2. Characterization of linear, homogeneous and isotropic materials

EM characterization of materials is an essential step prior to their practical use in many microwave applications. This step enables the EM properties of materials to be realistically taken into account during the design phases of components, devices and systems incorporating them. It also enables quality control of manufacturing processes, and validation of interaction models between EM waves and materials by comparison with experiments. The targeted applications cover a wide frequency range, from a few tens of MHz to a few hundred GHz. Here are just a few examples of current applications:

• mobile and mobile satellite communications (800 MHz to 2.6 GHz),

• civil and military radars from L-band to Ku-band (1 to 18 GHz),

• satellite communications (X, Ku and Ka bands: 8 to 31 GHz),...