Design and analysis of microwave shielding materials

In this thesis, ultra-thin metallic films capable of electromagnetic shielding in the highly utilized microwave frequency band (8–12 GHz) were investigated. Using the sputter technique, which possesses significant advantages in thin film fabrication, pure Al, Co, Cr, and Ti thin films were grown at various thicknesses ranging from approximately 80 nm to 500 nm. The grown films were characterized by XRD and SEM analyses to determine their structural and morphological properties. Subsequently, the electromagnetic shielding performance of the produced films was examined using a vector network analyzer and a waveguide transmission line, and their effectiveness was evaluated based on scattering parameters. The results revealed that ultra-thin metallic films, at the selected nanometerscale thicknesses, effectively blocked more than 90% of the incoming microwave signals through both reflection and absorption mechanisms. In particular, aluminum thin films stood out due to their lightweight nature and high shielding efficiency. This study contributes to the development of high-performance shielding materials for miniaturized electronic devices, where volumetric efficiency is crucial.