De-embedding method for a sensing area characterization of planar microstrip sensors without evaluating error...

Area of Science:

• Electromagnetics and Microwave Engineering
• Materials Science
• Sensor Technology

Background:

• Accurate characterization of planar microstrip sensors is crucial for device performance.
• Traditional de-embedding methods often require extensive calibration or suffer from sign ambiguities.
• Metamaterials and split-ring resonators (SRRs) present unique electromagnetic properties requiring precise parameter extraction.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a novel de-embedding method for determining all scattering (S-) parameters of microstrip sensor sensing areas.
• To achieve characterization without requiring full calibration, utilizing only specific standards.
• To validate the method's accuracy and overcome sign ambiguity issues present in prior techniques.

Main Methods:

• Utilized uncalibrated S-parameter measurements of a reflecting line and non-reflecting line standards (direct and reversed configurations).
• Employed direct and reversed configurations of the microstrip sensor sensing area.
• Validated the method by extracting S-parameters of a bianisotropic metamaterial slab and a microstrip sensor with double SRRs.

Main Results:

• Successfully extracted S-parameters for a metamaterial slab and a microstrip sensor without sign ambiguity.
• Demonstrated high accuracy, with root-mean-square-error (RMSE) values comparable to the thru-reflect-line calibration technique.
• Achieved lower RMSE values for critical S-parameters compared to other de-embedding techniques in the literature.

Conclusions:

• The proposed de-embedding method provides an accurate and efficient way to characterize microstrip sensors and metamaterials.
• The technique eliminates sign ambiguity, simplifying the extraction of scattering parameters.
• This uncalibrated approach offers a practical alternative for sensor characterization, especially in complex electromagnetic structures.