Evaluation Engineering - 8

VECTOR NETWORK ANALYZERS

A second internal local oscillator source
speeds up mixer measurements or can
be used as an additional source-for
example, as the LO (up to 26.5 GHz) for
the mixer under test. High power accuracy with extremely short control times
is achieved with the R&S ZNA digital
automatic level control (ALC), even in
combination with external test setups."
He continued, "The R&S ZNBT40 is a
turn-key solution for measurements up to
40 GHz that provides unparalleled measurement accuracy up to 24 ports and
under high power requirements."
"All our VNAs are USB-based," commented Pemmaiah at Copper Mountain
Technologies. "This form factor separates
the measurement module (which is the
VNA) from the processing module (a
PC), thereby providing advantages such
as compact size, flexibility, and security
as well as automation support and speed.
The compact size of the analyzers makes
for a much smaller and lighter instrument, which increases options for testing."
The company supports both Windows
and Linux. "The VNA application can be
run from larger desktop computers to
smaller board computers," Pemmaiah
said. "The ability from the USB formfactor
to use newer computers offers engineers
larger storage space and eliminates the
need for data purging or hard-drive removal in secure environments." A test-automation program and the VNA application
can run on the same computer, which can
improve the overall measurement speed,
he said, adding, "Our engineering team is
available to support users with automation scripts at all times. In addition, the
superior internal wideband coupler design
and the advanced DSP+FPGA processors
have helped achieve wide dynamic range
and fast measurement speed."
Denker said MegiQ offers small formfactor, low-priced lab-grade VNAs with
color-guided calibration on the front panel,
a built-in matching-circuit calculator and
simulator, and built-in bias-T and bias voltage/current generator (to allow for parametric measurements). He added that the
VNAs are optimized for IoT development
workflow and provide for easy to store/recall full measurements and setup as well
as readable (noncryptic) graphic reports.

8

EVALUATION ENGINEERING JANUARY 2020

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Mark Ashcroft, RF business development manager, Pico Technology, said
that despite several recent new entrants
in the USB-controlled VNA space, "The
PicoVNAs continue to hold the leading
low price, high-performance position. The
PicoVNAs are full-function professional
metrology instruments that will typically match or exceed the measurement
accuracy of all other 6-GHz VNAs on the
market. It is not lost upon educationalists
and lab or test managers that this powerful combination of low cost and high
capability presents the opportunity for
every student or engineer to now have a
VNA each. How long have we all waited
for that? In industry, let alone education!"
According to Chonko at SIGLENT, "The
SVA Series incorporates a novel design
that enables a number of operation modes
that can be used to troubleshoot a number of common RF/broadcast issues." The
instrument includes a spectrum-analyzer
mode for monitoring transmitters and interference investigations, a VNA mode for
RF device and cable characterization, an
optional distance-to-fault mode for cableintegrity tests, and optional digital demodulation with I/Q demod. "The instrument also features a 10-in. touchscreen
with up to four-trace overlay, USB mouse/
keyboard support, and onboard web control for remote operations and monitoring
without programming," he said.
"The Bode 100 is unique in its combination of capability, ease of use, and price
point," said Sandler at Picotest. "Priced at
$5,400, it is almost one-third the cost of
its nearest major competitor with significantly more features. It is the only VNA
that natively includes our unique NISM
noninvasive stability software."

VNA trends
"Continuation into the mmWave frequencies for fundamental communication
bands is a major trend, as is the continued requirement for device characterization beyond 110 GHz for accurate device
modeling and simulation," said Reyes at
Anritsu. "Another trend is the integration of subsystems into wafers with advancements in wafer composition, thus
requiring in situ on-wafer calibration and
measurement."

"As devices for RF applications become more highly integrated, complete
characterization requires more than
passive S-parameters," said Campbell at
Keysight. Customers may have to perform active parameter measurements
to accurately characterize gain vs. traditional S-parameters, as well as spectrum analysis, pulsed measurements,
and noise-figure measurements, he said,
adding, "We expect to see more customers
streamlining their workflows by performing multiple types of measurements with
their network analyzers."
"As devices get more compact and
complex, the higher number of ports
and operating frequencies are driving
more test-time reductions," commented
Pieciak at Rohde & Schwarz. "Having the
ability to perform a suite of tests that fully
characterizes a device with minimal setup increases test yields and drives down
recurring test costs."
Copper Mountain Technologies has
seen an increase in demand for portable handheld VNAs that support material measurement applications, said
Pemmaiah. "5G has pivoted the need for
analyzers capable of characterizing components in the mmWave frequencies," he
said. "This has also increased the necessity of characterizing the material dielectric properties. The compactness and the
portability of some of Copper Mountain
Technologies' VNAs have paved way to
use the analyzers on a robotic arm, to
mount it on a drone for remote measurements, and even send it in space."
"The IoT market is booming," said
Denker at MegiQ. Consequently, many
engineers are faced with implementing
RF circuits and antennas-tasks they are
not necessarily trained to do. "Engineers
need no-nonsense, easy-to-use VNAs to
start developing wireless applications,"
Denker emphasized.
Chonko also cited the IoT and a trend
on the low end of the spectrum toward
increasing capabilities at lower price
points. "Ten years ago, there were
almost no options for low-cost
VNAs," he said. "You had to settle for a used unit or pay $20k
or more for a basic instrument.
That has changed dramatically in
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Evaluation Engineering

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