NONLINEAR APPLICATIONS USINGROHDE & SCHWARZ VECTOR NETWORKANALYZERS

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HYBRID LOAD PULL AND BEHAVIORALMODELING WITH R&S®ZNA AND R&S®ZVA
Hybrid active load pull combines the benefits of passive
as well as active load pull techniques in one setup. Active
load pull is the only method that allows the extremely low
internal impedance of power transistors to be reached, especially when the measurement reference plane is far fromthe tuner reference plane and at high frequencies.
The system relies on the basic concept of using a passive
electromechanical tuner as a prematch to get closer to thedevice’s conjugate output impedance. By adding active injection, the system can tune impedances anywhere in theSmith chart and beyond (≥ 1). The measurements themselves are wave quantity based, and are performed using
an R&S®ZNA/ZVA vector network analyzer. With the introduction of prematching tuners, the feedback injection signal power remains close to the DUT output power not onlyat the fundamental frequency but also at the very important harmonic frequencies. In purely active systems, thepower amplifier has to produce very high power (up to 20times the DUT power) to compensate for the strong mismatch between the impedance of the feedback injection
amplifier (50 Ω) and the DUT internal impedance (0.5 Ω to1 Ω).

The R&S®ZNA/ZVA hardware platform with up to four independent vector signal sources and two independent
receivers per test port is ideal for not only fundamental
but also hybrid harmonic load pull. For these applications,
up to four source signals are DDS generated which provide full control of the phase of each source signal. TheR&S®ZNA/ZVA architecture leverages Focus Microwaves’
all-in-one MPT for simple and scalable advanced load pull
setups. Focus’ Delta series of tuners enables a direct connection between the probe tip and the tuner, eliminating
all possible insertion loss between the DUT and the tuner.
A key benefit of the Delta tuner setups is the shortenedelectrical delay, resulting in reduced impedance skew for
modulated signals. Legacy high frequency setups sufferfrom significant impedance skews due to the long electrical delay caused by the low-loss cable inserted between
the tuner and DUT. The Delta tuner drastically reduces thisskew, making wideband modulated load pull possible withpassive tuners.

¸ZNA
vector network analyzer

10 dB
attenuator

10 dB/20 dB
attenuator

DCDCRFRF
RF probe

RF probe
DUT2

WIDEBAND NOISE PARAMETEREXTRACTION WITH THE R&S®ZNA
Focus Microwaves’ noise parameter extraction uses thecold-source noise measurement method. This techniquerequires a noise source to determine the gain-bandwidthconstant (kBG) of the noise receiver, and a passive mechanical tuner to characterize the noise receiver acrossboth the impedance and frequency space. Using a Focus
Microwaves wideband tuner and advanced characterization software, the user can extract the four noise parameters in a single sweep.

For millimeterwave applications, an RF downconversion
stage might be required if the noise measurement frequency exceeds the receiver’s measurement bandwidth.
Focus Microwaves offers noise modules that include
appropriate downconversion for such high frequency
measurements.
The Focus Microwaves system supports all network analyzers of the R&S®ZNA family and all Rohde & Schwarz
spectrum analyzers capable of noise figure (NF)
measurements.
Another unique advantage of Focus noise ­measurement
solutions is their broadband passive tuners, which cover afrequency range of 1 GHz to 50 GHz in a s­ ingle tuner.

¸ZNA
vector network analyzer¸FSW
spectrum analyzer+ –DC power supply

CCMTtuner
Aurigabias tee

INM
Noisesource

RF probe

RF probe
DUT

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ONM

Rohde & Schwarz Nonlinear applications using Rohde & Schwarz vector network analyzers 3PULSED IV AND COMPACT MODELINGWITH THE R&S®ZNA AND R&S®ZNBThe R&S®ZNA and R&S®ZNB vector network analyzers
combine high dynamic range, repeatable raw data, hightemperature stability and fast synthesizers. One setup for
pulsed IV and compact modeling based on the R&S®ZNB
vector network analyzer is shown below.

Focus Microwaves has developed its own compact modeling capabilities (FCM). This integrated system enables
complete DC and RF characterization, extraction and modeling of a semiconductor device such as a GaAs or GaN
HEMT. The generated model can predict both the linear
and non­linear performance of these devices.

Additionally, the R&S®ZNA includes RF pulse modulatorsand pulse generators. This combination makes this analyzer ideally suited for pulsed IV, pulsed S-parameter andpulsed load pull applications.
¸ZNB
vector network analyzer

DC power supply+ –Auriga mainframe

Auriga gate pulser

Auriga drain pulser

DUT

Aurigabias tee

Focus Microwaves manufactures electromechanical impedance tun-Contact:ers from 10 MHz to 110 GHz in coaxial and up to 170 GHz in wave-

Focus Microwaves Inc.

guide, focusing on a high VSWR (> 100:1), multi-harmonic (2fo, 3fo,Head Office4fo) and high power (500 W) for:+1 514 684 4554►

Designing power and low-noise amplifiers

info@focus-microwaves.com►

Improving mobile phone performance

1603 Boul Saint Régis, Dollard-des-Ormeaux, QC H9B 3H7, Canada►

Validating transistor large-signal models►

Optimizing transistor technology

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www.rohde-schwarz.com
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R&S® is a registered trademark of Rohde & Schwarz GmbH & Co. KG
Trade names are trademarks of the owners
PD 3608.5335.32 | Version 01.00 | December 2020 (sk)Nonlinear applications using Rohde & Schwarz vector network analyzers
Data without tolerance limits is not binding | Subject to change© 2020 Rohde & Schwarz GmbH & Co. KG | 81671 Munich, Germany

3608.5335.32 01.00 PDP/PDW 1 en

3608533532

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