Calibration Apparatus And Calibrating Cross-Frequency Phases Of Large-Signal Network Analyzer Measurements

patent description

(1) Disclosed is a calibration apparatus for calibrating cross-frequency phases of large-signal network analyzer measurements, the calibration system comprising: a signal generator that produces a calibration signal and a reference multitone signal; a vector network analyzer in communication with the signal generator and comprising a forward coupler, a reverse coupler, a forward coupled receiver, a reverse coupled receiver, and a reference receiver and that receives the calibration signal and the reference multitone signal from the signal generator; the forward coupler in communication with the signal generator and that receives the calibration signal from the signal generator and produces a forward coupled signal from the calibration signal; the forward coupled receiver in communication with the forward coupler and that receives the forward coupled signal from the forward coupler and produces a forward digitized signal from the forward coupled signal; the reverse coupler in communication with the signal generator and that receives the calibration signal from the signal generator and produces a reverse coupled signal from the calibration signal; the reverse coupled receiver in communication with the reverse coupler and that receives the reverse coupled signal from the reverse coupler and produces a reverse digitized signal from the reverse coupled signal; the reference receiver in communication with the signal generator and that receives the reference multitone signal from the signal generator and produces a reference digitized signal from the reference multitone signal; a calibration receiver in communication with the signal generator and the vector network analyzer and that receives the calibration signal from the vector network analyzer and produces a digitized calibration temporal signal from the calibration signal; and a signal processor in communication with the signal generator and the vector network analyzer and that: receives the reference digitized signal from the reference receiver; receives the forward digitized signal from the forward coupled receiver; receives the reverse digitized signal from the reverse coupled receiver; receives the digitized calibration temporal signal from the calibration receiver; and produces a calibration factor from the reference digitized signal, the forward digitized signal, the reverse digitized signal, and the digitized calibration temporal signal.

(2) Disclosed is a process for calibrating cross-frequency phases of large-signal network analyzer measurements, the process comprising: producing, by a signal generator, a calibration signal and a reference multitone signal; a vector network analyzer in communication with the signal generator and comprising a forward coupler, a reverse coupler, a forward coupled receiver, a reverse coupled receiver, and a reference receiver and that receives the calibration signal and the reference multitone signal from the signal generator; receiving, by a forward coupler of a vector network analyzer, the calibration signal from the signal generator; producing, by the forward coupler, a forward coupled signal from the calibration signal; receiving, by a forward coupled receiver of the vector network analyzer, the forward coupled signal from the forward coupler; producing, by the forward coupled receiver, a forward digitized signal from the forward coupled signal; receiving, by a reverse coupler of the vector network analyzer, the calibration signal from the signal generator; producing, by the reverse coupler, a reverse coupled signal from the calibration signal; receiving, by a reverse coupled receiver of the vector network analyzer, the reverse coupled signal from the reverse coupler; producing, by the reverse coupled receiver, a reverse digitized signal from the reverse coupled signal; receiving, by a reference receiver of the vector network analyzer, the reference multitone signal from the signal generator; producing, by the reference receiver, a reference digitized signal from the reference multitone signal; receiving, by a calibration receiver, the calibration signal from the vector network analyzer; producing, by the calibration receiver, a digitized calibration temporal signal from the calibration signal; and receiving, by a signal processor, the reference digitized signal from the reference receiver; receiving, by the signal processor, the forward digitized signal from the forward coupled receiver; receiving, by the signal processor, the reverse digitized signal from the reverse coupled receiver; receiving, by the signal processor, the digitized calibration temporal signal from the calibration receiver; and producing, by the signal processor, a calibration factor from the reference digitized signal, the forward digitized signal, the reverse digitized signal, and the digitized calibration temporal signal to calibrate the cross-frequency phases of large-signal network analyzer measurements.