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TDK to Construct and Install New Anechoic Chamber

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- New chamber will make possible electromagnetic wave measurement and countermeasures at the world's highest levels at a central TDK Group R&D base -

August 27, 2008

TDK Corporation announced today that it will construct a large-scale, high-performance anechoic chamber at its Technical Center in Ichikawa City, Chiba Prefecture. The new chamber, which is scheduled for completion in about October 2009, will make possible measurement, evaluation, and analysis of electromagnetic waves at the world's highest levels. The facility will consist of a 10-meter room, a 3-meter room, an antenna room, and a shielded room. When combined with existing facilities (a 10-meter room and a 3-meter room), TDK will be able to perform electromagnetic wave measurements of all products that it handles as well as measurements at the world's highest levels tailored to customer new product development.

Over the last several years, electronics devices have become increasingly high performance and multi-function in conjunction with advances in electronics technologies. In addition, the use of electronic control and electronic devices for various functions is increasing in motor vehicles. As a result of these technological innovations, electronic circuits have become more dense, frequencies have increased, and voltages throughout circuits have dropped, making circuits more susceptible to adverse impact from extremely weak electromagnetic waves. The fundamental areas of electromagnetic wave countermeasures are electromagnetic interference (EMI) countermeasures, which protect other circuits from the electromagnetic waves emitted by a device, and electromagnetic susceptibility (EMS) countermeasures, which protect against effects from external electromagnetic waves. Together, these two types of countermeasures are referred to as electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) countermeasures. It is now the norm to consider EMC countermeasures from the product design and development stages. Global restrictions on permissible electromagnetic waves are becoming increasingly strict from the perspective of preventing malfunctions and ensuring safety, and as a result, EMC countermeasures are more important than ever.

To respond to this demand, TDK will construct a state-of-the-art, cutting-edge anechoic chamber at the Technical Center to measure and evaluate electromagnetic waves during new product development and to propose EMC countermeasure technologies and countermeasure products as well as reinforce the EMC solution business by analyzing customer products.

In addition to the central facility at the Technical Center, TDK has anechoic chambers at six other EMC centers worldwide to meet the needs of customers: at the Akita Plant in Japan; Austin, Texas in the United States; Seoul, Korea; Suzhou and Huanan in China; and Negeri Sembilan in Malaysia.

TDK also has an extensive lineup of ferrite products. Ferrite is a material that absorbs electromagnetic waves. TDK has used this strength to construct anechoic chambers since 1969, and has installed 1,000 chambers around the globe, putting it in the world-leading position.

Features of the New Anechoic Chamber
  1. Characteristics as an EMC anechoic chamber (site attenuation* characteristics: ± 1.5 dB or less; 30 MHz - 1 GHz) are at the world's highest levels, making possible highly precise measurements and assessments.
    *Site attenuation refers to the electromagnetic wave attenuation between the transmission and reception antennas being measured using approved methods for the measurement site. The smaller the difference between the measured site attenuation value and the ideal site attenuation (ideal value), the higher the quality of the anechoic chamber.
  2. Use of TDK original ferrite electromagnetic wave absorbent tiles to achieve cutting-edge absorbent performance.
  3. Wiring for test devices will be placed under the floor to create an efficient and fast work environment.
  4. A turntable will allow measurement of massive items such as automobiles.
Facility Overview
  1. Site: TDK Technical Center (2-15-7 Higashi-Owada, Ichikawa City, Chiba Prefecture)
  2. Building area: 1,802 m2
  3. Floor area: 2,736 m2
  4. Construction period: October 2008 - October 2009
  5. Facilities: As indicated below.
    Chamber Name Main Measurement
    Subject Devices
    10m anechoic chamber Intelligent consumer electronics, information devices, and automobiles.
    3m anechoic chamber Automotive electronics, etc.
    Antenna measurement anechoic chamber Various types of antennas
    Shielded room (four rooms total) Various electronic devices, nearby magnetic field measurement

For further information, contact the Corporate Communications Dept.
Tel.: 81-3-6778-1055
E-mail: TDK.PR@tdk.com