Publications Details

Infrared-Transparent Semiconductor Membranes for Electromagnetic Interference Shielding of Millimeter Waves

Renteria, Emma J.; Heileman, Grant D.; Neely, Jordan P.; Addamane, Sadhvikas J.; Rotter, Thomas J.; Balakrishnan, Ganesh; Christodoulou, Christos G.; Cavallo, Francesca

Here, it is demonstrated that single-crystalline and highly doped GaAs membranes are excellent candidates for realizing infrared-transparent shields of electromagnetic interference at millimeter frequencies. Measured optical transmittance spectra for the semiconductor membranes show resonant features between 750 and 2500 nm, with a 100% maximum transmittance. The shielding effectiveness of the membranes is extracted from measured scattering parameters between 65 and 85 GHz. Selected GaAs membranes and membranes/polyamide films exhibit shielding effectiveness ranging from 22 to 40 dB, which are suitable values to ensure the safe operation of infrared devices for commercial applications. Theoretical calculations based on a plane wave model show that the interplay of primary reflection and multiple internal reflections of the radio-frequency waves results in broadband shielding capabilities of the membrane between 10 and 300 GHz.