Local complex permittivity measurements of porcine skin tissue in the frequency range from 1 GHz to 15 GHz by evanescent microscopy.

The near-field evanescent microwave microscope is based on a coaxial transmission line resonator with a silver plated tungsten tip protruding through an end-wall aperture. The sensor is used to measure the local dielectric properties of porcine skin in the frequency range from 1 GHz to 15 GHz. The dielectric property of the skin within the near field of the tip frustrates the electric field and measurably changes the transmission line's resonant frequency and quality factor (Q). The shift of the resonator's frequency and Q is measured as a function of tip-sample separation, and a quantitative relationship between the real and imaginary parts of the local dielectric constant using the method of images is established. The associated changes in quality factor image scans of subsurface tissue structure and dielectric properties of skin surface lesions are presented.