R-Coax Line
A unique product of Compass Technology Group, the R-Coax uses a slotted rectangular coaxial transmission line to enable non-destructive characterization of materials at broadband Radio Frequencies. The R-Coax utilizes CEM-inversion (computational electromagnetic), a technique pioneered by our team, to convert measured transmission amplitude and phase into either complex sheet impedance in ohms/square or into complex dielectric permittivity. Through a slot built into the transmission line, the R-Coax positions a material specimen so that it is parallel to the internal electric field within the fixture
Applications of the Slotted Rectangular Coaxial Line (R-Coax):
- This method allows you to determine sheet impedance or dielectric properties of sheet materials in a non-destructive way during the manufacturing process. It is especially sensitive to resistive materials with sheet impedances as high as 100,000 ohms per square or more. Examples of how the R-Coax is being used:
- Within manufacturing facilities to monitor resistive sheet materials at VHF through S-band frequencies (up to 3 GHz).
- Detecting defects or FOD (foreign object and debris) in quartz or fiberglass pre-preg.
Benefits of the Slotted Rectangular Coaxial Line (R-Coax):
- Interacts strongly with the material being tested.
- Characterize material specimens non-destructively and continuously.
- Incorporates newer CEM-inversion methods that quickly and accurately convert the measured scattering parameters into intrinsic material properties.
- Enables RF material measurements in manufacturing settings for quality assurance (QA).
- Saves time and money by identifying manufacturing defects early in the process so that they can be corrected before a significant cost impact is realized.
Additional Information
- Further models available:
- R-coax 29: the 60-600 MHz model.
- R-coax 17: 300 MHz – 3 GHz model.
- Other custom frequency ranges and/or custom sheet width capabilities are feasible.
- Slotted R-coax device along with short and line sections for TRL calibration.
- Two RF cables.
- CTGCalc™ Software:
- Data acquisition and calibration (communicates between customer supplied VNA and a customer supplied computer with Windows 7 or newer).
- Fast algorithm inverts measured S21 data into complex sheet impedance (based on pre-calculated table from full computational EM model of fixture).
- Standard databases for 35”, 12”, and 6” wide specimens. Custom-sized databases available for an additional fee.
- Plots data and provides standardized output formats that can be easily read into third-party plotting packages.
- One year software support and upgrades.
- User Manual.
- Shipping crate.
- Installation, system verification and training (1 day on-site).
