Vector Network Analysis Essentials
RF Globalnet is pleased to welcome Bob Buxton, leader of Anritsu Company's general-purpose microwave bench instrument product marketing team, as a guest columnist. His columns discuss how vector network analyzers help shape today's microwave/RF designs.
VNA Applications
VNAs are used to characterize a wide range of devices, ranging from 2-port passive devices such as filters to complex subsystems consisting of a combination of passive and active components. Moreover, the device under test (DUT) can vary from a connectorized and packaged format to on-wafer, even to raw materials and free-space antenna measurements. Read the article.
Calibration Techniques Help Ensure Accurate VNA Measurements
In this installment, we focus on a critical element in making accurate S-parameter measurements with a VNA — calibration. While the VNA is a highly linear receiver that has sufficient spectral purity in its sources to make accurate measurements, imperfections exist that limit measurements done without calibrations. Read the article.
The Rise Of VNAs
The vector network analyzer (VNA) has been around for many years. For much of that time, it has been considered complicated and expensive. However, with today's high-frequency complex designs, the microwave VNA may be perhaps the single most important measurement tool in the RF/microwave industry. Read the article.
Fundamentals Of VNAs
In our first column on vector network analyzers (VNAs), we discussed the importance of the instrument in today's RF/microwave designs. Today, we will review VNA fundamentals and how they have helped the analyzer become the instrument of choice in so many applications. Read the article.
About The Author
Bob Buxton received an M.Sc. in microwaves and modern optics from University College London and an MBA from George Fox University (Newberg, OR). His experience includes R&D, product definition, and marketing in connection with microwave components, operational equipment, and test equipment in the fields of radar, communications, and video. Prior roles have been in the United Kingdom, Germany, and the United States. Since April 2010, he has been manager of product marketing at Anritsu.
About Anritsu Company
Anritsu Company is the North American subsidiary of Anritsu Corporation based in Atsugi, Japan. Anritsu has been recognized as a leading provider of communications solutions for more than 100 years. Anritsu has become a global leader in the telecommunications, optical and wireless industries by providing diverse product offerings ranging from test and measurement solutions to high-speed devices and components for use in R&D, production, and maintenance. Learn more: www.anritsu.com