Uncertainty of the measurement of the frequency dependence of four-terminal pair capacitance with a four-channel vector network analyzer

Published

March 31, 2025

Author(s)

Stephan Schlamminger, Andrew Koffman, Yicheng Wang

Abstract

We recently overhauled the calibration service for the frequency dependence of four-terminal pair air capacitors provided by the National Institute of Standards and Technology to its customers. In the past, the calibration was performed with a dual-channel vector network analyzer, requiring eight different connections to the standard with a rigid 7 mm microwave line. The new method streamlines the measurement, as each standard can be measured by simply connecting four coaxial lines between it and a four-channel network analyzer. Here, we discus the uncertainty budget of this new procedure. We found that due to the four-terminal pair definition, the measurement is far less dependent on the connectors and the uncertainty in individual scattering parameters than one would assume.

Citation

Metrologia

Pub Type

Journals

Download Paper

https://doi.org/10.1088/1681-7575/adc39e

Local Download

Keywords

Air capacitors, calibration, four-terminal pair, frequency dependence, impedance measurement

Citation

Schlamminger, S. , Koffman, A. and Wang, Y. (2025), Uncertainty of the measurement of the frequency dependence of four-terminal pair capacitance with a four-channel vector network analyzer, Metrologia, [online], https://doi.org/10.1088/1681-7575/adc39e, https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=959068 (Accessed October 13, 2025)