FDTD modeling and experiments of microfabricated coplanar waveguide probes for electromagnetic compatibility applications

ABSTRACT

We present the design, fabrication and experiment of a miniature nonresonant probe based on a coplanar waveguide dedicated to near-field imaging for electromagnetic compatibility applications. Our modeling approach, based on the Finite Difference Time Domain and Finite Element Method, proves that this probe is sensitive to the longitudinal component of the electric field. In addition to its compatibility with integrated circuits, this probe is suitable for wide frequency band applications since it is produced from a micro-metric coplanar line which has no cut-off frequency. We achieved prototypes using the clean room techniques. Using this probe on a precision X-Y scanning table, two-dimensional images of micro-strip line and electric dipole antenna have been successfully constructed. Simulations and measurements results on a microstrip line have shown that the probe is mainly sensitive to the normal electric field. The estimated sensitivity is 30 μV/(V/m).

Keywords:

• FDTD
• microwave microscopy
• EMC
• electric sensor
• CPW probe

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Sofiane Ben Mbarek

Sofiane Ben Mbarek was born in Tunisia (Kebili) in 1980. He received his BS degree in Electronic Engineering from the University of Toulon, France in 2005 and his MS in Telecommunications Radio Frequency and Microelectronic from the University of Nice Sophia Antipolis, France in 2007. He received his PhD degree in 2011 in Engineering Sciences from the University of Franche-Comté, Besancon, France. He was a postdoctoral fellow at CEA-Leti Grenoble, France for two years. Since 2014, he is Assistant professor at the University of Gabes (Tunisia) and Researcher in Innov'com laboratory, sup'com (Tunisia). His research involves sensors and instrumentation.

Fethi Choubani

Fethi Choubani was born in Mahdia (Tunisia) in 1961. He received the electrical engineering diploma from Ecole Nationale d'Ingenieurs de Tunis, Tunisia in 1987 and the MEng and PhD degrees from ENSEEIHT, Institut National Polytechnique de Toulouse, Toulouse, France in 1988 and 1993, respectively. Since 1993, he has been with Sup'Com, Ecole superieure des Communications de Tunis as an Assistant, Associate and Professor in charge of radiofrequency components and devices, and ElectroMagnetic Compatibility. His main interests are focused on oscillators and their applications to electromagnetic sensors, EMC, nonlinear devices, modeling of passive, active components and RF techniques and measurements. He has been offered a position of visiting Research Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1999 during 3 months, and in Laplace laboratory in ENSEEIHT for one month. He was Head of the Telecommunications Department, ESPTT (Tunisia) from 1995 to 1996, Director of Strategic studies, Tunisia Telecom (Tunisian operator in Telecommunications during 1999–2001), Director of Iset'Com during 2010–2011, and served as ICT Minister Advisor from 2012 to 2014. He has published more than 100 journal and international conference papers.