EM modelling package gains SAR capabilities

Mobile phone manufacturers can now ensure their new devices meet Government RF guidelines before they build a physical prototype thanks to the latest version of Micro-Stripes.

Mobile phone manufacturers can now ensure their new devices meet Government RF guidelines before they build a physical prototype thanks to the latest version of the Micro-Stripes 3D-EM modelling and antenna design package from Flomerics.

By integrating a full database describing the electrical properties of human tissues as full frequency dependent models, Micro-Stripes 6.1 is able to accurately simulate specific absorption rates (SAR) of electromagnetic (EM) radiation within the brain emitted by GSM mobile phones.

This allows design engineers to test radio emissions of a chosen product before building a physical prototype, saving money on manufacturing costs and dramatically reducing time to market.

"SAR values are a key issue for mobile phone manufacturers", explains Rachid Aitmehdi, Head of Flomerics' Electromagnetic Division.

"The general public have become very aware of the potential health effects of EM radiation on humans, and the mobile phone industry is under increasing pressure from Government and pressure groups to ensure their SAR values are as low as possible".

Micro-Stripes 6.1 is able to simulate and evaluate EM emissions from a generic dual band double helix antenna designed to operate in the GSM band when mounted inside a typical handset enclosure.

By considering the properties of human brain tissue, such as density and electrical properties, the software is able to visually and mathematically represent SAR impacts averaged over 1 and 10g, as stipulated by international norms.

Micro-Stripes 6.1 also takes into account the potential effects of the handset enclosure on the antennae performance and the influence that the presence of a human head will have on the antenna radiation pattern performance.

As part of the certification process on all new mobile phones, the Government's Department of Health is seeking to develop a European standard for measuring SAR values.

Research carried out by the International Commission on Non-Ionising Radiation Protection (ICNIRP), responsible for researching exposure limits to radiation emitted by handheld phones, recommends a localised SAR limit of 2W/kg averaged over any 10g mass of tissue in the head.

"Micro-Stripes 6.1 can help design engineers meet these guidelines", concludes Rachid Aithmehdi.

(This was Electronicstalk's Top Story on 12 February 2003).

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