cDASY6 Module SAR V6.14: Time-Efficient SAR Evaluation Thanks to Smart Zoom Scan

SPEAG’s new Smart Zoom Scan provides multiple benefits for DASY6 users: it optimizes its own scanning parameters, reduces the measurement time, makes rescans unnecessary, and is always compliant with SPEAG’s uncertainty budget.

Just one month after the successful launch of cDASY6 Module SAR V6.12 for automated measurements with the “API Option”, SPEAG is yet again simplifying specific absorption rate (SAR) compliance testing by introducing an adaptive zoom scan. Thanks to the new Smart Zoom Scan feature, measurements are now:

• 30% quicker, as the scan computes the optimal grid settings for each test configuration of the device being measured
• more reliable, as the scan verifies that the post-processing component of the uncertainty budget is valid

The new release also features additional application programming interface (API) commands.

SAR Compliance Testing Now Easier than Ever

Modern mobile devices tested at a distance of less than 5 mm from the phantom shell often generate SAR distributions with a very localized absorptions. The frequency-based minimal grid settings as defined in the international standards are not always sufficient to ensure accurate post-processing. To resolve this issue, knowing that the standardization process is slow, SPEAG recommended more than 10 years ago that DASY users apply more restrictive grid settings and the use of the high-resolution EXD3Vx probe for very localized exposures. In addition, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) published an amendment (IEC 62209-2 Amendment 1) in 2019 requiring that zoom scans must meet the following two criteria:

• that the smallest horizontal distance from the local SAR peaks to all points 3 dB below the SAR peak is larger than the horizontal grid step (3 dB distance)
• that the SAR at the second measured point (M2) compared to the SAR at the closest measured point (M1) at the x-y location of the measured maximum SAR value is at least 30% (M2/M1)

National regulators like the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) Canada rapidly adopted the IEC 62209-2 Amendment 1. SPEAG introduced already in 2017 a warning message in the DASY6 software to flag cases in which the two criteria are not fulfilled. In such cases, the operator would be directed to re-measure the complete zoom scan with finer grid settings.

In-depth discussions with our users revealed that having to perform measurements with very fine grids – or having to repeat measurements &ndash to ensure to meet IEC requirements is very time consuming.

To overcome this problem, SPEAG is now introducing the Smart Zoom Scan feature in cDASY Module SAR V6.14:

• first, a fast 2D scan is performed on a fine grid at the maximum of the preceding Area Scan to determine the optimal measurement grid such that all requirements defined by the uncertainty budget provided by SPEAG as well as by IEC 62209-2 Amendment 1 are met
• the optimal zoom scan is then automatically performed such that re-measurement is not required
• the minimum 3 dB distance and M2/M1 ratio are calculated from the zoom scan data is available for reporting

The adaptive scanning leads to:

• 30% reduction in the zoom scan measurement times
• uninterrupted measurement workflows

Check out the video below for demonstration of how the Smart Zoom Scan feature in cDASY6 Module SAR V6.14 is used.

Learn more about the new Smart Zoom Scan in our application note.

Extended Commands for the API Option

In response to feedback from our first cDASY6 API users, we have extended the available set of commands in cDASY6 Module SAR V6.14 to make it possible to:

• verify before executing whether the specified scan can be performed with the currently available hardware
• measure a scan with custom grid settings
• monitor the progress of a scan during execution

The new cDASY6.14 Module SAR V6.14 software can be downloaded here.

For feedback or for further information, please contact us at info@speag.swiss.