Calibration-free method to study temperature dependence of microwave dielectric properties of nematic liquid crystals

The present article shows an original transmission-reflection-based method to characterise the microwave dielectric properties of liquid crystals. This new method offering broadband capabilities of transmission-reflection method without the need for vector network analyser calibration. It is based on two measurements in the frequency range: one measurement is performed with the empty cell, the other with the cell filled with the material. The analysis of the two recorded scattering matrices allows to eliminate all error terms and to extract real and imaginary parts of the complex dielectric constant. In this paper, we first present this method, its validation in comparison to other characterisation methods. Secondly, we present an appropriate measuring cell which allows measurements in the frequency range 26 GHz-40 GHz which is also well-suited for temperature-dependent measurements. This method is used to perform dielectric microwave measurements on 5CB liquid crystal. Finally, we discuss the temperature-dependent microwave dielectric properties (permittivity, losses and dielectric anisotropy).