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, 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: 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.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for characterizing a device under test (“DUT”) calibrates a multiport test set and measures S-parameters [S] of the DUT. The method and apparatus further involves determining elements of a scalar orthogonal matrix [M] corresponding to terminals of the DUT and DUT modes of operation. The scalar orthogonal matrix [M] comprises a row of elements representing a single-ended terminal of the DUT, and four rows of elements representing a balanced terminal of the DUT. The S-parameters of the DUT are then transformed into mixed-mode S-parameters [Smm] according to Smm=MSM−1. A method of and apparatus for characterizing a DUT involves calibrating a multiport test set, coupling the DUT to the multiport test set, and measuring S-parameters of the DUT. The S-parameters are converted to a time domain representation and at least one of the S-parameters is convolved with a simulated input signal to generate an output response.

Abstract: One embodiment of the invention comprises a multiport test set that characterizes a multiterminal DUT. The multiport test set comprises a plurality of ports, a signal generator that provides a test signal over a frequency range, a reference receiver coupled to the signal generator that measures the test signal to determine a reference value, and at least one test channel receiver that measures the test signal at each port of the multiport test set. The multiport test set further comprises a switching device, coupled between the signal generator, the plurality of ports of the multiport test set and the at least one test channel receiver, that couples the test signal to any port of the multiport test set and to the at least one test channel receiver.