A Quick Accurate Method to Measure the Dielectric Constant of Microwave Integrated-Circuit Substrates (Short Papers)

A technique is described that makes possible the accurate measurement of the dielectric constant of microwave integrated-circuit substrates. The substrate is metallized on all sides, hence forming a tiny resonant cavity, and the resonant frequencies are determined either from transmission or reflection. The dielectric constant is then calculated to an accuracy of better than 1 percent.