Coupled dielectric-split ring microwave resonator for liquid measurements in microfluidic channels at nanoliter volumes

A microwave dielectric resonator based sensor system has been investigated with respect to its sensitivity for the assessment of aqueous liquids. The system exploits the field enhancement of a split ring structure while retaining high and tunable quality factors due to weak and adjustable coupling between a planar split-ring and a dielectric resonator. The proposed sensor with integrated microfluidic channel allows investigation of volumes of liquids less than 1 nL and is capable of detecting small changes in relative permittivity, as demonstrated by measurements of water-ethanol solutions.