This paper proposes a novel miniaturized rectangular loop antenna sensor consisting of a multiturn wire and a cuboid ferrite core. The lateral surface of the ferrite core is tightly wound by the multiturn wire. To verify its feasibility, the antenna sensor is fabricated, and the antenna factor (AF) levels are measured using the three-antenna method from the very low frequency (VLF) to the high-frequency (HF) bands. The measured AF levels are 31.8 dB (with a covering plastic case) and 33.1 dB (without a covering plastic case) at 30 kHz. In addition, the proposed antenna is employed in the shielding effectiveness measurement of a small commercial cabinet to observe its suitability for shielding effectiveness (SE) measurement of small shielding enclosures. The SE values averaged over the frequency range from 10 kHz to 3 MHz are 4.1 dB and 12 dB in the horizontal and vertical polarizations, respectively.
Keywords: AF enhancement; SE measurement; VLF antenna miniaturization; ferrite loop antenna; multiturn loop antenna.