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Free-Space Measurement of Complex Permittivity and Complex Permeability

of Magnetic Materials at Microwave Frequencies

Article  in  IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement · May 1990

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IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INSTRUMENTATlON A N D MEASUREMENT. VOL 39. NO 2. APRIL 1990
Free-Space Measurement of Complex Permittivity
and Complex Permeability of Magnetic Materials
at Microwave Frequencies
D. K. GHODGAONKAR, V. V . VARADAN, MEMBER,
IEEE,
Absfract-A free-space measurement system operating in the 8.2-40
GHz frequency range is used to measure the reflection and transmis-
sion coefficients, SI, and S,,, of planar samples. The complex electric
permittivity and the magnetic permeability are calculated from the
measured values of SI,and SzI.The measurement system consists of
transmit and receive horn lens antennas, a network analyzer, mode
transitions, and a computer. Diffraction effects at the edges of the sam-
ple are minimized by using spot-focusing lens antennas. Errors due to
multiple reflections between antennas via the surface of the sample are
corrected by using a free-space TRL (thru, reflect, line) calibration
technique. For thin, flexible samples, the sample had to be sandwiched
between two half-wavelength (at mid-band) quartz plates, to eliminate
the effect of sagging. Results are reported in the frequency range of
8.6-13.4 GHz for materials such as Teflon, sodium borosilicate glass,
and microwave-absorbing materials.
I. INTRODUCTION
F REE-SPACE methods are nondestructive and con-
tactless; hence, they are especially suitable for mea-
surement of the complex electric permittivity ( E * ) and
complex magnetic permeability ( p * ) of magnetic mate-
rials under high-temperature conditions. In the past, free-
space methods have been used by several investigators for
the measurement of electrical properties of materials [ 11-
[4]. Recently, a new free-space method was developed for
the accurate determination of the dielectric constant and
loss tangent of nonmagnetic materials such as Teflon and
quartz at microwave frequencies [5] using reflected fields
from metal-backed samples. This paper presents an ex-
tension of the free-space method for simultaneous mea-
surement of t * and p* of magnetic materials at microwave
frequencies using reflected and transmitted fields.
The errors in free-space measurements are presumed to
be due to diffraction effects at the edges of the sample and
multiple reflections between the horn lens antennas and
the mode transitions. Diffraction effects at the edges of
the sample are minimized by using spot-focusing horn lens
antennas as transmitters and receivers. In addition, we
have developed a free-space TRL (thru, reflect, line) cal-
ibration technique which eliminates errors due to multiple
reflections.
Manuscript received January 17, 1989; revised November 8 , 1989.
The authors are with the Research Center for the Engineering of Elec-
tronic and Acoustic Materials and the Department of Engineering Science
and Mechanics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802.
IEEE Log Number 8933410.
0018-9456/90/0400-0387$0 1.OO 0 1990 IEEE
387
AND V. K. VARADAN, MEMBER,I E E E
A conventional method for E*and p* measurement con-
sists of measuring complex reflection coefficients of short-
circuited and open-circuited (quarter-wavelength short-
circuited line) samples [6], [7]. Using this method, the
measurements are difficult and time consuming to make
because the open-circuited sample has to be established
at each measurement frequency. In this paper, we have
employed a method for determination of E* and p* from
reflection and transmission coefficients of a planar sam-
ple. This method is especially suitable for quick, routine,
and broad-band measurement o f t * and p* of high-loss
materials. For materials with dielectric (or magnetic) loss
tangent less than 0.1, the loss factor measurements are
found to be inaccurate because of errors in reflection and
transmission coefficient measurements. The dielectric
constant and loss tangent of low-loss materials can be
measured accurately by using another free-space method
which involves reflection coefficient measurement of a
metal-backed sample [5].
In this method, the free-space reflection and transmis-
sion coefficients S I ,and S,, of a planar sample are mea-
sured for a normally incident plane wave. The complex
constitutive parameters E* and p* are calculated from the
measured S I I and For thin and flexible samples of
magnetic materials, the accuracy of measurement of SI I
and is poor because of sagging of the sample when
mounted on the sample holder. The sample is, hence,
sandwiched between two fused quartz plates which are
half-wavelength at mid-band. The actual reflection and
transmission coefficients, S I Iand SZI, of the sample are
calculated from the measured S I Iand SZI of the quartz
plate-sample-quartz plate assembly from a knowledge of
the complex electric permittivity and thickness of the
quartz plates. Results are reported in the 8.6-13.4 GHz
frequency range for Teflon, sodium borosilicate glass,
Eccogel 1365-90 (epoxy resin), and microwave absorb-
ing materials.
II. THEORY
Fig. 1 shows a planar sample of thickness d placed in
free space. The complex electric permittivity and the
complex magnetic permeability, relative to free space, are
defined as
= E l - jt” = t ’ (1 - j tan 6,) (1)
388 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INSTRUMENTATION A N D MEASUREMENT. VOL. 39. NO. 2. APRIL 1990

In (9) the plus or minus sign is chosen such that 1 r I <

1. Using (6), the complex propagation constant y can be
written as

Y = [log, (1/7-)1/d. (11)

From ( 5 ) and (8)

i + r
J$ = (F)
Fig. 1 . Schematic diagram of planar sample. From (7) and (12), we obtain

p* = p' - j p " = p'(1 -jtan6,). (2)

It is assumed that the planar sample is of infinite extent
laterally so that diffraction effects at the edges can be ne-
glected. A linearly polarized, uniform plane wave of fre-
quency w is normally incident on the sample. The reflec- Since the parameter T in (11) is a complex number,
tion and transmission coefficients SI and Sz1are measured there are multiple values for y. If T i s defined as
in free space for the normally incident plane wave. By
applying boundary conditions at the air-sample interfaces T = (Tlej' (15)
in Fig. 1, it can be shown that the S I 1and SZIparameters
are related to the parameters and T by the foilowing then y is given by
equations [8] :

(3)
wheren = 0, + I , + 2 , * * .
The real part of y is unique and single valued, but the
(4) imaginary part of y has multiple values. So (13) and (14)
will give multiple values of E* and p * . The phase constant
where J?, the reflection coefficient of the air-sample in- is defined as
terface, and T a r e given by
0 = (27r/A,) = imaginary part ( y ) (17)
where A, is the wavelength in the sample material. From
(16) and (17), (d/A,) can be obtained as
T = e-?'. (6) 9
d/A,,, = n - -
In ( 5 ) and (6), Z, and y are the normalized characteristic 27r
impedance and propagation constants of the sample. They
are related to p* and E* by the following relationships: For n = 0 and -27r < 4 < 0, (d/A,) is between 0
and 1. If the sample thickness d is chosen such that it is
y = yo+ (7) less than A,, then (9)-( 14) will give a unique value of E*
and p* which corresponds to n = 0. For d > A, ambi-
r- guity in p" and E* can be resolved by making measure-
z,,= $1 - ments on two different thicknesses of the sample.
In the case of thin, flexible samples of magnetic mate-
where yo = (j27r/Ao) represents the propagation con- rials, the accuracy of free-space measurements of s,I and
stant of free space, and is the free-space wavelength. SZ1 is poor because of sagging of the sample when
From ( 3 ) and (4), and T can be written as mounted on the sample holder. So, the sample is sand-
wiched between two fused-quartz plates which are half-
r =K _+ J K -~ 1 (9) wavelength at mid-band. The parameters S l l aand of
where the quartz plate-sample-quartz plate assembly are mea-
sured in free space. Because the complex permittivity and
thickness of the quartz plates are known, S I Iand S2, of
the sample can be calculated from S l l aand of the
assembly. The Appendix gives the derivation for the
transformation of SII, and S,,, to SI, and S2, of the sam-
ple.
GHODGAONKAR EI U / . : F R E E - S P A C E M E A S U R E M E N T OF C O M P L E X P E R M I T T I V I T Y A N D C O M P L E X P E R M E A B I L I T Y

111. MEASUREMENT
SYSTEM
A schematic diagram of the measurement setup is given
in Fig. 2. The transmit and receive antennas are spot-fo- HP 7440A
cusing horn lens antennas which are mounted on a large
aluminum table ( 1.83 m x 1.83 m). The spot-focusing
[I Phmr

horn lens antenna consists of two equal plano-convex di-

electric lenses mounted back to back in a conical horn
antenna. The ratio of focal distance to diameter of the lens
( F I D ) is unity and D is approximately 30.5 cm. The alu-
minum table has provisions for configuring antennas for
monostatic and bistatic measurements (35 to 65 O off nor- O

mal). A specially fabricated sample holder is placed at

the common focal plane for holding planar samples and
is mounted on a micrometer-driven carriage. It can hold
samples of cross section 17.8 cm x 17.8 cm, 15.2 cm x
15.2 cm, and 10.2 cm X 10.2 cm, respectively. The
transmit and receive antennas are mounted on a carriage
and the distance between them can be changed with an
accuracy of u.OU1 in. At 10 GHz, the 3-dB beamwidth in
Fig. 2 . Schematic diagram of measurement setup
the H and E planes of the spot-focusing antennas were
4.37 cm and 3.2 cm, respectively. The 10-dB beamwidths
in the H and E planes of the spot-focusing antennas are the mode transitions via the surface of the sample. We
7.85 cm and 5.49 cm at 10 GHz. These values are cal- have implemented two-port TRL calibration techniques
culated from the radiation patterns of the antennas mea- along with time-domain gating so as to remove the effects
sured at the focus by the manufacturer. For other fre- of multiple reflections.
quencies, the beamwidth will change in proportion to the In a coaxial transmission medium, the open, short,
wavelength in free space. From Musil and Zacek [9], the matched termination, and through standards are used for
depth of focus can be calculated for the case of D = 30.5 two-port calibration of S parameters. Recently, i t was
cm and F = 30.5 cm. The depth of focus is 8.4 wave- shown that the TRL calibration technique is superior to
lengths (25.2 c m ) at 10 GHz. The calculated values of traditional open, short, matched termination calibration
the depth of focus vary from 8.4 to 10 wavelengths in the technique for a coaxial line [ 101. At microwave frequen-
frequency range 8-14 GHz. These values are close to an cies, the TRL calibration can produce the highest quality
approximate value of 10 wavelengths given by the man- calibration available (effective directivity and source
ufacturer of the horn lens antennas. Because of the spot impedance match up to 60 dB) [ l 11. It is a particularly
focusing of the lens antennas, diffraction effects at the attractive method for measurement in noncoaxial media
edges of the sample are negligible if the minimum trans- (such as stripline and microstripline) because calibration
verse dimension of the sample is greater than three times standards can be realized easily and accurately. TRL cal-
the E-plane 3-dB beamwidth of the antenna at its focus. ibration was implemented in free space by establishing
This condition has been verified experimentally. TRL standards in the free-space medium [5]. The two ref-
The spot-focusing antennas are connected to the two erence planes for port 1 and port 2 are located at the focal
planes of the transmit and receive antenna, respectively.
ports of an S-parameter test set by using circular-to-rect-
angular waveguide adapters, rectangular waveguide to A through standard is configured by keeping the distance
coaxial line adapters, and precision coaxial cables. By between the two antennas equal to twice the focal dis-
using adapters for different bands, the spot-focusing an- tance. The reject standards for port 1 and port 2 are ob-
tennas can be used from 14 to 40 GHz. Another pair of tained by placing a metal plate at the focal planes of the
spot-focusing horn lens antennas are required for coveringtransmit and receive antenna, respectively. The line stan-
the 8.2- 14 GHz frequency range. S-parameter measure- dard is achieved by separating the focal planes of the
ments in free space were performed with a Hewlett-Pack- transmit and receive antennas by a distance equal to a
ard 8510B Network Analyzer system consisting of a syn- quarter of the free-space wavelength at the center of the
thesized sweeper and an S-parameter test set. An HP9836 band. The TRL calibration kit of HP85 10B is modified by
computer was used for automation, data acquisition, defining TRL standards regarding wave impedance and
printing, and plotting. A computer program based on (9)- electrical delay. The error model used for TRL calibration
(14) was implemented on an HP9836 computer for cal- includes error terms for directivity, isolation, source
culation of E* and p* of the samples. impedance match, load impedance match, transmission
frequency response, and reflection frequency response.
IV. FREE-SPACE MEASUREMENT OF S PARAMETERS The description of the error model is given by Williams

For normally incident plane waves, the error in free- [ 111. This error model has 12 error coefficients which are
space measurement of S parameters is due to multiple re- evaluated from measured data for the TRL standards. In
flections between the spot-focusing horn lens antennas and addition to error coefficients, the calibration program cal-
390 IEEE TRANSACTIONS
culates the propagation constant of the line standard and
the reflection coefficient of the reflect standard [ 101. By
performing the TRL calibration using the free-space cal-
ibration standards, two-port free-space calibration is ob-
tained.
The free-space calibration can be verified for plane
wave propagation by measuring S2, for free-space delays
of different lengths. We have observed a linear phase vari-
ation and negligible amplitude change with increasing
length of delay line (for lengths up to 3.81 c m ) . Thus
the electromagnetic fields in the neighborhood of the
common focal plane are those of a plane wave.
For measuring SI, and SzIof a planar sample, the ref-
erence planes corresponding to the transmit and receive
antenna were located at the front and back face of the
sample, respectively. Because of residual post-calibration
errors such as source impedance mismatch and load
impedance mismatch, a ripple was observed in the mea-
sured S I ,and S2, data. Time-domain gating was used to
remove the effects of residual mismatches. For imple-
mentation of time-domain gating, frequency-domain data
are obtained for SI and S2,. After taking the inverse Fou-
rier transform of the frequency-domain data, the time-do-
main S I , and S,, response is obtained. Then, gating is
applied over the time-domain response which includes the
main reflection (or transmission) response and multiple
reflections within the sample. The Fourier transform of
the gated time-domain response gives the frequency-do-
main response with time-domain gating. Time-domain
gating is applied such that the gated frequency-domain
response is an approximate average of the ungated re-
sponse. The gating feature of the HP8510B network ana-
lyzer is used for implementation of time-domain gating in
free-space S-parameter measurements. Additional infor-
mation on time-domain gating is given by Rytting [ 121.
CONSIDERATIONS
V. ACCURACY
After free-space TRL calibration and time-domain gat-
ing of the S-parameter response, the measurement errors
in S I , and Szl are mainly due to two kinds of errors.
The first kind comprises the residual postcalibration er-
rors resulting from imperfections in the calibration stan-
dards, the instrumentation, and the coaxial cables con-
necting the spot-focusing antennas to the test ports of the
S-parameter test set. Because of the high quality of the
HP85 10B network analyzer, the instrumentation errors
(e.g., frequency instability, power variation of micro-
wave signals) are negligible. In TRL calibration, the only
error caused by the calibration standards is due to the wave
impedance of the line standard (if it is different from the
wave impedance in free space) [ 101. This impedance error
will cause normalization of reflection and transmission
coefficients to the impedance of the line standard. The
residual source and load mismatch errors due to imper-
fections in the calibration standards are minimized by
time-domain gating. Errors due to coaxial cables are min-
imized by ensuring a stable configuration of these cables
()
N INSTRUMENTATION A N D M E A S U R E M E N T . VOL. 39. NO 2. APRIL iwn
between calibration and measurement. Because of resid-
ual errors, the magnitude errors in SII and S 2 , are less than
+0.055 dB and k0.035 dB, respectively, and the error
in phase of S I ,and S,, is less than 0.5".
The second kind of error has to do with small changes
in the reference planes (as defined by through or reflect
standard) between calibration and measurement due to
small changes in the positions of plates holding the sam-
ple. Because of the good design of the sample holder (e.g.,
good mechanical rigidity of plates holding the sample, ab-
sence of any inclination effects of the sample), phase er-
rors due to changes in the reference plane are less than 2"
for SII and S2,.
The combined effects of the sample holder and the re-
sidual postcalibration errors were studied for the metal
plate (five remounts of the metal plate) and the through
standard (five replicate measurements). It was found that
the magnitude and phase errors in SI are less than +0.055
dB and + 2 " , respectively. For Szl, the amplitude and
phase errors are less than k0.035 dB and + 2 " , respec-
tively.
Plane waves produced by spot-focusing antennas in the
depth of focus region are not uniform because the ampli-
tude distribution of the waves is Gaussian [ 131. For the
derivation of E * and p* according to (13) and (14), it is
assumed that a uniform plane wave is incident on the sam-
ple. Because of the TRL calibration technique and time-
domain gating of S I Iand S,, data, the plane waves in the
depth of focus region simulate a uniform plane wave, and
the errors due to the nonuniform nature of the plane waves
are negligible. This was verified by measuring dielectric
constants and loss tangents of several materials (e.g., Tef-
lon and fused quartz) from reflection coefficient measure-
ment of the metal-backed sample [5]. The accuracy of di-
electric constant and loss tangent measurements was better
than + 2 % and +20 x respectively.
From computer simulation using (1)-(8), errors in E ' ,
tan 6,, p ' , and tan 6, were calculated at 10 GHz for Tef-
lon, sodium borosilicate glass, FGM-40, and AN-73. It
is assumed that the errors in the magnitude and phase of
SI, are k0.055 dB and f2",respectively, while the er-
rors in the magnitude and phase of SzI are +0.035 dB and
f2",respectively. Table I lists errors at 10 GHz for dif-
ferent materials. For low-loss dielectric samples (e.g.,
Teflon and glass), the maximum error in the dielectric loss
tangent is around k0.06. Because the actual loss tangents
of Teflon and glass are less than k0.06, the dielectric loss
tangent cannot be measured accurately. For high-dielec-
tric-loss samples such as AN-73, the dielectric loss tan-
gent can be measured accurately. Similarly, for high-
magnetic-loss tangent materials such as FGM-40, the
magnetic loss tangent can be measured accurately. From
Table I, it is observed that the dielectric constant can be
measured with an accuracy of better than + 4 % .
Our observations regarding inaccuracies in E " for low-
loss materials are in good agreement with similar obser-
vation made by others in stripline and waveguide media.
In a stripline medium, the method described in Section I1
G H O D G A O N K A R er U/.: FREE-SPACE MEASUREMENT O F COMPLEX PERMITTIVITY AND COMPLEX PERMEABILITY
TABLE I
ERROR
ANALYSIS
FOR t * A N D p* MEASUREMEN.IS A T
Percentm Errorin Percentemr
Sample in E' fiin 6, in p'
Teflon' 2.9 0.025 4.5
Soda-Borosilicate 2.6 0.052 2.0
Glassb
Comine 7750
FGM-W- 3.1 0.048 9.9
AN73d 1.5 0.015 2.0
a. E ' = 2.08 and tan 6 = 3.7 x 10 ' from 1151.
b. e' = 4.38 and tan 6 = 54 X 10 from [ I S ] .
c . e' = 25.2. tan 6, = 0.048. p ' = 1.54 and tan 6, = I . 3 7 . from our measurements
d. e' = I , IO. tan 6, = 0.71. p ' = 2.03 and tan 6, = 0.2560, from our measurements
has been implemented by Barry 1141 in the frequency
range 0.5-5 GHz. The measurement accuracy of E ' , E " ,
p ' , and p" was better than +5% excluding E " and p" less
than 0.05 for the stripline method. In a waveguide me-
dium, the dielectric properties of Teflon and nylon were
measured in the frequency range 8.2-12.4 GHz by mea-
suring SI1and S2, of waveguide samples 181. It was con-
cluded that the loss factor E " of low-loss materials cannot
be measured accurately if the loss tangent is less than 0.1.
This method was also implemented in a free-space setup
for the measurement of dielectric and magnetic properties
at 56 and 94 GHz [2]. The author concluded that the
method described in Section I1 is good only for low-loss
materials. It should be pointed out that it is an erroneous
conclusion which is not supported by our measurements
in free space and the measurements of others in stripline
and waveguide media.
VI. PROCEDURE FOR OBTAINING E* A N D p*
After performing the free-space calibration using the
TRL, the planar sample was mounted on the sample holder
for S I Iand S2, measurements. The frequency range for
S-parameter measurement was 8- 14 GHz. Because errors
due to time-domain gating are large at the band edges [ 121,
E* and p* were calculated only in the frequency range
8.6-13.4 GHz. Since maximum accuracy and repeatabil-
ity are required for SII and S2, measurements, a step sweep
mode with 801 frequency points and averaging of 128
sweeps is used.
For thin and flexible samples of microwave materials,
such as FGM-40, AN-73, and Eccogel 1365-90 (all man-
ufactured by Emerson and Cuming, Inc., Canton, MA),
the sample was sandwiched between two fused-quartz
plates. The complex relative permittivity of fused quartz
is assumed as 3.78-jO.0006 [15]. The fused-quartz plates
are 6.604 mm in thickness. These plates are half-wave-
length at 11.674 GHz. Using the formulation given in the
Appendix, S I Iand SZIof the sample can be calculated
from the measured S l l aand of the quartz plate-sam-
ple-quartz plate assembly. In the case of hard materials
(Teflon, sodium borosilicate glass, etc.), it is not neces-
sary to use quartz plates because sagging is negligible
when the sample is mounted on the sample holder. How-
ever,for all samples used in this paper, including Teflon
and glass, measurements were done in the quartz plate-
sample-quartz plate configuration. As the frequency
391
changes from 8.6 to 13.4 GHz, the electrical thickness of
10 GHZ
the quartz plates varies from 0.37 to 0.57 wavelengths.
Errorin Because the thickness and complex permittivity of the
tan 8,
quartz plates are known very accurately, negligible errors
0.033
0.043 are introduced due to the departure of the quartz plate
thickness from half-wavelength. This was verified exper-
0.11 imentally by measuring a Teflon sample with and without
0.01
quartz plates. It was found that the dielectric constant of
the Teflon sample was within *2% when the measure-
ments were done with and without quartz plates.
The uncertainties in S I 1measurements using the net-
work analyzer are low for high values of SII [ 161. Because
of a quarter-wave transformer effect, 1 S I II is maximum
when d = (2n + l)h,/4 ( n = 0, 1, 2, * ). So, the
uncertainties in I Sl1I can be minimized if the thickness
of the sample is equal to an odd multiple of a quarter-
wavelength. For unique values of E* and p * , it is required
that 0 < d < A,,,; hence, it is desirable that the sample
thickness be close to A,,/4 or 3Ar,/4. All samples used in
our experiment have thicknesses of less than one wave-
length. Except for the AN-73 sample (which is available
in standard thickness only), the thickness of all other sam-
ples was close to A,,/4 over the 8-14 GHz frequency
range. The cross section of all samples was 15.2 cm X
15.2 cm.
VII. EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS A N D DISCUSSION
The values of E* and p* for Teflon, sodium borosilicate
glass, and FGM-40 were obtained first for assessing the
accuracy of the free-space method. The thicknesses of the
Teflon, glass, and FGM-40 samples were 0.333 cm, 0.386
cm, and 0.102 cm, respectively. Tables I1 and 111 give the
complex permittivity and the complex permeability of Tef-
lon and sodium borosilicate glass. At 10 GHz, the com-
plex permittivity of Teflon and soda-borosilicate glass
(Corning 7750) given by Von Hippel [6] are 2.08-
j0.00076 and 4.38-jO.0237, respectively. The values of
E ' agree fairly well with those given by Von Hippel, but
a large discrepancy is observed in the E " values. This is
due to measurement errors in SII and S 2 ,. Here, it should
be emphasized that the dielectric data reported by Von
Hippel were measured by the short-circuited-line method
or the resonant-cavity method, which are known to be very
accurate for E ' and E " measurements. In this method, the
inaccuracy in E " for low-loss materials is due to simulta-
neous determinations of E* and p * , which results in higher
sensitivity to measurement errors. Thus for low-loss ma-
terials, E " cannot be measured accurately. Table IV lists
the measured E* and p* of the FGM-40 sample. FGM-40
is a thin flexible microwave absorber. It has an average
reflectivity of less than - 10 dB (with respect to a metal
plate) in the frequency range 4-10 GHz. FGM-40 was
chosen as a reference magnetic material because its di-
electric and magnetic properties have been reported by
Joseph 1171 in the 9-18 GHz frequency range and by
Westphal [ 181 in the 0.005-3 GHz frequency range. Ta-
ble V gives E* and p* values reported by Joseph [17] in
the frequency range 10-13 GHz. The data were obtained
392 IEEE T R A N S A C T I O N S O N I N S T R U M E N T A T I O N A N D M E A S U R E M E N T , VOL 39. N O . 2. A P R I L 1990

TABLE I1 TABLE VI
DIELECTRIC AND M A G N E T I C PROPERTIES OF TEFLON DIELECTRIC OF ECCOGEL
PROPERTIES
~ N MAGNETIC
D 1365-90

Frequency E* P* Frequency E* P*
(GW a
E' E" P' P,' (GH7) E' e" PS P"
8.6 1.99 0.05 1.00 4.03 8.6 2.69 4.03 1.01 0.06
9.0 2.00 0.05 0.99 4.03 9.0 2.67 0.00 1.01 0.03
9.5 2.00 0.05 0.99 4.04 9.5 2.65 n.w
. .. 1.03 0.03
10.0 2.00 0.06 0.99 4.04 10.0 2.62 0.03 1.01 4.oi
10.5 2.00 0.06 1.00 4.04 10.5 2.59 0.03 1.01 4.02
11.0 1.99 0.06 1.00 4.04 11.0 2.58 0.05 1.01 4.03
11.5 1.99 0.07 1.00 4.04 11.5 2.59 0.06 1.01 4.02
12.0 1.98 0.07 1.00 4.04 12.0 2.61 0.09 1.01 4.02
12.5 1.98 0.07 1.00 4.04 12.5 2.64 0.09 0.99 4.01
13.0 1.98 0.08 1.00 4.04 13.0 2.71 0.09 0.98 4.01
13.4 1.98 0.08 0.99 4.04 13.4 2.76 0.06 0.97 0.00

TABLE I11 TABLE VI1

DIELECTRIC
AND MAGNETIC
PROPERTIES O F SODIUM BOROSILICATE GLAS AND MAGNETIC
DIELECTRIC PROPERTIES
OF AN-73

Frequency e* P* Frequency E* P*
(GW (GW
E' E" P' P '* E' e" P' P',
8.6 4.38 0.07 1 .oo 0.00 8.6 0.97 1.04 2.07 0.07
9.0 4.37 0.08 1.01 0.00 9.0 1.02 0.95 2.12 0.20
9.5 4.36 0.09 1.02 0.00 9.5 1.06 0.86 2.1 1 0.37
10.0 4.36 0.10 1.02 0.00 10.0 1.10 0.78 2.03 0.52
10.5 4.36 0.1 1 1.02 4.01 10.5 1.14 0.72 1.93 0.62
11.0 4.36 0.13 1.02 4.01 11.0 1.19 0.67 1.78 0.70
11.5 4.38 0.14 1.01 4.02 11.5 1.24 0.63 1.65 0.72
12.0 4.41 0.15 1.oo 4.02 12.0 1.29 0.62 1.54 0.70
12.5 4.46 0.15 0.99 -0.02 12.5 1.34 0.61 1.46 0.65
13.0 4.55 0.14 0.97 -0.03 13.0 1.38 0.61 1.40 0.58
13.4 4.63 0.1 1 0.96 4.03 13.4 1.41 0.61 1.36 0.54

TABLE IV measured as 2.72 and 0.067 at 13 GHz. Again, E ' values

A N D MAGNETIC
DIELECTRIC PROPERTIES
OF FGM-40
are in agreement between the two free-space methods, but
E " values are in disagreement because our method is in-
accurate for tan 6, < 0.1. It should be noted that Teflon,
8.6 25.44 0.90 1.62 2.30 sodium borosilicate glass, and Eccogel 1365-90 are non-
9.0
9.5
25.38
25.15
0.95
0.97
1.56
1.60
2.32
2.24
magnetic materials and the expected values of p' and p"
10.0 25.16 1.16 1.55 2.12 are 1 and 0, respectively. The deviation of p' and p" from
10.5 25.25 1.24 1.46 2.06
11.0 25.44 1.59 1.40 1.94 expected values is due to measurement errors. Table VI1
11.5 25.75 1.77 1.32 1.89
12.0 26.28 1.95 1.26 1 80
~ ~~
lists the measured complex permittivity and complex
12.5 26.99 i .93 1.20 1.71 permeability data for an AN-73 sample. It is a microwave
13.0 27.88 2.13 1.17 1.64
13.4 28.59 2.13 1.13 1.59 absorber with a reflectivity reduction of -20 dB for fre-
quencies above 7.5 GHz. AN-73 consists of three layers
of carbon-filled Urethane foam with a total thickness of
TABLE V
COMPLEX PERMITTIVITY AND C O M P L E X PERMEABILITY OF FGM-40 GIVEN IN
0.9 cm. Because of its three different layers of lossy di-
~171 electric material, the measured E* and p* are the effective
complex permittivity and effective complex permeability
Frequency E' P*
(GW of the AN-73 sample.
E' E" P' P,*
10 28.0 0.67 1.32 2.0 VIII. CONCLUSIONS
11 27.3 0.0 1.17 2.0
12 27.3 0.67 1.OO 2.0 The free-space technique described in this paper gives
13 27.0 0.0 0.66 2.0
accurate values of E* and p* for lossy magnetic materials
in the microwave frequency range. Because this method
by a time-domain measurement system. There is good is nondestructive and contactless, it can be used for broad-
agreement in the E' and p" values given in Tables IV and band measurement of E* and p* under high-temperature
V. The poor agreement in p' may be due to the limited conditions. The free-space TRL calibration technique is
accuracy of the time-domain system. The quantity E " can- used to eliminate errors due to multiple reflections be-
not be measured accurately by our method (error of tween horn lens antennas. In the case of thin and flexible
f0.048 in tan 6, from Table I) or by the time-domain samples, intolerable errors are introduced in measured SII
method used by Joseph [17]. and S,, values due to sagging of the sample when mounted
Table VI gives E* and p* data for Eccogel 1365-90 (an on the sample holder. By sandwiching the sample be-
epoxy resin) for a sample of 0.305 cm thickness. The tween two quartz plates (which are half-wavelength at
sample was cured at 140°C for 20 min. Using another mid-band), errors due to the sagging of the sample are
free-space method [5], E ' and E" of Eccogel 1365-90 were minimized.
GHODGAONKAR er U/ : FREE-SPACE M E A S U R E M E N T OF COMPLEX PERMITTIVITY A N D COMPLEX PERMEABILITY 393

In the frequency range 8 . 6 - 1 3 . 4 GHz, E* and p* values Quartz P l a t e s

are measured for Teflon, sodium borosilicate glass, Ec-
cogel 1365-90, FGM-40, and AN-73. Good agreement is
obtained between measured and published values for Tef-
lon, sodium borosilicate glass, and FGM-40.
s*lb
APPENDIX
CALCULATION OF S PARAMETERS OF THE SAMPLE FROM
THE MEASURED S PARAMETERS OF THE QUARTZ
PLATE-SAMPLE-QUARTZ PLATEASSEMBLY
Fig. 3 shows a schematic diagram of the quartz plate-
sample-quartz plate assembly. The scattering parameters
SIIrrand of the assembly are measured by using the
free-space measurement system. Because of symmetry of Fig. 3. Schematic diagram of quartz plate-sample-quartz plate assembly.
the assembly and the reciprocal nature of the sample ma-
terial, = SI and SI2, = S210. The ABCD matrix [A"]
of the assembly is given by [19] For layered samples (e.g., AN-73), the quartz plate-
sample-quartz plate assembly has Sllr, # S22u. In this
case, ( A l ) should be modified according to the equations
given in [ 191.

('41 1
If E: and dy are the complex permittivity and thickness
of the fused quartz plate, the ABCD matrix for the quartz
plate is given by [20]
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The authors gratefully acknowledge the contributions
of Dr. C. L. Croskey of Electrical Engineering and W . J.
Burkhard of Electronic Design Services in the design and
fabrication of the free-space microwave measurement
setup. The authors would like to thank the reviewers and
the editor for helpful suggestions and comments.

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