A Multistate Single-Connection Calibration for Microwave-Microfluidics

Published

October 12, 2017

Author(s)

Xiao Ma, Charles A. Little, Chris Long, Jordi Mateu, James Booth, James Hwang, Nate Orloff

Abstract

With emerging medical, chemical, and biological applications of microwave-microfluidic devices, many researchers desire a fast, accurate calibration that can be achieved in a single connection. However, traditional on-wafer or coaxial calibrations require measurements of several different artifacts in order to correct 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, minimizing drift and eliminating artifact-to-artifact connection errors. Here, we developed a multistate single-connection calibration that used a coplanar waveguide 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 plus switch-term correction. After correction, the measured scattering parameters agreed with the finite-element simulations to within -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 where multiple device measurements are not possible.

Citation

IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques

Volume

60

Pub Type

Journals

Download Paper

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Keywords

calibration, microwave, microfluidics, vector network analyzer, scattering parameters

Citation

Ma, X. , Little, C. , Long, C. , Mateu, J. , Booth, J. , Hwang, J. and Orloff, N. (2017), A Multistate Single-Connection Calibration for Microwave-Microfluidics, IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=923028 (Accessed October 3, 2025)