VNA Applications

By Bob Buxton, Anritsu Company

In our previous columns, we discussed design techniques and advantages of today's vector network analyzers (VNAs). In our final installment, our focus is on applications.

VNAs are used to characterize a wide range of devices, ranging from 2-port passive devices such as filters to complex subsystems consisting of a combination of passive and active components. Moreover, the device under test (DUT) can vary from a connectorized and packaged format to on-wafer, even to raw materials and free-space antenna measurements. Today's modern VNAs have developed over time to address the wide and growing range of applications that extend from aerospace/defense and astronomy to high-speed serial data and homeland security.