A Multistate Single-Connection Calibration for Microwave Microfluidics

作者：Ma Xiao; Orloff Nathan D; Little Charles A E; Long Christian J; Hanemann Isaac E; Liu Song; Mateu Jordi; Booth James C; Hwang James C M

来源：IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques, 2018, 66(2): 1099-1107.

DOI：10.1109/TMTT.2017.2758364

• Calibration
• microfluidics
• microwave
• scattering parameters
• vector network analyser (VNA)

With emerging medical, chemical, and biological applications of microwave-microfluidic devices, many researchers desire a fast and accurate calibration that can be achieved in a single connection. However, traditional on-wafer or coaxial calibrations require measurements of several different artifacts to the data prior to measuring the microwave-microfluidic device. Ideally, a single artifact would be able to present different impedance states to correct the vector network analyzer data, minimizing drift and eliminating artifact-to-artifact connection errors. Here, we developed a multistate single-connection calibration that used a coplanar waveguide loaded with a microfluidic channel. We then used measurements of the uncorrected scattering parameters of the coplanar waveguide with the channel empty, filled with deionized water, and filled with 30 w% (30 grams per liter) of saline to construct an eight-term error model and switch-term correction. After correction, the residuals between measured scattering parameters and with the literature-based finite-element simulations were below -40 dB from 100 MHz to 110 GHz. This multistate single-connection calibration is compatible with both wafer-probed and connectorized microwave-microfluidic devices for accurate impedance spectroscopy and materials characterization without the need for multiple device measurements.

• 出版日期2018-2