Determination of equivalent conductivity of metallized plastic antenna elements in Ka band

The term “equivalent conductivity” has been used in this paper for characterization of metallized plastic antenna components in Ka band. The measured values of this parameter can be used to replace the bulk conductivity of metal bodies in the 3-D simulators for implementation of better simulations of the metallized plastic antenna structures. A resonance method is proposed for determination of the equivalent conductivity, which is based on measurements of unloaded Q factors of modes in resonators with minimized surface-to-volume ratio with only one flat wall formed by the metal surface under test. Finally, comparative data have been presented for electroplated or electroless metallized plastic samples made by injection molding.