Risk Analysis of HPEM Threats for Linear RF Channel with Pyramid Horn Antenna Based on System-Level SPICE Modeling

Abstract

High power electromagnetics (HPEMs) pose a potential threatening risk to the wireless communication system, especially according to the main coupling path of the RF front-end channel. SPICE modeling of the responses coupled on the RF channel is crucial for the EM risk assessment, which helps us learn more about how the pulse conducts on the RF channel. A simplified linear RF channel with pyramid horn antenna is taken as an example by the selection of the key electronic modules of the actual wireless system. This paper proposes a system-level SPICE circuit model for the simplified RF channel according to the hybrid methods of the antenna electromagnetic simulation and SPICE modeling of the RF circuit. The equivalent circuits of the horn antenna illuminated by HPEMs are established with the Vector Fitting method based on Thevenin and Norton theorems. The short current response as the excitation files for the SPICE models are obtained by the commercial electromagnetic simulation of the horn antenna illuminated by Multiple HPEM environments. Equivalent circuits of a micro-strip bandpass filter are also derived with π type circuit structure based on the measured admittance data. Then we analyze the HPEM risk faced by the RF channel by considering multiple HPEM environments. The norm theory is utilized to analyze the waveform characteristics from electric fields of HPEMs to the responses of the RF channel. The ratios of the responses versus electric field for each norm are computed and the EM risk degree is ranked based on those results. The results demonstrate that high power microwave is the highest threatening risk for the linear RF channel compared to the other two HPEMs such as ultra-wide band, high altitude electromagnetic pulse. Finally, the flowchart of EM risk assessment is presented based on a previous analysis, which will benefit the EMC design in engineering.