Localized heat processing of soft materials using a low-power microwave applicator

摘要

We report a microwave applicator operating at a few watts input power and used for selective heating of soft materials. The probe has a high efficiency in transmitting microwave radiation to well-localized regions without necessarily making contact with the irradiated medium. Our probe radiates microwave energy through a very narrow slot, with the width ranging from 500 /spl mu/m down to 1 /spl mu/m, microfabricated at the apex of a metal coated dielectric resonator. A temperature of /spl sim/100/spl deg/C is achieved in a spot size as small as 0.25/spl times/0.5 mm/sup 2/. Our microwave applicator may be useful for localized heating of biological tissues and polymer processing.