Analysis and Preliminary Measurements of Radiated Emissions in an Asynchronous Circuit versus its Synchronous Counterpart

As circuits grow larger and faster, electromagnetic interference (EMI) plays an increasingly important role in equipment design. To deal with EMI and make designs comply with related standards, engineers have several techniques at their disposal, some applicable at the design phase, others at the implementation phase. This paper deals with asynchronous systems as a means of reducing EMI. Lower magnetic interference is achieved thanks to the inexistence of a clock signal, so the intense emissions that occur during clock transitions are avoided. Measurements were taken from a circuit designed using the asynchronous method, as well as from its synchronous counterpart, clearly illustrating the superior radiation profile of the former.