Ultrasenstive microwave planar metamaterial sensors for materials characterization

Abstract

The objective of this research is to design low power, miniaturized and ultrasensitive microwave transmission line based metamaterials, evaluate their performance then utilize them for bulk materials’ constitutive parameters extraction and other practical applications with a narrower scope such as nondestructive and microfluidic sensing. Also, the research introduces, models and verifies a condition of sensitivity uniformity for permittivity and permeability sensors. Planar metamaterial-based sensors feature high measurement accuracy, excellent imaging capability and design simplicity. Moreover, one of their significant advantages is their compatibility with the printed circuit board (PCB) technology which eases their integration with passive and active microwave components. These features allow the designer to easily customize the sensor design to realize various sensing platforms that are suitable for a wide range of applications. At the beginning, the researcher revisited the operational theory of CSRR based sensors to identify the influential factors that govern their performance. Then, the identified factors were utilized to come up with sensing platforms with significantly improved and controlled sensitivity. As proof of concepts, the designed platforms were fabricated, tested and utilized for practical applications such as crack and microfluidic sensing.