Reverberation Chamber Tuner/Stirrer Considerations In EMC Testing

By Clint Burns, SunAR RF Motion

An electromagnetic reverberation chamber (RVC), also sometimes called a mode-stirred chamber (MSC), is an environment for electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) testing and other electromagnetic investigations. While RVCs fulfill the same purpose as anechoic chambers, they function differently and offer unique advantages.

Most notably, RVCs create a highly diffused measurement environment (i.e., an isotropic field); anechoic chambers require the equipment under test (EUT) to be slowly rotated on a turntable as it is “painted” with a signal from one angle at a time. To enable EMC testing from all angles at once, RVCs are equipped with one or more tuners (also called mode stirrers, or simply stirrers) — constructs designed with multiple reflecting surfaces at complex angles — to provide a highly stirred environment with minimal angular changes.

SunAR RF Motion can design and build tuners/stirrers sized to match any chamber and supporting stirred or stepped operation. Ideally, to provide optimal performance, we are able to design the room from scratch. However, this usually is not the case, since many organizations create RVCs in spaces previously used for other purposes, so the dimensions often are out of their control.