Evaluation of a Reflection Method on an Open-Ended Coaxial Line and its Use in Dielectric Measurements

This paper describes a method for determining the dielectric constant of a biological tissue. A suitable way to make a dielectric measurement that is nondestructive and noninvasive for the biological substance and broadband at the frequency range of the network analyzer is to use a reflection method on an open ended coaxial line. A coaxial probe in the frequency range of the network analyzer from 17 MHz to 2 GHz is under investigation and also a calibration technique and the behavior of discrete elements in an equivalent circuit of an open ended coaxial line. Information about the magnitude and phase of the reflection coefficient on the interface between a biological tissue sample and a measurement probe is modeled with the aid of an electromagnetic field simulator. The numerical modeling is compared with real measurements, and a comparison is presented.