Towards a miniaturized microstrip attenuator with the composite material film

El Bouslemti, Rahmouna (author), Fraha, C. Mahdi (author), Amrane, I. Meryeme (author), Herir, H. (author)

In this study, A microstrip attenuator made of a graphite, silicon carbide (SiC), graphite and silicon carbide (GSC) thin film is designed, fabricated, and tested. The attenuator was tested in the frequency found from 1 to 10 GHz using the PCB technology and implemented on an FR4 substrate. Using the HFSS software and based on experimental results, the attenuation characteristics and performance of various materials are investigated. The HFSS simulations considered the key parameters, such as the material conductivity, dielectric constant, film thickness, and examined their impact on the electromagnetic field distribution,. A considerable attenuation is observed in these materials, albeit with variations across the tested frequencies. The paper highlights the potential of the composite materials, sach as GSC, in advancing the attenuator technology, particularly for applications requiring compact, efficient, and broadband solutions. It is shown that integrating composite films into microstrip attenuators significantly improves their performance. The final results, corroborated by both simulations and practical experiments, confirm that these materials are viable for the RF and microwave applications.

• Language: English
• Keywords: microstrip, microwave attenuator, Graphite/SiC, S-parameters, HFSS simulation
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FE - Faculty of Electrical Engineering
• Year: 2025
• Number of pages: Str. 276-281
• Numbering: Letn. 92, št. 5
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-183582
• UDC: 621.317.7:621.372.2
• ISSN on article: 0013-5852
• COBISS.SI-ID: 280548611
• Publication date in RUL: 15.06.2026

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Elektrotehniški vestnik
• Publisher: Strokovna zadruga koncesijoniranih elektrotehnikov, Elektrotehniška zveza Slovenije
• ISSN: 0013-5852
• COBISS.SI-ID: 742916

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Title: Miniaturiziran mikrotrakasti atenuator s kompozitnim filmom

Abstract

Prispevek opisuje razvoj in testiranje mikrovalovnih atenuatorjev iz grafita, silicijevega karbida (SiC) ter tankih plasti grafita in silicijevega karbida (GSC). Tiskana vezja na podlagi FR4 smo testirali v frekvenčnem območju od 1 do 10 GHz. Z uporabo programske opreme HFSS in eksperimentalnih rezultatov smo preučili karakteristike atenuacije in zmogljivosti različnih materialov. Simulacije HFSS so upoštevale ključne parametre, kot so prevodnost materiala, dielektrična konstanta, debelina filma ter njihov vpliv na porazdelitev elektromagnetnega polja. Rezultati so pokazali znatno atenuacijo teh materialov, čeprav so se pojavile nekatere variacije pri preizkušenih frekvencah. Raziskava poudarja potencial kompozitnih materialov, kot je GSC, pri razvoju tehnologije atenuatorjev, zlasti za aplikacije, ki zahtevajo kompaktne, učinkovite in širokopasovne rešitve. Rezultati nakazujejo, da lahko integracija kompozitnih filmov v mikrovalovne atenuatorje prinese pomembne izboljšave zmogljivosti. Zaključki raziskave, potrjeni z eksperimentalnimi in simulacijskimi rezultati, poudarjajo izvedljivost teh materialov za prihodnje RF in mikrovalovne aplikacije.

• Keywords: tiskana vezja, zmogljivost materialov, dielektrična konstanta, mikrovalovne aplikacije