Modeling a Conical Dielectric Probe for Skin Cancer Diagnosis

Application ID: 18693


The response of a millimeter wave with frequencies of 35 GHz and 95 GHz is known to be very sensitive to water content.

This model utilizes a low-power 35 GHz Ka-band millimeter wave and its reflectivity to moisture for noninvasive cancer diagnosis. Since skin tumors contain more moisture than healthy skin, it leads to stronger reflections on this frequency band. Hence, the probe detects abnormalities in terms of S-parameters at the tumor locations.

A circular waveguide at the dominant mode and a conically tapered dielectric probe are quickly analyzed, along with the probe's radiation characteristics, using a 2D axisymmetric model. Temperature variation of the skin and the fraction of necrotic tissue analysis are also performed as well.

This model example illustrates applications of this type that would nominally be built using the following products: