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

With the growing importance of cultivating talent to advance high-tech industries, we examined EMC laboratories at major domestic universities.

■ KAIST EMC Laboratory

The EMC laboratory at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) is led by Professor Seung-Young Ahn, who also serves as an adjunct professor at the Cho Chun-Sik Mobility Graduate School and the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at KAIST. Professor Ahn is an expert in electric vehicle wireless power transmission technology and high-speed digital system signal integrity design, and serves as the Seoul-Daejeon Chapter President of the IEEE EMC Society.

The KAIST EMC Laboratory targets the fields of EMC, SI/PI, and wireless power transfer, and conducts research in the EMC area including analysis of human exposure to EMC, EMC noise analysis, measurement and modeling of EMC components, and AI-based EMC design and analysis.

Recently, with the high integration and miniaturization of semiconductors, as well as the acceleration of chip-to-chip and chip-to-communication data transmission, semiconductor SI/PI optimization is receiving significant attention.

Accordingly, the KAIST EMC Laboratory is also conducting numerous semiconductor-related SI/PI studies, including recent research on: △calculation of Signal Integrity values based on 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) △Advanced PSI Technology for Chiplet Implementation (Samsung Electronics).

■ UNIST IC&EMC Convergence Laboratory

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

The EMI/EMC ICs developed by the IC & EMC Convergence Laboratory include wafer-level packaged EMI analysis ICs, EMICs (Electromagnetic Interference Management ICs), and oscilloscopes. There are ICs, active EMI filter ICs, two types of ICs for ESD noise effect analysis and measurement, and three types of ICs for SI/PI analysis.

The distinguishing feature of this place is its hardware strength, such as manufacturing actual chips, and in 2018, it established EM Core Tech, a research institute-based company where Professor Jin-Gook Kim serves as co-CEO, and is introducing products such as EMIC, custom modules, EMI solutions, and EMI sensing to the market.

Major projects include semiconductor design for EMC, SI/PI, EMI/EMC, semiconductor package design, and AI-based EMC design. Recent ongoing research includes: △ research on system-level ESD noise analysis and immunity improvement (SK Hynix) △ development of active choke circuits for reducing electromagnetic noise in high-voltage motor systems (Hyundai Motor Company) △ research on 5I (SI, PI, TI, EMI, AI) to improve the performance and reliability of semiconductors, packages, and modules (SK Hynix).

■ Yonsei University ACEM Lab

Yonsei University’s ACEM laboratory, led by Professor Yuk Jong-kwan, is a research center for the field of 'Advanced Computational Electromagnetics' and combines four synergistic research fields.

It encompasses the fields of RF systems, numerical analysis, communications, and EMI/EMC, and conducts research such as RCS analysis of fighter aircraft using numerical analysis techniques, RCS reduction research using plasma, analysis of coupling phenomena induced in drones by EMP, and TEMPEST for security and signal restoration.

The characteristics of the ACEM laboratory include government research projects with the National Security Technology Research Institute, the Agency for Defense Development, and the Agency for Defense Development, as well as research achievements in the defense and defense industry sectors, such as research on the development direction of anti-drone technology and application methods for naval vessels (Hanwha Ocean) and research on performance improvement methods using high-gain radome structures (LIG Nex1).

Professor Yuk Jong-kwan, the supervising professor, is a leading domestic expert in the field of numerical electromagnetic wave analysis and is making a name for himself in the defense and security sectors. In addition, it has specialized laboratories under its umbrella, including the Aviation Detectability Reduction Technology Laboratory and the Large Stealth Platform Radio Wave Analysis Laboratory.

■ Sungkyunkwan University EMC Laboratory

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

Professor Na Wan-soo has been conducting research in areas such as chip-package-PCB SI/PI/EMC, integrated circuits and automotive EMI/EMS, high-frequency characteristics for electronic packaging, and high-speed digital system design. Since 1995, he has established the Sungkyunkwan University EMC Laboratory and has been training domestic and international EMC experts.

In recent research achievements, the company has produced results in carrying out research projects with major domestic companies, including the development of a noise generator with a ground isolation structure for evaluating RF immunity of Flex PCB components, research on the development of an electromagnetic immunity analysis model for electronic devices using broadband radiation interference electromagnetic waves, and the development of FET high-frequency analysis modeling techniques.

In particular, over the past five years, as next-generation mobility such as electric vehicles and smart cars has garnered attention, Professor Na has collaborated with Mando, Samwon Act, LS Automotive Technologies, and Hyundai NGV on the development of next-generation mobility electronic component technology.