Dielectric Characterization: A 3D EM Simulation Approach

A new approach is presented that relies upon 3D electromagnetic simulation results to characterize the complex permittivity of homogeneous dielectric materials. By modeling the test fixture and obtaining a set of simulated S-parameters through an iterative solution process, the dielectric constant and loss tangent can be found. With further development, the 3D simulation results may be used to replace the need for complex theoretical analysis of the measurement geometry.

The method is applied to an X-band rectangular waveguide setup, for which the theoretical S-parameters can be readily calculated. A Teflon sample, for which the dielectric properties are well-known, is used for all measurements and calculations. After presenting a detailed derivation to obtain the theoretical S-parameters, the Teflon sample is measured and compared to the theoretical results, from which the comparison shows great promise. An inverse solution algorithm is used to solve for the material properties from the experimental S-parameters.

Low-frequency measurement of the Teflon sheet was performed by using a dielectric capacitor test fixture. The results show the effect of an air gap between the electrode and sample, producing serious errors.