Multiport calibration for microwave tomography systems

A method for the calibration of an ultra-wideband microwave tomography system is presented. The objective for this measurement system is to calculate the spatial distribution of the dielectric parameters and thereby different materials. Scattering parameters are used to describe the setup and are given to the reconstruction algorithm for evaluation. The measured wave parameters of this system are influenced by the measurement instrument as well as by the setup itself. In addition, it is also necessary for the reconstruction to obtain the scattering parameters at a well defined reference plane. Both requirements can be achieved by the help of a multiport error correction algorithm used for the calibration of a Vector Network Analyzer (VNA). In a first step, an error model for the tomographic system is presented. Secondly, this paper provides a concept for calibration standards which can be used for this application. Since a tomographic system do not offer the possibility for the use of classic reflection standards or a change in the mechanical length of the transmission other calibration standards have to be found. The idea of a homogeneous filling of the tomograph is presented. With the help of a simulation model the requirements for the system as well as the accuracy of the results are analyzed. In addition, measurement results are shown to validate the proposed approach.