several years at Ford Motor Company, she has worked on various vehicles, from traditional models like the Ford Edge and Lincoln Continental to electric hybrid vehicles like the Ford Explorer and Lincoln Aviator.

Ms. Burnham is also a valuable member of the IEEE EMC Society Board of Directors, serving as Vice President of Standards. She holds a BS degree in Physics from Northern Arizona University and an MS degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Houston.