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Relative Permittivity Extraction using Fast Prototyped Standards with the Waveguide Method

Carvalho, S. ; Reis, J. R. ; Heleno, S. ; Duarte, L. ; Fernandes, T. ; Caldeirinha, R. F. S.

Relative Permittivity Extraction using Fast Prototyped Standards with the Waveguide Method, Proc INOV.AM International Conference, Braga, Portugal, Vol. , pp. - , November, 2024.

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Abstract
In the fields of electronics and telecommunications, accurately measuring the permittivity of dielectric materials is crucial for the design of substrate-based devices, including printed circuit boards (PCBs) and various types of antennas, as thoroughly discussed in [1,2]. Even minor fluctuations in permittivity during the design phase can lead to improper device functioning, such as frequency shifts in antennas. This issue is particularly significant for antennas that utilise static dielectric components or demonstrate dynamic capabilities. This paper introduces a novel approach for extracting the relative permittivity (εr) of dielectric materials using fast prototyped waveguide standards, obtained through 3D printing, specifically focusing on the determination of relative permittivity for 3D printed polymers. The waveguide method [3–6] was employed to conduct measurements across C-band (4-6 GHz) and K-band (18-20 GHz) frequencies, utilising a two-port S-parameter configuration. Three different setups were considered for the prototypes. The first setup, shown in Figure 1 (a)-4, involved 3D printing waveguide standards for the C-band, using the fused deposition modelling (FDM) technique with polylactic acid (PLA) filament, which were then metallised with aluminium foil.