Methods for processing, optimization, calibration and display of measured dielectrometry signals using property estimation grids

Abstract

A method is disclosed for processing, optimization, calibration, and display of measured dielectrometry signals. A property estimator is coupled by way of instrumentation to an electrode structure and translates sensed electromagnetic responses into estimates of one or more preselected properties or dimensions of the material, such as dielectric permittivity and ohmic conductivity, layer thickness, or other physical properties that affect dielectric properties, or presence of other lossy dielectric or metallic objects. A dielectrometry sensor is disclosed which can be connected in various ways to have different effective penetration depths of electric fields but with all configurations having the same air-gap, fluid gap, or shim lift-off height, thereby greatly improving the performance of the property estimators by decreasing the number of unknowns. The sensor geometry consist of a periodic structure with, at any one time, a single sensing element that provides for multiple wavelength within the same sensor footprint.

1 . A method for generating and evaluating property estimation grids for use with a dielectrometer that provides at least two effective field penetration depths for measuring preselected properties of a material, said method comprising: 
 a) defining electrical, physical, and geometric properties for the material, including preselected properties of the material;    b) defining operating point parameters for the material properties and an electrode geometry, electrode configuration, substrate material and dimensions, and electrical source excitation for the dielectrometer;    c) inputting the material properties, the operating point parameters, and the dielectrometer electrode substrate geometry, configuration and source excitation into a model to compute a terminal relation value for each penetration depth;    d) recording in a database the terminal relation value for each penetration depth relative to the material properties as a property estimation grid point;    e) adjusting the preselected material properties and repeating steps (c) and (d) for remaining property estimation grid points; and    f) analyzing a property estimation grid to determine fitness of the property estimation grid for a particular measurement.    
   
   
       2 . A method as claimed in  claim 1  wherein the terminal relation value of step (c) is at least one of: transcapacitance value, transconductance value, transadmittance value, transimpedance value, self-admittance value, self-impedance value, and complex gain.  
   
   
       3 . A method as claimed in  claim 1  wherein the material comprises a liquid mixture of unknown properties.  
   
   
       4 . A method as claimed in  claim 1  wherein one or more of the operating point parameters in parts b) and c) are single or multiple shims of known property and geometry.  
   
   
       5 . A method as claimed in  claim 1  further comprising: 
 the step of plotting terminal relation values on a single or multidimensional grid.    
   
   
       6 . A method as claimed in  claim 1  wherein the grid points represent magnitude and phase measurements for a single wavelength dielectric sensor.  
   
   
       7 . A method as claimed in  claim 1  wherein the property estimation grids are magnitude-magnitude grids with the magnitudes determined from different field penetration depths.  
   
   
       8 . A method as claimed in  claim 7  wherein the magnitude-magnitude grids are used for measurements performed on a semi-insulating material.  
   
   
       9 . A method for generating and evaluating property estimation grids for use with a dielectrometer for measuring preselected properties of a material, said method comprising: 
 a) defining electrical, physical, and geometric properties for the material, including preselected properties of the material;    b) defining operating point parameters for the material properties and an electrode geometry, electrode configuration, substrate material and dimensions, and electrical source excitation for the dielectrometer;    c) inputting the material properties, the operating point parameters, and the dielectrometer electrode substrate geometry, configuration and source excitation into a model to compute a terminal relation value for each of a dielectric sensor and a non-dielectric sensor;    d) recording in a database the terminal relation value for each sensor relative to the material properties as a property estimation grid point;    e) adjusting the preselected material properties and repeating steps (c) and (d) for remaining property estimation grid points; and    f) analyzing a property estimation grid to determine fitness of the property estimation grid for a particular measurement, one axis of a property estimation grid representing a magnitude or phase measured with a dielectric sensor and a second axis representing a parameter measured with a non-dielectric sensor.    
   
   
       10 . A method as claimed in  claim 1  wherein one or more of the operating point parameters for the material properties in steps (b) and (c) is temperature dependent and wherein variations in the temperature are used to alter at least one operating point parameter.  
   
   
       11 . A method as claimed in  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 computing Jacobian elements which are measures of variation in computed terminal relation values due to variation in the preselected material properties;    computing a singular value decomposition for the Jacobian elements to obtain singular values, singular vectors and condition numbers of the Jacobian elements;    evaluating at least one of: the dielectrometer electrode, substrate structures and operating point using the singular values, singular vectors, and the condition numbers for material property estimate requirements;    adjusting at least one of: the dielectrometer operating point parameters, electrode geometry, configuration, substrate material and geometry, and the source excitation; and    repeating steps (b)-(f) until material property estimate requirements are achieved.    
   
   
       12 . A method as claimed in  claim 11  wherein the singular values, singular vectors, and the condition numbers are stored with grid points.  
   
   
       13 . A method as claimed in  claim 11 , further comprising: 
 converting each sensed electromagnetic response into a transadmittance or transimpedance magnitude and phase or equivalently into real and imaginary parts.    
   
   
       14 . A method as claimed in  claim 1  wherein the material under test is composed at least in part of a viscous material.  
   
   
       15 . A method as claimed in  claim 14  wherein the viscous material is curable.  
   
   
       16 . A method as claimed in  claim 14  wherein the material is monitored as part of a quality control process.  
   
   
       17 - 26 . (canceled)  
   
   
       27 . A method as claimed in  claim 1  wherein the property estimation grids are phase-phase grids.  
   
   
       28 . A method as claimed in  claim 9  wherein the parameter measured with a non-dielectric sensor is a thickness.  
   
   
       29 . A method as claimed in  claim 9  wherein one or more of operating point parameters for the material properties in steps (b) and (c) are temperature dependent and wherein variations in the temperature are used to alter at least one operating point parameter.  
   
   
       30 - 31 . (canceled)