Article: The Role Of EVM Measurements In Characterizing Amplifier Modulation Performance

In wireless communication devices, phase and amplitude distortion created by the power amplifier directly affects the quality of the communication. The most significant measurement for analyzing power amplifier performance in the latest communication system protocols is error vector magnitude (EVM). This is a measure of modulation accuracy, or how well the power amplifier is transmitting information, represented by the varying phase and amplitude of an RF signal. EVM measurements lend insight into the communication link and are the key measure of transmitter performance.