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. Some may require more than one test device or expensive equipment. 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.

Your task

Amplifiers are one of the most common RF components because of their countless applications but are also one of the most complex devices under test (DUT) to measure. For a more complete characterization, an amplifier must be tested to determine linear S-parameters at a certain frequency or power and to measure parameters like harmonic distortion, third-order intercept (TOI), compression points and noise figure, all of which might not be possible with a traditional vector network analyzer. In fact, high-end equipment is often used to test such parameters and classic economy vector network analyzers (VNA) generally require complicated setups and time-consuming post- processing to make the data available in the correct format.

Switching between test stations to use a VNA and a spectrum analyzer is also feasible, however, it is not ideal when either time or space are limited, since the DUT and possibly the VNA, cables, a calibration kit or unit need to be moved from one place to another.

Rohde & Schwarz solution

The spectrum analyzer, signal generator, and noise figure measurement functions (enabled by the R&S^® ZNLx-B1, R&S^® ZNL-K14 and R&S^® ZNL-K30 options) enable the R&S^® ZNL to tackle all these problems, while completely eliminating the need to move the test setup between stations.