WIDE BAND FREQUENCY MEASUREMENTS OF FUNGAL SPECIES USING LASER PATTERNED FINGER ELECTRODES ON LTCC

High frequency measurements at 50MHz–10 GHz were performed for the first time using interdigitated electrodes on a low temperature co-fired ceramic substrate to analyze fungal spores. Wet and dry spore generation methods were evaluated and tested with two different fungal species. The dry generation method was found feasible for RF measurements, since the component capacitance increased 14–21% in the 2–6GHz range, but for the wet generation method the capacitance decreased only slightly (< 1%). Based on these initial results the RF measurements have the capacity to evaluate the quantity of fungal spores but not to identify their species.