A Coplanar Waveguide Resonator Based In-Line Material Characterization Sensor for Bulk and Metallized Dielectrics

Abstract

AbstractMicrowave Materials such as Rogers RO3003 are subject to process-related fluctuations in terms of the relative permittivity and dielectric loss. The behavior of high frequency circuits like patch-antenna arrays and their distribution networks is dependent on the effective wavelength. Therefore, fluctuations of the complex permittivity will influence the resonance frequency and beam direction of the antennas. This paper presents a grounded coplanar waveguide based sensor, which can measure the complex permittivity at 77 GHz, as well as at other resonance frequencies, by applying it on top of the manufactured depaneling. The relative permittivity of the material under test (MUT) is a function of the resonance frequency shift and the dielectric loss of the MUT can be determined by transmission amplitude variations at the resonances. In addition, the sensor is robust against floating ground metallizations on inner printed circuit board layers, which are typically distributed over the entire surface below antennas. Furthermore, the impact from conductor surface roughness on the measured permittivity values is determined using the Gradient Model.