Introduction Commercial and handcrafted probes similar to those shown in Fiure ! are commonly used in E"C dianostic wor#, but ha$e you e$er considered how they operate% &he manetic field probes are made in the form of a loop with an inherent electrostatic shield, enerally from '( )hm semi*riid coa+ial cable. &hey $ary slihtly in confiuration and in characteristics, but essentially they are electrically small shielded loop antennas deri$ed from the antennas used since the !,-(.s for radio communication and direction findin /!,-0.
Figure 1. Various shielded loops.
How they work Refer to the diarams of the $arious 1*field loop probes shown in Fiure -. &he followin e+planation can be applied in eneral to all the probes, but the common probe type -2a3 will be considered. &he e4ui$alent circuit diaram is shown as Fiure 5, which has numbered location points correspondin to Fiure -2a3 /5,60. 7n eleant arranement e+ists where electric fields may impine on the outer sheath but are shielded from the inner sinal line. 7 small ap in the outer sheath is howe$er always included, pre$entin a shorted*turn to manetic fields.
7 manetic field passin throuh the probe loop enerates a $oltae accordin to Faradays law, which states that the induced $oltae is proportional to the rate of chane of manetic flu+ throuh a circuit loop. 7t $ery low fre4uencies a $oltae would be induced directly in the internal loop conductor, but the copper sheath is 4uite a ood shield to manetic fields at fre4uencies e+ceedin the low K18 rane. So at hih fre4uency, a $oltae is then induced preferentially in the outer sheath loop, and this appears across the sheath ap 2points ! 9 :3 /'0. &he metal sheath thic#ness is se$eral s#in depths, so this pre$ents direct interaction between currents on the e+ternal surface and internal surfaces of the shield. &he '( )hm transmission line, formed by the inner surface of the sheath and the inner conductor, is then dri$en by this $oltae and is terminated by the '( )hm measurement system 2points 6 9 '3.
7n analoy to the effect described abo$e may be made, by considerin a circuit loop arranement where a coa+ial shield termination is unconnected at one end 2see Fiure 63. )r an imperfect coa+ial shield termination, where some round current may create a $oltae across an inducti$e path such as a ;Pitail< round connection.
Figure 2. Loop configurations.
Figure 3. Equivalent circuit diagram for type 2(a) 2(!).
Figure ". #ircuit analogy of pro!e construction.
Type variations Probe type 2-a3 is common and a commercial $ersion is a$ailable /:0. 7 '( )hm chip resistor termination is sometimes included 2at points - 9 5 as in -2b33, to terminate the short lenth or half loop of coa+ial transmission line in a balanced way and help pre$ent contributin effects from any unbalanced cable currents. &his chip resistor will howe$er somewhat reduce the low fre4uency sensiti$ity when the probe is used as a pic#*up.
=hen the outer sheath is formed in two hal$es as in Fiure -2b3, the outer surface of the shield may then be considered as a balanced two*conductor transmission line arranement />0. &his arranement of the electrostatic shield was particularly important for direction findin as it helped a$oid distortion of the loop antenna directional pattern.
7 "oebius $ersion of the balanced probe type -2b3 with both sinal lines connected to their opposite sheath at the central ap, is claimed to ha$e twice the output of the Kin probe type -2d3 and is noted in /?0. &he Kin type probe is named*after R. =. P. Kin who discusses loop antennas and probes in /, 9 !(0. 7n interestin 5*layer Printed Circuit Board $ersion of the Kin probe type -2d3, is described in /!!0. Sensitivity and performance comparison &he probe types shown in Fiure - are not normally utili8ed to determine circuit current by application of a transfer impedance@ they are enerally used as a dianostic aid to detect the source of sinals, or as local field*eneratin source. Performance of the probe types has therefore been compared in a representati$e way, by usin the microstrip line techni4ue as detailed in /!!0 but with the probe at a fi+ed distance of !(mm from the microstrip line, as shown in Fiure '.
Figure $. %ro!e sensitivity test arrangement. %d & 'd(m.
&he transfer function of this arranement with $arious probe types may be compared in Fiures : to !(. 7 throuh*connection was normali8ed to the reference le$el at the top of the plot prior to measurement. 7ll the handcrafted probes were formed with 5.:mm )A semi*riid coa+. Bote their uniform flat response abo$e !'("18 due to the low pass filter effect described below.
Aue to the nature of the manetic field within it, a coa+ial cable transmission line can be considered to form a !C! transformer with its shield and inner conductor. &herefore a linear impro$ement in the probe open circuit $oltae and low fre4uency sensiti$ity is created with more inner sinal line turns. But since the probe inductance forms a low pass DR filter with the '( )hm measurin instrument impedance, the loop current and the hih fre4uency beha$iour is thereby notably limited by )Ds abo$e a corner fre4uency to a flat response. See Fiure !!, which shows the effect of two inner conductor turns on performance.
&he probes are normally reconised to ha$e a self*resonant fre4uency due to the loop inductance and parasitic capacitance between the centre conductor and outer sheath. &he smaller the probe loop diameter, the hiher this self*resonant fre4uency, but coa+ diameter and construction type also ha$e an effect. For a 5(mm diameter type -2a3 the resonance occurs at around ??("18 2as seen in Fiure >3. =ith type -2b3, -2c3 and -2d3, no resonance was seen up to a fre4uency of !'(("18 2see Fiures ?, , and !(3@ but type -2c3 had noted sensiti$ity due to capaciti$e influence when handlin probe nec# and cable. From those assessed, types -2b3 and -2d3 are therefore considered to be the preferred $ersions of manetic loop probe for hih fre4uency circuit in$estiati$e use.
Figure 4. 3'mm diameter loop type 2(a) formed )ith 3.*mm ,3 semi1rigid coa2. #entral gap.
Figure 5. 3'mm diameter loop type 2(!) formed )ith 3.*mm ,3 semi1rigid coa2. #entral gap plus terminating resistor.
Figure 6. 3'mm diameter loop type 2(c) formed )ith 3.*mm ,3 semi1rigid coa2. 7ap at nec0.
Figure 1'. 3'mm diameter loop type 2(d) formed )ith 3.*mm ,3 semi1rigid coa2. #entral gap8 9ing type.
Figure 11. /:4* coa2 ca!le *'mm diameter loop type 2(c) ,ne inner conductor turn in magenta. ;)o inner conductor turns in green.
References /!0 R. 1. Barfield. ;Some e+periments on the screenin of radio recei$in apparatus. Screened Doops<, Eour. FEE, Gol. :-, p. -6,, !,-6. /-0 F. &erman. ;Radio Enineers 1andboo#<, Section !-.-. &he Doop Airection Finder, pp. ?>'* ?>>, "cHraw*1ill !,65. /50 E. Hoedbloed. Electromanetic Compatibility. -.6.- "easurin emission $ia radiation. !,,(. FSBB (*!5*-6,-,5*? /60 H. S. Smith, ;Doop antennas<, R. C. Eohnson 9 1. Easi# 2Editors3, 7ntenna Enineerin 1andboo#, Chapter ', "cHraw*1ill, BI, - nd Ed, !,?6. FSBB (*(>*(5--,!*(. 2&his te+t now re$ised and updated, 5rd Ed., Edited by R. C. Eohnson, "cHraw*1ill, !,,5.3 /'0 C. F. ". Carobbi, D. ". "illanta, D. Chiosi, ;&he hih*fre4uency beha$ior of the shield in the manetic*field probes< Proc. of FEEE Fnt. Symp. on E"C, 7u. -!*-'th -(((, =ashinton, US7., pp. 5'*6(. /:0 E"C), &he Electro*"echanics Company. Bear field probe set user.s manual !,??. />0 D.D. Dibby, ;Special aspects of balanced shielded loops<, Proc. of the FRE 9 wa$es and electrons, Gol. 56, Sept. !,6:, pp. :6!*:6:. /?0 B. Iordano$, K. Aouhty, R. Iordano$, ;Bear*field probes for E"C applications< E"C &est 9 Aesin, "ay !,,6, pp. !?*-:. /,J R. =. P. Kin, ;&he loop antenna for transmission and reception<, R. E. Collin, F.E. Kuc#er, 7ntenna &heory, Part !, Chapter !!, "cHraw*1ill, BI, !,:,. /!(J 1. =hiteside, R. =. P. Kin, ; &he loop antenna as a probe<, FEEE &rans. )n 7ntennas and Propaation, Gol. 7P!-, "ay !,:6, pp. -,!*-,>. /!!0 FEC :!,:>*: Fnterated circuits L "easurement of electromanetic emissions, !'(K18 to !H18 L Part :C "easurement of conducted emissions L "anetic probe method.
!ibliography &he theory of the shielded loop antenna is i$en by R. E. Buress, ;&he Screen Doop 7erial<, =ireless En. Gol. !:, p. 6,-, )ctober !,5,.