TEST & MEASUREMENT APPLICATION NOTES AND WHITE PAPERS

  • Design And Implementation Of A Miniature X-Band Edge-Coupled Microstrip Bandpass Filter

    Microwave bandpass filters are the fundamental component used in many RF/microwave applications to eliminate interference from signals operating at nearby frequencies. This application note presents a straightforward and largely nonmathematical method for designing an edge-coupled, bandpass filter for X-band operations with a combination of filter synthesis, closed-form edge-coupled transmission-line models, and EM analysis using the Microwave Office circuit simulator within Cadence AWR Design Environment software.

  • Field Probe Correction Factors

    To better achieve accurate field level measurements, it is helpful to have an understanding of field probe calibrations, the factors generated, and what’s presented as data during testing. This application note presents how to utilize the factors presented for inclusion into test data, how to generate composite measurements, and why calibrations are performed at selected frequencies.

  • 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.

  • Accurately Measure Your UWB Device's Time Of Flight

    The R&S®CMP200 radio communication tester together with the R&S®CM-Z300A time of flight kit provides an accurate setup for time of flight measurements – in validation, calibration and certification.

  • Accurate Test Fixture Characterization And De-Embedding

    This application note provides practical hints to accurately characterize and de-embed these lead-in and lead-out structures with R&S Vector Network Analyzers ZNA, ZNB, ZNBT and ZND.

TEST & MEASUREMENT SOLUTIONS

Radar simulation systems (i.e., RF sources and/or receivers) must perform to an exacting minimum standard if they are to accurately prove the field worthiness of EW systems.

The SMS7630 Series comprises low-cost, surface mountable, plastic packaged silicon mixer Schottky diodes designed for RF and microwave mixers and detectors. They include low barrier diodes and zero-bias detectors that combine Skyworks advanced semiconductor technology with low-cost packaging techniques. All diodes are 100 percent DC tested and deliver tight parameter distribution, which minimizes performance variability.

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.

The dB-9004 is a custom-mounted Integrated Antenna Digital Control Unit (IADCU). It operates in the C, X and Ku-band frequency range and provides highly accurate RF output (FM, AM and pulse-shape modulated)

The EVO-RSA-6070A is part of the EVO Series of extended frequency spectrum analyzers from Avcom designed for higher performance and agility in applications with continuously changing requirements. The included SDR-style technology analyzer includes a wide bandwidth receiver and employs FPGA, DSP, and high-performance processors.

The series of GORE® VNA microwave/RF test assemblies from W.L. Gore are designed to provide the most precise VNA measurements in laboratory conditions, setting the standard for vector network analyzers (VNAs) through 70 GHz. These test assemblies deliver the highest accuracy and greatest time intervals between recalibrations for many applications, including those with vector network analyzers, critical measurements, and laboratory testing.

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 Si894x is a galvanically isolated delta-sigma modulator which outputs a digital signal proportional to the voltage level at the input.