Fast, Low-Invasive Visualization of EM-Very-Near-Field Distributions: from Anechoic Chamber to Microscope
Authors:
Jean-Charles Bolomey, Manuel Sierra-Castañer
Abstract:
Fast and accurate visualization of Electromagnetic (EM) field distribution is satisfactorily obtained by
numerical modelling. However, it still constitutes a key challenge in the case of measurements. The application
of EM visualization covers a wide spectrum of demanding applications in wireless communications systems and
sensing devices. EM visualization is an important tool in all the phases of the communications design steps:
from the early design and prototyping of antenna modules to final on-line fabrication and compliance testing of
mass-produced connected devices. In the last years, the measurement time has been drastically reduced thanks to
several modalities exploiting either various interaction mechanisms between EM waves with adequate sensitive
materials or the combination of standard Near-Field (NF) measurements with optimized sampling strategies and
advanced wavefront post-processing techniques to retrieve Very-Near-Field (VNF) distributions. The aim of this
extended paper is to provide an overview of these modalities and enable an initial assessment of their potential
in terms of rapidity, sensitivity, invasiveness and spatial resolution.
