Banded Millimeter Wave Network Analysis

Banded Millimeter Wave Network Analysis

Technical Overviews

Banded Measurement Solutions to 1.5 THz

Keysight offers a variety of banded millimeter-wave solutions that enable Keysight network analyzers to make component measurements up 1.5 THz. These four solutions are easily configurable with frequency extenders from Virginia Diodes Inc.

Supported solutions through Keysight may be configured with or without a test set controller, depending on the measurements required and the frequency extenders being used.

High performance solutions with PNAs

1. PNA test set controller configuration: N522xB/4xB PNA/PNA-X with N5292A test set and N5256/62 frequency extenders

2. PNA direct connect configuration: N522xB/4xB PNA/PNA-X with N5256/62 frequency extenders

Affordable solutions with Streamline or PXI VNAs

For higher measurement performance, frequency offset or other measurement applications, the PNA/-X based banded configuration is required.

3. USB/Thunderbolt Streamline or PXI VNA with N5252APXI test set configuration: P93xxA/B and P50xxA/B Streamline VNA or M937xA/M980xA PXI-VNA with N5262BW frequency extenders and N5252APXI test set (frequency extender adapter) up to WR 3.4 bands (P937xA or M937xA can be used up to D-band).

4. USB/Thunderbolt Streamline or PXI VNA direct connect configuration: P93xxA/B and P50xxA/B Streamline VNA or M937xA/M980xA PXI-VNA with N5252AW frequency extenders for V, E, W and D bands.

Supported measurement capability

You can make S-parameters, power measurement and sweep 8, and antenna measurements with both test set controller and direct control configurations. This table is a summary of available measurement application software. (S93xxxB/S94xxxB that are not on this list are not supported.)

PNA Test Set Controller Configuration

Key features

  •  Uses the N5292A test set controller to connect banded waveguide frequency extenders to the PNA/PNA-X.
  • -The N5292A test set controller enables to configure a 2-port millimeter-wave system with a single source PNA.
  •  The N5292A test set controller enables to configure a 4-port millimeter-wave system with a dual source PNA.
  •  The built-in millimeter wave dialog allows users to easily switch between different waveguide band frequency extenders connected to the test set controllers.
  •  Supports the connection of VDI frequency extenders that cover waveguide bands from 26.5 GHz to 1.5 THz.
  •  The 4-port N5292A Option 400 test controllers support differential and converter measurements using the VDI frequency converters.
  •  Keysight test set controller with the PNA/PNA-X can be used to calibrate and control the power at the waveguide.

PNA Test Set Controller Configuration

Test set controller based solutions performance

The test set controller based solutions offer not only the highest frequency coverage up to 1.5 THz but have also shown the best dynamic range in the industry.

The following is an example of a WR2.2 frequency extender dynamic range using a PNA/PNA-X network analyzer, and a N5262A test set controller with a typical performance of 100 dB in a 10 Hz IFBW.

Ease-of-use

The banded millimeter-wave system uses built-in firmware, allowing you to leverage the built in software features of the PNA and PNA-X Series network analyzers.

Regardless of the frequency range of your measurements, you can manually control the instrument from the front panel or use a mouse to access the simple pull-down menus.

In addition, you can utilize Cal Wizard to guide you step-by-step through the most complicated of calibrations.

The banded millimeter-wave system can easily be configured using the dialogue box shown in Figure 2. Multiple system configurations can be added to the list, but only one is active at a time.

Creating a banded configuration is easy, simply enter the start and stop frequencies and the multipliers for RF and LO frequency ranges (the values are located on the test head modules).

Once a configuration has been added to the list, simply highlight the setup of choice and then click Activate Selected Config to apply.

PNA Direct Connect Configuration

These solutions do not require a millimeter-wave test set controller as they connect directly to the front panel of a dual source PNA or PNA-X. VDI frequency extenders are supported with this configuration.

Here is an example of a set of VDI modules that are directly connected to a dual source PNA.

Key features

  • This configuration does not require a test set controller.
  •  Requires a dual source PNA/PNA-X network analyzer with configurable test set option and the frequency offset mode (S93080B) to provide separate RF and LO signals to the frequency extenders.
  •  Supports full 2-Port S-parameter measurements within a waveguide.
  •  The direct connection supports power calibration and power sweep.