ETS-Lindgren's FerroSorb FS-980 High Performance Hybrid Ferrite Tile Polyurethane Dielectric Absorber is the first commercially available absorber to meet the absorber return loss specified by the European Standards Telecommunication Institute's (ETSI) test standards. As digital circuits increase in speed, EMC compliant testing is being raised to higher frequencies. Anticipating this need, ETS-Lindgren developed FS-980, an anechoic absorber that is numerically optimized to provide the highest attainable reflectivity performance across an ultra broadband frequency range of 30 MHz to 18 GHz.*
Our FS-980 absorber provides satisfactory reflectivity performance for meeting conventional test site validation method below 1 GHz while providing superior anechoic performance from 300 MHz to 18 GHz. It is anticipated that test sites built with FS-980 absorber treatment will meet test site requirements in both low (30 MHz to 1 GHz) and high-frequency range (above 1 GHz) ranges, using known current and future validation methods. Test sites lined with FS-980 can also be used for immunity measurements, safely handling exposure to continuous RF field intensities up to 540 V/m.
FerroSorb FS-980 is manufactured from high quality, low density polyurethane foam that undergoes 15 quality assurance checks during production. The manufacturing process begins with the foam being impregnated with a proprietary, conductive carbon formula. A second impregnation is made with a salt solution and binding agent. The foam is then cut into a precise curvilinear wedge configuration by a computer controlled saw. The shaped absorber is next bonded to a precision machined ferrite tile with a tuned dielectric layer, and tested.
Testing Process
Every piece of FerroSorb undergoes non-destructive reflectivity testing following the recommended square coax test method by IEEE-STD-1128. A vertical coaxial waveguide is used for testing across the 30 MHz to 500 MHz low frequency range. Higher frequency testing is performed using an NRL arch. This thorough testing process assures that FerroSorb FS-980 delivers consistent, repeatable performance.