Characterisation of Dielectric Substrates at Millimetre-wave and Sub-terahertz Frequencies Using a VNA-based Guided-wave Technique

The dielectric properties of materials are critical parameters considered in the design phase of circuits and subsystems operating at millimetre (mm)-wave and terahertz (THz) frequencies. In this work, material properties of four commonly used laminates were measured in four waveguide bands across frequencies from 50 GHz to 750 GHz using the material characterisation kit (MCK) based method. The results are presented, along with an analysis of uncertainty contributions associated with two key factors. It is expected that this study will be of interest to designers of low-cost circuits and sub-systems operating up to THz frequencies.