Microwave thickness measurement of lossy layered dielectric slabs using incoherent reflectivity

Radiative transfer theory is used to calculate the incoherent effective reflectivity (_e) for a multilayer lossy dielectric medium backed by a conducting plate. The theoretical results of this formulation are compared with that of the coherent approach. Several test cases are presented to show the characteristics of _e as a function of thickness, and dielectric constant of the dielectric layers, and frequency. The results can ultimately be used in nondestructive dielectric thickness measurement.