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

Abstract

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.