Dielectric properties of materials at cryogenic temperatures and microwave frequencies

The permittivity and dielectric loss tangent of single-crystal quartz, cross-linked polystyrene (Rexolite), and polytetrafluoroethylene (Teflon) were measured at microwave frequencies and at temperatures of 77 K and 300 K using a dielectric resonator technique. Application of high-temperature superconducting (HTS) films as the endplates of the dielectric resonator made it possible to determine dielectric loss tangents of about 7/spl times/10/sup 6/ at 77 K. Two permittivity tensor components for uniaxially anisotropic crystalline quartz were measured. Although the permittivities at 77 K changed very little from their room temperature values at 300 K, large changes in dielectric losses were observed. The decreased loss characteristics of these microelectronic substrates can markedly improve the performance of many microwave devices at cryogenic temperatures.<>