Introduction To Modern Planar Transmission Lines. Anand K. Verma
circuit model helps to understand the electrical property of a medium. It is further useful for simulating the electrical responses of a medium. The electrical property of a dielectric medium is expressed through relative permittivity that shows the electric energy storage ability of the medium. The capacitor also stores electric energy. Therefore, a dielectric medium is modeled as a capacitor. The loss in a medium is due to the dissipation of energy that is modeled as a resistor. Similarly, the permeability of a medium, such as an inductor, shows its ability to store magnetic energy. Therefore, the permeability of a medium is modeled as an inductor [B.10–B.12].
4.3.1 RC Circuit Model of Lossy Dielectric Medium
Figure (4.6b) shows a parallel‐plate capacitor, containing a lossy dielectric medium with complex relative permittivity
The displacement current density has two components with the quadrature phase:
The reactive current density (Jcap) flows through
Both current components are shown in Fig. (4.6b). The loss‐tangent, showing the dissipation factor of the RC circuit, is defined using Fig. (4.6c):
Therefore, the dissipation factor, i.e. the loss tangent (tan δ), of lossy dielectric material is defined using equation (4.3.2) as follows:
(4.3.5)
where A is the area of the parallel‐plate capacitor. The loss current is zero, i.e. Ir = 0 for a lossless capacitor, and also for a lossless dielectric medium. It leads to
(4.3.6)
On replacing the dielectric medium of Fig. (4.6b) by the air medium, i.e. εr = 1, capacitance C0 is obtained:
(4.3.7)
On using the above equations, the real and imaginary parts of a complex relative permittivity and loss tangent are defined in terms of the circuit elements:
The above equations provide a practical means to measure the dielectric constant of any dielectric material with the help of a parallel‐plate capacitor. Equation (4.3.8a) also gives a practical definition of the relative permittivity of a homogeneous dielectric medium. The relative permittivity is a ratio of capacitances of a parallel‐plate capacitor, with a material medium and with the air medium; while keeping the geometry of the parallel‐plate capacitor unchanged. We get a homogenized dielectric medium even if the parallel‐plate capacitor, as shown in Fig. (4.3a), is made of layered dielectric sheets. The measurement of capacitance C ignores the layered medium and views it as a homogeneous medium. So, the relative permittivity of a material is the macrolevel homogenization concept that ignores the microlevel discrete composition of a medium. The concept of homogenization is important to design the engineered metamaterials using the discrete metallic and nonmetallic structures embedded in a host medium. It is discussed in section (21.4) of chapter 21.
Figure (4.6d) shows the frequency response of a lossy dielectric medium, as predicted by the RC circuit model. The real part of the permittivity
The loss‐tangent of a dielectric is also a measurable quantity. Manufacturers provide data on it. However, the loss of a semiconducting substrate is characterized by the conductivity (σ) of a substrate. Even a dielectric material can have some amount of free charge carriers, contributing to its conductivity