EMI/EMC is essential as a key basic technology for all electronic products, and the need for EMI/EMC is becoming more prominent as noise in the electromagnetic environment increases due to the electrification of automobiles, miniaturization of various IT devices, and paradigm shift to 5G and 6G communications.

As the importance of nurturing talent to develop cutting-edge industries grows, we looked into EMC research labs at major domestic universities.

■ KAIST EMC Lab

The EMC Laboratory at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) is supervised by Professor Seung-Young Ahn, who also serves as an adjunct professor at the KAIST Cho Cheon-Sik Mobility Graduate School and the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering. Professor Ahn is an expert in wireless power transmission technology for electric vehicles and signal integrity design for high-speed digital systems, and serves as the Seoul-Daejeon branch manager of the IEEE EMC Society.

KAIST EMC Lab targets the fields of EMC, SI/PI, and wireless power transmission, and conducts research in the EMC field, including: △EMF human exposure analysis, △EMC noise analysis, △EMC component measurement and modeling, and △AI-based EMC design and analysis.

Recently, semiconductor SI/PI optimization is receiving a lot of attention due to the high integration and miniaturization of semiconductors as well as the high-speed transmission of chip-to-chip and chip-to-communication data.

Accordingly, KAIST EMC Lab is also conducting many semiconductor-related SI/PI studies, including: △Calculation of Signal Integrity Values According to Interposer Dielectric and Electrode Structure Characteristics (Samsung Electronics), △Signal and Power Integrity with Machine Learning (Samsung Electronics), △Research on 5I (SI, PI, TI, EMI, AI) for Improving the Performance and Reliability of Semiconductors, Packages, and Modules (SK Hynix), and △Advanced PSI Technology for Chiplet Implementation (Samsung Electronics).

■ UNIST IC&EMC Convergence Lab

The IC&EMC Convergence Laboratory at Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), led by Professor Jin-Guk Kim, mainly conducts convergence research in two fields: semiconductor circuits and electromagnetic waves, and has strengths in the research field of semiconductor circuit, package, and system design for EMI/EMC.

The EMI/EMC IC developed by the IC&EMC Convergence Lab includes: △EMI analysis IC in wafer level package △EMIC (Electromagnetic Interference Management IC) △Oscilloscope There are ICs: △Active EMI filter ICs, △2 types of ICs for ESD noise impact analysis and measurement, and △3 types of ICs for SI/PI analysis.

The differentiating characteristic of this place lies in its hardware strengths such as manufacturing actual chips, and in 2018, it established EMCoreTech, a research institute-based company co-CEOed by Professor Jin-Guk Kim, and is introducing products such as EMIC and customized modules, EMI solutions, and EMI sensing to the market.

Major projects include: △EMC △SI/PI △Semiconductor design for EMI/EMC △Semiconductor package design △AI-based EMC design, etc. Current research currently being conducted includes: △ System-level ESD noise analysis and resistance improvement research (SK Hynix), △ Development of an active choke circuit to reduce electromagnetic noise in high-voltage motor systems (Hyundai Motor Company), and △ Research on 5I (SI, PI, TI, EMI, AI) to improve the performance and reliability of semiconductors, packages, and modules (SK Hynix).

■ Yonsei University ACEM Laboratory

The ACEM Laboratory at Yonsei University, headed by Professor Yuk Jong-kwan, is a research lab in the field of 'Advanced Computational Electromagnetics', combining four research fields that produce synergistic effects.

△It covers the fields of RF systems, numerical analysis, communications, and EMI/EMC, and conducts research such as △RCS analysis of fighter jets using numerical analysis techniques, △RCS reduction research using plasma, △Analysis of coupling phenomenon caused by EMP in drones, and △TEMPEST for security and signal restoration.

The ACEM Lab's characteristics include government research projects with the National Security Research Institute, the Agency for Defense Development, and the Agency for Defense Development, as well as research results in the defense and defense industry sectors, such as research on the direction of anti-drone development and application to ships (Hanwha Ocean), and research on performance improvement methods using a high-gain radome structure (LIG Nex1).

Professor Jong-Kwan Yuk, the supervising professor, is the country's leading expert in the field of electromagnetic numerical analysis and is making his mark in the fields of national defense and security. To this end, it has specialized research labs including the △Airborne Detection Reduction Technology Lab and the △Stealth Large Platform Radio Wave Analysis Lab.

■ Sungkyunkwan University EMC Laboratory

The Sungkyunkwan University EMC Laboratory, led by Professor Na Wan-soo, aims to provide efficient solutions to SI/PI and EMI/EMC problems at the chip-package-PCB-hybrid vehicle system level.

Professor Na Wan-su has been conducting research in the fields of △Chip-Package-PCB SI/PI/EMC △EMI/EMS for integrated circuits and vehicles △High-frequency characteristics for electronic packaging △High-speed digital system design, etc. He has also established the EMC Laboratory at Sungkyunkwan University in 1995 and has been nurturing domestic and international EMC experts.

Recent research achievements include: △Development of a noise inejector with a ground separation structure for evaluating the RF resistance of flex PCB components; △Research on the development of an electromagnetic wave resistance analysis model for electronic devices using wideband radiated interference electromagnetic waves; △Development of a FET high-frequency analysis modeling technique, etc., and conducting research projects with major domestic companies.

In particular, over the past five years, as next-generation mobility such as electric vehicles and smart cars have been receiving attention, Professor Na has also collaborated with Mando, Samwon Act, LS Automotive Technologies, and Hyundai NGV to develop next-generation mobility equipment technology.