EMC Methodology to Optimize Application of Electronic Component Multisourcing

This paper introduces a way to reduce product EMC requalification when new sources are introduced. The strategy is to shift the qualification from the product to the component itself considering that if components are equivalent, the products behavior will also be the same. For each component category (capacitor, inductor, diodes, IC …), the relevant characteristics are identified to be considered for the comparison which can impact the EMC performance of a product (Z(f), I(V) …). Criteria are then defined, based on technology, geometric parameters, tolerances and measurement uncertainties. An application on X7R capacitor is given to illustrate this methodology. Limits of the method and application on complex component will then be introduced.

I. Introduction

Electronic component scarcity is not something new but the pandemic, US-China trade war and droughts have increased the risk of shortage for all electronic companies around the world. In order to reduce this risk, the main solution is to diversify supply sources or find alternatives [1]. Qualification of a new component must go through several layers of validation. For EMC aspects, teams are checking if the product is still EMC compliant with the new components. It means redoing most of the tests for each project to be able to guarantee its qualification for the customer.