Method of increasing spatial resolution of the scanning near-field microwave microscopy

In this article we propose methods for the measurement of electric intensity of a microwave field above the surface of microwave circuits. Using miniaturized coaxial antennas and a special probe positioning system, we measure both the amplitude and the phase of the induced field above the device under test. We introduce a position/signal difference method to further increase the spatial resolution down to about 30 mum-about one order better than contemporary microwave scanning devices utilizing coaxial antennas. The effect is theoretically analyzed and experimentally verified. The probes are calibrated in a well-defined field standard to allow quantitative characterization of the measured field. Performance of our scanning system utilizing these methods is demonstrated using a PCB finger capacitor. (C) 2003 American Institute of Physics.