Patent ID: 6839657

Claim:
A method of characterizing non-linear behavior of a device under test, said device having input and output signal ports, wherein said method comprises the steps of: exciting said device by an RF signal under different load conditions; measuring signal data at said input and output ports of said device; verifying whether said measurement data meet predetermined quality criteria; calculating, from said measurement data, model parameters of a predetermined mathematical characterization model for characterizing said non-linear behavior of said device, wherein said calculating said model parameters comprises substituting said measurement data in said predetermined mathematical characterization model and solving an overdetermined set of equations; and verifying assumptions made in said predetermined mathematical characterization model by collecting additional measurement data and comparing same with data calculated from said predetermined mathematical characterization model using said model parameters, wherein said load conditions are obtained by connecting to said output port of said device: (a) a matched load; (b) an open; (c) a short, and (d) repeating steps (a) through (c) by connecting said loads using a plurality of attenuators and a plurality of delays.