Optically transparent conductors (TCs) have been implemented and adopted into next-generation transmission lines and other RF structures from UHF to millimeter-wave (mmWave) applications. A current method of evaluating the performance of optically TCs uses a figure of merit (FOM) which is frequency agnostic. A new FOM for optically TCs at RF, microwave, and millimeter-wave frequencies is presented and provides distinction to the TC FOM proposed in 1976 where it adds a frequency dependence, by incorporating the skin effect requirement. A detailed analysis of the new FOM for both transparent conducting oxides and mesh conductors is presented and compared using TC literature data analyzed at 24 and 240 GHz where large FOM variation is shown. The manuscript shows the new RF FOM and classical FOM can vary by up to a factor of 10 when the skin depth of the conductor is not considered.

中文翻译：

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评估射频和微波频率下的光学透明导体：新的优点

从UHF到毫米波（mmWave）应用，已经实现了光学透明导体（TC），并已将其用于下一代传输线和其他RF结构中。当前评估光学TC性能的方法使用频率不可知的品质因数（FOM）。提出了一种用于射频，微波和毫米波频率的光学TC的新FOM，它与1976年提出的TC FOM有所不同，它通过结合趋肤效应要求而增加了频率依赖性。给出了针对透明导电氧化物和网状导体的新型FOM的详细分析，并使用在24 GHz和240 GHz处分析的TC文献数据进行了比较，这些数据显示出较大的FOM变化。