Abstract
In this letter, a differential sensor and comparator based on a mode conversion detector implemented by means of a slotline resonator is proposed for the first time. The sensor divides the input signal between two identical sensing elements, a pair of microstrip lines loaded with complementary split-ring resonators (CSRRs). Such CSRRs are symmetrically etched in the ground plane at both sides of the slotline. Therefore, by truncating symmetry, e.g., by loading one of the CSRRs with the reference (REF) sample and the other one with the sample under test (SUT), the slot mode is generated in the slotline resonator. The signal level associated with this mode, which can be inferred by means of a slotline/microstrip transition, depends on the level of asymmetry generated by CSRR loading. Consequently, the proposed structure is useful for differential sensing, where a single input and output port suffices to excite the sensor and to measure the output variable, the magnitude of the transmission coefficient.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 690-692 |
| Number of pages | 3 |
| Journal | IEEE Microwave and Wireless Components Letters |
| Volume | 29 |
| Issue number | 10 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Accepted in press - 2019 |
Keywords
- Complementary split-ring resonator (CSRR)
- Differential sensor
- Microstrip line
- Microwave sensor
- Mode conversion
- Slotline