Comparison of microwave power density meters
Moore RL, Smith SW, Cloke RL, Brown DG · 1971
The thermocouple device was found best suited to measure microwave oven leakage at 2450 MHz.
Plain English Summary
This report presents a comparison of several types of survey instruments designed to detect and measure microwave power density emitted from microwave ovens. The pocket dosimeter was totally unsuitable as a quantitative instrument. The following tabulation compares a thermocouple device, a thermistor device, and a helix antenna with a diode detector. As a result of the tests outlined in this report it was found that the thermocouple device is best suited to measure leakage close to a slot source such as a microwave oven at 2450 MHz.
Why This Matters
The thermocouple device had a sensitivity of 0.01mW/cm?, the thermistor device 1mW/cm?, and the helix with diode detector 0.5mW/cm?. The thermocouple device read from 0.01mW/cm? to 200mW/cm?, the thermistor device from 1mW/cm? to 500mW/cm? with external attenuators, and the helix with diode detector from 0.5mW/cm? to !10mW/cm?. The thermocouple and thermistor devices each had an accuracy of approximately +25%, while the helix with diode detector had an inaccuracy approaching +59% at the higher end of its scale. The thermocouple device cost $885, the thermistor device $605, and the helix with diode detector $450. The thermocouple instrument showed an 8% change from 5 to 22°C, whereas the thermistor device showed a 30% change over the same range and had an unstable zero adjustment.
Finding
As a result of the tests outlined in this report it was found that the thermocouple device is best suited to measure leakage close to a slot source—such as a microwave oven—at the frequency of 2450MHz.
In their words
“As a result of the tests outlined in this report it was found that the thermocouple device is best suited to measure leakage close to a slot source—such as a microwave oven—at the frequency of 2450MHz.”
Show BibTeX
@article{comparison_of_microwave_power_density_meters_g6470,
author = {Moore RL and Smith SW and Cloke RL and Brown DG},
title = {Comparison of microwave power density meters},
year = {1971},
}