Dielectric Properties of Conductively Loaded Polyimides in the Far Infrared

TL;DR

This study characterizes the dielectric properties of conductively-loaded Vespel polyimides across microwave to far infrared frequencies, highlighting their potential for optical control applications due to ease of machining.

Contribution

The paper provides the first comprehensive dielectric measurements of Vespel polyimides from microwave to far infrared, enabling better material modeling for optical device design.

Findings

Dielectric properties characterized from 1 to 600 cm^{-1} (0.03 to 18 THz)

Material's dielectric function parametrized below approximately 3 THz

Vespel polyimides are suitable for optical control structures due to their machinability

Abstract

The dielectric properties of selected conductively-loaded polyimide samples are characterized in microwave through far infrared wavebands. These materials, belonging to the Vespel\textsuperscript{\textregistered} family, are more readily formed by direct machining than their ceramic loaded epoxy counterparts and present an interesting solution for realizing absorptive optical control structures. Measurements spanning a spectral range from 1 to 600\,${\rm cm^{-1}}$ (0.03 to 18\,THz) were preformed and used in parametrization of the media's dielectric function at frequencies below $\approx3\,$THz.