Device and method for dielectric material characterization

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12461044-B2
Application number	US-202318362051-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 31, 2023
Priority date	Aug 1, 2022
Publication date	Nov 4, 2025
Grant date	Nov 4, 2025

Abstract

A device for dielectric material characterization of a test sample is provided. The device comprises a resonator block comprising a groove at at least one side of the resonator block, wherein the groove comprises at least a first inclined surface and a second inclined surface and is configured to contact the test sample via the first inclined surface and/or the second inclined surface. In this regard, the resonator block is configured to generate a rotational electric field coupled between the first inclined surface and the second inclined surface of the groove and further to propagate the rotational electric field partially or fully through the test sample in order to perform dielectric material characterization of the test sample.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A device for dielectric material characterization of a test sample comprising:
a resonator block comprising a groove formed on at least one side of the resonator block, wherein the groove comprises at least a first inclined surface and a second inclined surface and is configured to contact the test sample via the first inclined surface and/or the second inclined surface, wherein the resonator block is configured to generate a rotational electric field coupled between the first inclined surface and the second inclined surface of the groove and further to propagate the rotational electric field partially or fully through the test sample in order to perform dielectric material characterization of the test sample, wherein the device further comprises a ground plane, a dielectric base arranged on the ground plane, and wherein the resonator block comprises a quasi-cubic dielectric resonator arranged near or on the dielectric base, and a buried metal line conductively coupled to the ground plane arranged near or at a center of the dielectric resonator perpendicular to the ground plane, whereby the dielectric resonator further comprises the groove positioned at one side of the dielectric resonator, and wherein the dielectric resonator is configured to generate an electric field, whereby the buried metal line is configured to circulate the electric field within the dielectric resonator, thereby generating the rotational electric field.

2 . The device of claim 1 ,
wherein the device further comprises an input port configured to couple energy into the resonator block, and an output port configured to couple energy out of the resonator block.

3 . The device of claim 2 ,
wherein the device further comprises signal lines corresponding to the input port and the output port arranged on the dielectric base in order to form a Microstrip configuration, whereby the Microstrip configuration is configured to encompass the resonator block, the input port and the output port.

4 . The device of claim 1 ,
wherein the device further comprises signal lines corresponding to an input port and an output port arranged on the dielectric base in order to form a Microstrip configuration, whereby the Microstrip configuration is configured to encompass the resonator block, the input port and the output port.

5 . The device of claim 1 ,
wherein the groove is a triangular groove, whereby the first inclined surface and the second inclined surface intersect at a point or at a curve.

6 . The device of claim 1 ,
wherein the dielectric resonator comprises a dielectric material having a relative permittivity ε r of at least 10.

7 . The device of claim 6 , wherein the dielectric resonator comprises a dielectric material having a relative permittivity ε r of more than 50.

8 . The device of claim 7 , wherein the dielectric resonator comprises a dielectric material having a relative permittivity ε r of more than 70.

9 . The device of claim 6 , wherein the dielectric resonator comprises a dielectric material having a relative permittivity ε r of in the range of 80 to 100.

10 . The device of claim 6 , wherein the dielectric material is an oxide based and/or ceramic-based dielectric material.

11 . The device of claim 6 , wherein the dielectric material is a Titanium oxide-based dielectric material.

12 . The device of claim 1 ,
wherein the resonator block comprises a plurality of resonator layers arranged in a stack formation on a dielectric base, each resonator layer comprises a dielectric substrate, and a split ring resonator arranged on the dielectric substrate.

13 . The device of claim 12 ,
wherein the split ring resonator comprises a first split end and a second split end correspondingly arranged along the first inclined surface and the second inclined surface of the groove.

14 . The device of claim 13 ,
wherein the resonator block further comprises a plurality of buried metal lines configured to couple the plurality of resonator layers in parallel such that a rotational electric field generated by each resonator layer couples to an adjacent resonator layer.

15 . The device of claim 14 ,
wherein at least one buried metal line of the plurality of buried metal lines is arranged at or along the first inclined surface of the groove configured to conductively couple the first split ends of the plurality of resonator layers, and wherein at least one buried metal line of the plurality of buried metal lines is arranged at or along the second inclined surface of the groove configured to conductively couple the second split ends of the plurality of resonator layers.

16 . The device of claim 15 ,
wherein the groove is a uniformly tapered rectangular groove, whereby the first inclined surface and the second inclined surface are spatially positioned at a defined distance, and/or wherein there is a gap between a first split end and a second split end of the split ring resonator.

17 . The device of claim 1 ,
wherein the test sample is a product sample, a fruit sample, and the dielectric material characterization comprises one or more maturity characteristics of the product sample, especially content of ingredients such as water and/or sugar.

18 . A method for dielectric material characterization of a test sample comprising:
providing a resonator block comprising a groove formed on at least one side of the resonator block having at least a first inclined surface and a second inclined surface for contacting the test sample via the first inclined surface and/or the second inclined surface, generating a rotational electric field coupled between the first inclined surface and the second inclined surface of the groove, propagating the rotational electric field partially or fully through the test sample; measuring the transmission through and/or the reflection from the test sample, wherein the resonator block comprises a quasi-cubic dielectric resonator and a buried metal line, whereby the dielectric resonator comprises the groove positioned at one side of the dielectric resonator, and the method further comprising: generating an electric field by the dielectric resonator; and circulating the electric field within the dielectric resonator by the buried metal line in order to generate the rotational electric field.

Assignees

• Stichting Imec Nederland

Inventors

• Yadav Rahul
• Offermans Peter
• De Wit Jan Willem
• Boom Bas

Classifications

• H01P7/10

  Dielectric resonators · CPC title

• G01N33/025

  Fruits or vegetables · CPC title

• G01N22/00 Primary

  Investigating or analysing materials by the use of microwaves or radio waves, i.e. electromagnetic waves with a wavelength of one millimetre or more (G01N3/00 - G01N17/00, G01N24/00 take precedence) · CPC title