With the advent of the computer and automatic test equipment, new techniques for measuring complex dielectric constant (e) and permeability (µ) can be considered. Such a technique is described where a system is employed that automatically measures the complex reflection and transmission coefficients that result when a sample of material is inserted in waveguide or a TEM transmission line. Measurement results of e and µ for two common materials are presented.

Automatic measurement of complex dielectric constant and permeability at microwave frequencies

Metamaterials are typically engineered by arranging a set of small scatterers or apertures in a regular array throughout a region of space, thus obtaining some desirable bulk electromagnetic behavior. The desired property is often one that is not normally found naturally (negative refractive index, near-zero index, etc.). Over the past ten years, metamaterials have moved from being simply a theoretical concept to a field with developed and marketed applications. Three-dimensional metamaterials can be extended by arranging electrically small scatterers or holes into a two-dimensional pattern at a surface or interface. This surface version of a metamaterial has been given the name metasurface (the term metafilm has also been employed for certain structures). For many applications, metasurfaces can be used in place of metamaterials. Metasurfaces have the advantage of taking up less physical space than do full three-dimensional metamaterial structures; consequently, metasurfaces offer the possibility of less-lossy structures. In this overview paper, we discuss the theoretical basis by which metasurfaces should be characterized, and discuss their various applications. We will see how metasurfaces are distinguished from conventional frequency-selective surfaces. Metasurfaces have a wide range of potential applications in electromagnetics (ranging from low microwave to optical frequencies), including: (1) controllable “smart” surfaces, (2) miniaturized cavity resonators, (3) novel wave-guiding structures, (4) angular-independent surfaces, (5) absorbers, (6) biomedical devices, (7) terahertz switches, and (8) fluid-tunable frequency-agile materials, to name only a few. In this review, we will see that the development in recent years of such materials and/or surfaces is bringing us closer to realizing the exciting speculations made over one hundred years ago by the work of Lamb, Schuster, and Pocklington, and later by Mandel'shtam and Veselago.

An Overview of the Theory and Applications of Metasurfaces: The Two-Dimensional Equivalents of Metamaterials

The transmission/reflection method for complex permittivity and permeability determination is studied. The special case of permittivity measurement is examined in detail. Robust algorithms for permittivity determination that eliminate the ill-behaved nature of the commonly used procedures at frequencies corresponding to integer multiples of one-half wavelength in the sample are presented. An error analysis yielding estimates of the errors incurred due to the uncertainty in scattering parameters, length measurement, and reference plane position is presented. Equations for determining complex permittivity independent from reference plane position and sample length are derived. >

Improved technique for determining complex permittivity with the transmission/reflection method

The design, fabrication, and testing of several metamaterials that exhibit double negative (DNG) medium properties at X band frequencies are reported. DNG media are materials in which the permittivity and permeability are both negative. Simulation and experimental results are given that demonstrate the realization of DNG metamaterials matched to free-space. The extraction of the effective permittivity and permeability for these metamaterials from reflection and transmission data at normal incidence is treated. It is shown that the metamaterials studied exhibit DNG properties in the frequency range of interest.

Design, fabrication, and testing of double negative metamaterials

EMI shielding effectiveness of carbon based nanostructured polymeric materials: A comparative study

In this paper a method is presented for determining the complex permittivity and permeability of linear materials in the frequency domain by a single time-domain measurement; typically, the frequency band extends from VHF through X band. The technique described involves placing an unknown sample in a microwave TEM-mode fixture and exciting the sample with a subnanosecond baseband pulse. The fixture is used to facilitate the measurement of the forward- and back-scattered energy, s21(t) and s11(t), respectively. It is shown in this paper that the forward- and back-scattered time-domain "signatures" are uniquely related to the intrinsic properties of the materials, namely, e* and ?*. By appropriately interpreting s21(t) and s11(t), one is able to determine the real and imaginary parts of ? and ? as a function of frequency. Experimental results are presented describing several familiar materials.

A. M. Nicolson

Papers

Measurement of the Intrinsic Properties of Materials by Time-Domain Techniques