TEST & MEASUREMENT APPLICATION NOTES AND WHITE PAPERS

  • On-Wafer Characterization At sub-THz Frequencies

    New technologies and applications extend into sub-THz frequencies in the D band and beyond. New semiconductor technologies and processes need to be commercialized to support these efforts.

  • Measurement Setup For Phase Noise Test At Frequencies Above 50 GHz

    Recent semiconductor technologies require more of the frequency range beyond 50 GHz, especially in wideband applications, such as 802.11ad, microwave links, or automotive RADAR. Low phase noise is essential for these applications to work properly, and accurate measurement of phase noise is needed to improve the performance. However, test setups at these frequencies become difficult, especially when cross correlation of two receive paths is needed to suppress additional phase noise.

  • VSWR Conversion To Reflected Power

    VSWR measures how efficiently RF power is transmitted through a load, with high VSWR indicating poor efficiency. Explore VSWR's relation to return loss, reflection coefficient, and mismatch loss.

  • Noise Figure: What Is It And Why Does It Matter?

    Noise figure is a key parameter that quantifies receiver performance by measuring how low a power a signal receiver can detect. This white paper covers the basic principles of noise figure, how to make sense of its specifications, how it is measured, and why this parameter is important in high-performance applications.

  • Linearity Of The JFET And MOSFET When In Saturation Over The Entire Cycle

    Performing RF amplification in a way that is simultaneously linear and efficient has been a challenge in power amplifier (PA) design. Single transistor PAs can either be operated in a linear, but inefficient, current source mode of operation or as efficient, but nonlinear, switches. These techniques use two FETs, but this paper demonstrates that linear amplification can be achieved at high power with an efficiency greater than 60%, using a single FET.

TEST & MEASUREMENT SOLUTIONS

The dB-9001 from dB Control is a custom-mounted Instantaneous Frequency Measurement (IFM) unit designed to operate in the C, X, and Ku-band frequency range and provide highly accurate measurements at 100 ns to CW pulse width measurements.

The GORE® PHASEFLEX® Series offers the smallest, lightest, internally ruggedized microwave/RF test assemblies for high density interconnection in RF and uW modular applications as well as in high speed digital testing. These assemblies feature ON cable construction and provide consistent, repeatable measurements with electrical performance up to 18, 26.5, 40, or 50 GHz.

The Si4133G Dual-Band RF synthesizer is a fast settling integer-N synthesizer

The dB-3906 TWT Amplifier (TWTA) is designed to use two wideband, periodic permanent magnet (PPM)-focused TWTs to amplify CW, AM, FM or pulse-modulated signals. The dB-3906 offers higher saturated output power and improved harmonic performance when compared to a single TWT approach.

Electrostatic discharge testing is utilized worldwide by electronics manufacturers to determine the ESD susceptibility of their devices. It is extremely difficult to estimate the exact cost of ESD loss annually, but it can safely be stated that ESD requires the development and testing of many hardware prototypes and contributes to a high number of warranty claims and loss of consumer confidence if failure occurs in the hands of the customer. Given the high cost in time and materials associated with ESD hardware testing, the ability to simulate the ESD testing process in XFdtd is extremely valuable, allowing engineers to pinpoint locations susceptible to ESD damage and optimize ESD mitigation during the concept and design stage of product development.

Pentek offers the Talon® RTX 2684 as a 26 GHz sentinel intelligent signal scanner recording system. The system provides SIGINT engineers the ability to scan the RF spectrum from 1 GHz to 26 GHz for signals of interest and monitor or record bandwidths up to 500 MHz wide.

The dB-3908 TWT Amplifier (TWTA) is designed to use two wideband, periodic permanent magnet (PPM)-focused TWTs to amplify CW, AM, FM or pulse-modulated signals. The dB-3908 offers higher saturated output power and improved harmonic performance when compared to a single TWT approach.

The Model 6350S is a small form factor 8-channel A/D & D/A subsystem designed for a variety of applications including high-bandwidth data streaming, waveform signal generators, multimode data acquisition, and other electronic warfare systems. Designed to be integrated into larger systems with minimal design effort, the 6350S delivers the performance and high-channel density of RFSoC in a small, convenient footprint.