Hexagonal semiconductors such as GaN and SiC
have important power applications at radio and millimeter-wave
(mmW) frequencies. They are characterized by both ordinary and
extraordinary permittivities, parallel and perpendicular to the
densest packed c plane, respectively. However, due to the
challenges of high-frequency measurements, little reliable data
exist for these permittivities especially at mmW frequencies.
Recently, for the first time, we reported the extraordinary
permittivity of 4H SiC at mmW frequencies using substrateintegrated
waveguides. We now report the ordinary permittivity of
the same material using several Fabry-Perot resonators to cover
most mmW frequencies. The resulted relative ordinary
permittivity of 9.76 ± 0.01 exhibits little dispersion and is
significantly lower than the previously reported extraordinary
permittivity of 10.2 ± 0.1. This confirms that both ordinary and
extraordinary permittivities are needed for accurate design and
model of devices fabricated on 4H SiC. By contrast, the measured
loss tangent increases linearly from 3 10−5 to 1.6 10−4 from 55
GHz to 330 GHz and can be fitted with (4.9 ± 0.1) 10−16 f, where
f is the frequency in Hz. In fact, 4H SiC is the lowest-loss solid we
have ever measured. The present approaches for permittivity
characterization can be extended to other solids.
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This content will become publicly available on October 1, 2025
Ordinary and Extraordinary Permittivities of 4H SiC at Different Millimeter-Wave Frequencies, Temperatures, and Humidities
Hexagonal semiconductors such as 4H SiC have important high-frequency, high-power, and high-temperature applications. The applications require accurate knowledge of both ordinary and extraordinary relative permittivities, ε and ε||, perpendicular and parallel, respectively, to the c axis of these semiconductors. However, due to challenges for suitable test setups and precision high-frequency measurements, little reliable data exists for these semiconductors especially at millimeter-wave frequencies. Recently, we reported ε|| of 4H SiC from 110 to 170 GHz. This paper expands on the previous report to include both ε and ε|| of the same material from 55 to 330 GHz, as well as their temperature and humidity dependence enabled by improving the measurement precision to two decimal points. For example, at room temperature, real ε and ε|| are constant at 9.77 ± 0.01 and 10.20 ± 0.05, respectively. By contrast, the ordinary loss tangent increases linearly with the frequency f in the form of (4.9 ± 0.1) 10−16 f. The loss tangent, less than 1 10−4 over most millimeter-wave frequencies, is significantly lower than that of sapphire, our previous low-loss standard. Finally, both ε and ε|| have weak temperature coefficients on the order of 10−4 /°C. The knowledge reported here is especially critical to millimeter-wave applications of 4H SiC, not only for solid-state devices and circuits, but also as windows for high-power vacuum electronics.
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- PAR ID:
- 10548439
- Publisher / Repository:
- IEEE
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- IEEE Journal of Microwaves
- Volume:
- 4
- Issue:
- 4
- ISSN:
- 2692-8388
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 666 to 674
- Subject(s) / Keyword(s):
- Dielectric constant, millimeter wave, substrate integrated waveguide, Fabry-Perot resonator, loss tangent, permittivity, silicon carbide
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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