Projects:2018s1-175 Split-ring resonators for measuring spatially-distributed complex permittivity at microwave frequencies

Introduction

This project is a continuity project from last year. Last year, two students from group 175 had successfully finished this project by designing an automated split-ring resonators for measuring spatially-distributed complex permittivity. This year, our group with 3 members (Izatul Natasha Zulkefli, Liang Cheng,Ziyuan Wang) will continue this project by Improving the Quality of Split Ring Resonator (SRR). The quality of the SRR can be improved in three ways that we had research and discussed. The first improvement is increasing the resolution of SRR. Second, is implementing the vertical Z-axis and lastly removing the bulky VNA. Each of member was assigned to each improvement that will be made.

Project Aims and Motivation

The aims of this project is to make the SRR sensing device produced by the last year group to be functioned as ideally as possible. This aims can make the SRR sensing device being used in industry to studies of fossil or using as raw material quality analysis. The motivation to do this project is based on the quality produce from the last year project. By reading the report from last year project, we can see that the quality can be improved to make the product lucrative devices to be used in industry. We can see that the resolution can be increase to get better quality result and choosing the laser based sensor which more robust and resilient to reflection and attenuation factor . Other than that, removing the bulky VNA were made to get better portable network analyser.

BackGround

SRR is artificially produced structure common to metamaterials which can produce the desired magnetic susceptibility and also alter the electromagnetic properties of materials.

Method

Increase Resolution of SRR The objective of this method is to develop sensing device which has better resolution by fabricate the SRR more precisely. This can be achieved by using the Ansys HFSS software by designing the SRR in the simulation and after successfully getting result, the SRR will be fabricated. At the end, this SRR can be tested with Interface of LabVIEW, VNA and Microcontroller. There are a few requirement and challenge to do this method. Some requirement to design SRR is 1. Responsive to frequency shift 2.Quality factor increase with practical limits 3.Design must exploit the fringing effect 4.Design must be manufacturable And the challenge to this design is 1. Scanning height and resolution as the height and resolution is inversely proportional relation. 2.Challenge to maintain the size of SRR and the resonant frequency. 3. VNA limit the resonant frequency to 3GHz