Measurement of the dielectric constant and loss tangent of high dielectric-constant materials at terahertz frequencies

Low-loss high dielectric-constant materials are analyzed in the terahertz frequency range using time-domain spectroscopy. The dielectric constant and loss tangent for steatite, alumina, titania loaded polystyrene, and zirconium-tin-titanate are presented and compared to measurements on high-resistivity silicon. For these materials, the real part of the dielectric constant ranges from 6 to 90. All of the samples were found to have reasonable low-loss tangents. Applications as photonic crystal substrates for terahertz frequency antenna are envisaged.