TEST & MEASUREMENT APPLICATION NOTES AND WHITE PAPERS

  • Directivity And VSWR Measurements: Understanding Return Loss Measurements

    The characterization of microwave networks requires discriminating between forward and backward traveling waves. Unfortunately no directional device is perfect, leading to potentially dramatic measurement errors. In this note we show that return loss and VSWR measurements are greatly complicated by the finite performance of the directional device used to measure the reflected power.

  • Test Automotive Radar Interference Mitigation

    Automotive radar is crucial for achieving Net Zero targets in the automobile industry, and the R&S AREG800A radar echo generator is essential for testing sensor immunity to interference.

  • Characterization Of An Amplifier With The Combination Of Network And Spectrum Analysis

    The general characterization of complex DUTs such as amplifiers requires the measurement of several parameters. Thanks to its versatility, the R&S® ZNL is an economic solution that can characterize a variety of DUTs both via network analysis and spectrum analysis.

  • How To Analyze Passive Low Frequency Components With A Rohde & Schwarz Oscilloscope

    This white paper presents a technique for easily and quickly analyzing low frequency response on an oscilloscope with the R&S®RTx-K36 frequency response analysis (Bode plot) option, which uses the oscilloscope’s built-in waveform generator to create stimulus signals ranging from 10 Hz to 25 MHz.

  • 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.

TEST & MEASUREMENT SOLUTIONS

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.

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.

dB Control’s family of traveling wave tube amplifiers (TWTAs) features a combined frequency range of 2 to 18 GHz up to 15kW output power. dB Control utilizes our proprietary transformer fabrication, encapsulation and high-voltage potting techniques developed for demanding military applications which results in superior reliability, low cost and ease of maintenance.  Products in this series are ideal for several applications, including: test and measurement, electronic warfare (EW) simulation, RFI/EMI/EMC Testing, electronic countermeasures (ECM), and antenna pattern and radar-cross section measurements.

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.

Bird offers the FH-AV-KIT, a FlightHawk™ RF Aviation Test Kit designed for avionics testing and measurement applications. This kit includes a proven antenna and cable testing functionality of the FlightHawk handheld analyzer, all necessary adapters and cabling, and Bird’s aviation testing software that allows anyone on the maintenance team to test and verify all antenna systems in a fleet.

D-TA Systems offers the MFEL 1000 portable ELINT data collection solution designed to provide automatic spectrum scanning for signal activity (pulse or CW), PDW extraction and de-interleaving to tracks where signal characterization is performed automatically. The system includes a built-in 6 TB (expandable to 18 TB) SSD data storage for I/Q data collection in both on-site and off-site analysis.

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.

Qorvo offers the 1800 W, 65 V, 1.0 – 1.1 GHz QPD1025L as the highest GaN transistor on the market. This discrete GaN on SiC HEMT has a package that features input pre-match resulting in ease of external board match and saved board space.