Extraction of effective permittivity and permeability of metallic powders in the microwave range

Abstract

In this work, effective electric permittivity and magnetic permeability of metallic–dielectric mixtures are extracted from electromagnetic full 3D simulation data in the microwave range. The numerical method used here is the finite integration technique with periodic boundary conditions. Simulated mixtures have periodic extend in directions perpendicular to the direction of the plane wave. Thus, it is sufficient to analyze a unit element in order to extract the effective electric and magnetic properties. Using this procedure, the behavior of fine copper powders irradiated by microwaves at a frequency of 2.45 GHz is simulated. Then, the relation between particle size and the mixture's effective properties is studied. By introducing a thin copper oxide or conductive layer it is possible to emulate the effective properties of metallic powder compacts in the early stage of sintering. Thus, this work contributes to improving the insight into the mechanisms of microwave absorption in powders of conductive materials in contrast to non-absorption in bulk metals.