Design and Analysis of Microwave Pressure Sensor Using Metamaterial Absorber

This paper presents the design, analysis, fabrication and testing of an ultra-thin narrow-band metamaterial (MM) absorber tailored for improving the sensitivity of pressure sensors. The proposed resonator achieves an impressive absorption characteristic of 99.85% at 5.355 GHz. A prototype is fabricated using standard PCB technology and experimental validation is conducted in an anechoic chamber to verify the simulated results. The sensor design incorporates an analytical diaphragm layer between two substrates, demonstrating the ability to detect minor shifts in pressure with an average sensitivity of 2080 MHz/mm. Key sensor characteristics include a high quality factor of 49.28 and a substantial Figure of Merit of 43.45. The linear behavior of the sensor is quantified through curve fitting, showing good agreement with the simulated sensitivity. The designed MM absorber exhibits merit such as perfect absorptivity, linear sensitivity, narrow bandwidth, high Q-factor, a substantial Figure of Merit, making it a strong contender for pressure sensing applications.