Abstract: A calibration method for a two-port VNA includes presenting a high reflection calibration standard and measuring reflection data for each of the two ports, calculating a location of the high reflection calibration standard at each of the two ports, presenting a load calibration standard and measuring the reflection characteristic for each of the two ports to provide load data, converting the load data to the time domain to provide time domain impulse response load data, and gating the time domain impulse response load data based on the locations of the high reflection calibration standard at each of two ports. The method further includes reconstructing frequency domain load data from the gated time domain data, connecting the two ports together and determining forward and reverse transmission characteristics, and calculating systematic error coefficients for the VNA based on the reconstructed frequency domain data and the forward and reverse transmission characteristics.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for calibrating a vector network analyzer (VNA) and characterizing a device under test. In one example, a device fixture including a pair of embedded device adapters provides an interface between a device under test (DUT) with non-coaxial connectors and the coaxial connectors of the VNA, and moves the calibration reference plane from the coaxial connectors of the VNA to a DUT reference plane at the leads/connectors of the DUT. A through fixture having a pair of similar through adapters is used to establish the DUT reference plane and to facilitate characterizing the device adapters such that they can be de-embedded from measurements of the device fixture.

Abstract: A method and system of calibrating first and second adapters comprises the steps of calibrating coaxial ports of a vector network analyzer to traceable standards and connecting a symmetrical through circuit path between the coaxial ports. The through circuit path comprises a cascaded combination of the first and second adapters. The first adapter is passive and substantially identical to the second adapter and uncascaded first and second adapters comprise a measurement device path. The through circuit path and the measurement device path have substantially equivalent S-parameters. S-parameters of the through circuit path are measured and then the first and second adapters are characterized based upon the measured S-parameters. The method and system may be applied to two port adapters and devices under test and may also be scaled for multi-port adapters and devices under test.

Abstract: A method, apparatus and article of manufacture for manufacturing a balanced circuit obtains S-parameters for the balanced circuit and determines a delay value embedded at one of the single-ended terminals of the balanced circuit that reduces a differential to common mode conversion mixed-mode transmission S-parameter.

Abstract: A method and system of calibrating first and second adapters comprises the steps of calibrating coaxial ports of a vector network analyzer to traceable standards and connecting a symmetrical through circuit path between the coaxial ports. The through circuit path comprises a cascaded combination of the first and second adapters. The first adapter is passive and substantially identical to the second adapter and uncascaded first and second adapters comprise a measurement device path. The through circuit path and the measurement device path have substantially equivalent S-parameters. S-parameters of the through circuit path are measured and then the first and second adapters are characterized based upon the measured S-parameters. The method and system may be applied to two port adapters and devices under test and may also be scaled for multi-port adapters and devices under test.

Abstract: A method of measuring a DUT provides a vector network analyzer with at least two measurement ports and measures characteristics of thru, reflect, and line calibration standards at the measurement ports. Error coefficients are calculated as well as a shifted electrical length attributable to the measured calibration standards. S-parameters of the DUT are measured and corrected based upon the error coefficients. A reference plane is shifted for each element of the corrected S-parameter matrix to a measurement reference plane, and ? SA_portn ? LA_portm = S 21 ? _thru ? _nm ? S 12 ? _thru ? _nm wherein S21—thru—nm is equal to S12—thru—mn and an argument of both solutions for S21—thru—nm is fit to a straight line, the solution having a y-intercept closest to zero being a correct solution and a resulting argument of the correct solution being the electrical delay.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for calibrating a multiport measurement path using through, high reflect and line calibration standards presents the through standard between no more than N?1 other pairs of measurement ports where at least one of the other pairs is a proximal pair.

Abstract: A method and system of calibrating first and second adapters comprises the steps of calibrating coaxial ports of a vector network analyzer to traceable standards and connecting a symmetrical through circuit path between the coaxial ports. The through circuit path comprises a cascaded combination of the first and second adapters. The first adapter is passive and substantially identical to the second adapter and uncascaded first and second adapters comprise a measurement device path. The through circuit path and the measurement device path have substantially equivalent S-parameters. S-parameters of the through circuit path are measured and then the first and second adapters are characterized based upon the measured S-parameters. The method and system may be applied to two port adapters and devices under test and may also be scaled for multi-port adapters and devices under test.

Abstract: A method, apparatus and article of manufacture to aid in the characterization of a device establishes a device S-parameter matrix (SD) to represent electrical behavior of the device, an adapter T-parameter matrix (Ta) to represent all possible electrical paths through circuits to all device ports of the device, and a cascaded S-parameter matrix (Sc) to represent the circuits cascaded with the device. Values for the adapter T-parameter matrix are obtained either through measurement or modeling. The device cascaded with the circuits is measured to obtain values for the cascaded S-parameter matrix, permitting use of a general solution for the device S-parameter matrix as a function of the adapter T-parameter matrix and the cascaded S-parameter matrix.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for measuring a multiport device using a multiport test set connects one port of the multiport device to a stimulus signal and terminates all remaining ports in a respective load. A response to a stimulus signal is measured on all ports of the multiport device and the measured responses are corrected with calibration data to characterize the multiport device.

Abstract: A method, apparatus and article of manufacture for manufacturing a balanced circuit obtains S-parameters for the balanced circuit and determines a delay value embedded at one of the single-ended terminals of the balanced circuit that reduces a differential to common mode conversion mixed-mode transmission S-parameter.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for modeling a uniform transmission line obtains measured s-parameters of an connectivity system in combination with the uniform transmission line and mathematically isolates a representative portion of the uniform transmission line from the connectivity system by identifying an electrical position of the representative portion as distinct from the connectivity system. The measured s-parameters are adjusted to represent s-parameters of only the representative portion. Telegrapher's Equation transmission parameters are then extracted from the adjusted measured s-parameters.

Abstract: A method and apparatus comprises providing a vector network analyzer having at least two measurement ports and presenting a high reflect calibration standard, a line calibration standard, a source terminated thru calibration standard, and a locally terminated through calibration standard at each measurement port or pair of measurement ports. Forward and reverse reflection tracking is calculated based upon a boundary condition wherein an argument of the reflection tracking coefficients is zero at DC. The DUT is measured and the measurement is corrected for systematic errors based upon the error coefficients.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for calibrating a measurement path of 2N measurement ports comprises presenting a high reflect calibration standard at each measurement port and measuring a reflection characteristic for each measurement port, presenting a line calibration standard and a through calibration standard between each one of N direct pairs of the measurement ports and measuring forward and reverse reflection and transmission responses and calculating a load match error coefficient for each measurement port, and presenting only the through calibration standard between indirect pairs of measurement ports and calculating the forward and reverse transmission tracking for each indirect pairs of measurement ports.

Abstract: According to one embodiment of the invention, there is provided a method of calibrating an N-port multiport test system for measurement of a DUT. The method consists of coupling each port of an N-port automatic calibration device to a respective port of the N-port multiport test system, and presenting three reflection standards with the automatic calibration device to each port of the N-port multiport test system. The method also consists of providing with the automatic calibration device, N−1 through conditions of a possible N(N−1)/2 possible through conditions, between corresponding ports of the N-port multiport test system, and making measurements with the N-port multiport test system of the three reflection standards at each port and the N−1 through conditions between the corresponding ports. The method further consists of determining all of systematic error coefficients for all of the ports of N-port multiport test system.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for measuring a multiport device using a multiport test set connects one port of the multiport device to a stimulus signal and terminates all remaining ports in a respective load. A response to a stimulus signal is measured on all ports of the multiport device and the measured responses are corrected with calibration data to characterize the multiport device.

Abstract: A method, apparatus and article of manufacture to aid in the characterization of a device establishes a device S-parameter matrix (SD) to represent electrical behavior of the device, an adapter T-parameter matrix (Ta) to represent all possible electrical paths through circuits to all device ports of the device, and a cascaded S-parameter matrix (Sc) to represent the circuits cascaded with the device. Values for the adapter T-parameter matrix are obtained either through measurement or modeling. The device cascaded with the circuits is measured to obtain values for the cascaded S-parameter matrix, permitting use of a general solution for the device S-parameter matrix as a function of the adapter T-parameter matrix and the cascaded S-parameter matrix.

Abstract: A method of predicting electrical behavior of a device comprises the steps of representing at least one balanced matching network having a balanced input port and a balanced output port and further representing a connection between the matching network an a balanced output port and a balanced input port of a device. A matching network S-parameter matrix is calculated and a device S-parameter matrix is obtained either through a measurement or from a model. A cascaded S-parameter matrix for the matching network in combination with the device is calculated, and from the resulting cascaded S-parameter matrix, a mixed-mode cascaded S-parameters may be extracted. The mixed-mode cascaded S-parameters assist a designer in predicting and analyzing the electrical behavior of the differential and single-ended ports as well as the electrical interaction therebetween.

Abstract: A method, apparatus and article of manufacture to aid in the characterization of a device establishes a device S-parameter matrix (SD) to represent electrical behavior of the device, an adapter T-parameter matrix (Ta) to represent all possible electrical paths through circuits to all device ports of the device, and a cascaded S-parameter matrix (Sc) to represent the circuits cascaded with the device. Values for the adapter T-parameter matrix are obtained either through measurement or modeling. The device cascaded with the circuits is measured to obtain values for the cascaded S-parameter matrix, permitting use of a general solution for the device S-parameter matrix as a function of the adapter T-parameter matrix and the cascaded S-parameter matrix.

Abstract: A method of calibrating a measurement path of a vector network analyzer having at least two reference receivers, and a total of 2N measurement ports, where N is an integer comprises the steps of presenting a high reflect calibration standard at each measurement port and measuring a reflection characteristic for each measurement port. The method further comprises the steps of presenting a line calibration standard and a through calibration standard is presented between N direct pairs of the measurement ports and measuring reflection and transmission responses to each standard. From these measurements, the method calculates directivity, source match, and reflection tracking error coefficients for each one of the measurement ports.