Introduction to RF

measurements and
instrumentation

Daniel Valuch, CERN BE/RF, daniel.valuch@cern.ch

 Content
• RF power measurement
• Spectrum analyzers
• Vector network analyzers

3/15/2018 Document reference 2

RF power measurement
• Most popular methods to measure the RF power
• Diode envelope detection:
Most common, large dynamic
range, suitable for constant
signals

• Thermal: Very accurate, limited

dynamic range, ideal for
complex modulated signals

• Electronic receivers: Most

complex, suitable for fast,
pulsed signals

Introduction to RF measurements and instrumentation

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Daniel Valuch CERN BE/RF (daniel.Valuch@cern.ch)
RF power measurement
• How to read specifications of a power sensor

Frequency range: Power/dynamic range: External trigger and

Diode sensors ~10MHz Minimum and maximum interface:
Thermal sensors DC power for your application. Synchronized acquisition,
Pulsed sensors 50-100MHz Values change typ. factor USB interface, ethernet…
1000+ between room
temperature and
superconducting state
Introduction to RF measurements and instrumentation
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Daniel Valuch CERN BE/RF (daniel.Valuch@cern.ch)
RF power measurement
• How to use a RF power meter

1. Set the frequency

2. Zero the offset

3. Connect sensor
to the signal
source

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Daniel Valuch CERN BE/RF (daniel.Valuch@cern.ch)
RF power measurement

Chose the desired measurement unit If measuring through couplers/

attenuators etc. set-up the offset for
direct reading of the source power
value, instead of measured power
value

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Daniel Valuch CERN BE/RF (daniel.Valuch@cern.ch)
RF power measurement
• Some comments:
• The reading is noisier at the bottom of the dynamic range
• The power sensor really burns when overloaded (very
costly to repair)
• Sensors have optimized dynamic range for type of
measurements they do (very accurate, very fast, RMS…)
• Sensors and instruments need certain time to measure a data
point, be careful with automation
• Decide what to buy based on how are you going to use the
instrument: Table top, USB sensor, Ethernet sensor…

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Daniel Valuch CERN BE/RF (daniel.Valuch@cern.ch)
Spectrum analyzer
• Spectrum analyser is a device, which measures
frequency content of a signal.

Introduction to RF measurements and instrumentation

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Daniel Valuch CERN BE/RF (daniel.Valuch@cern.ch)
Spectrum analyser user interface
Amplitude

Frequency

Introduction to RF measurements and instrumentation

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Daniel Valuch CERN BE/RF (daniel.Valuch@cern.ch)
 Spectrum analyser user interface

X axis, frequency span: Span

Center frequency: Center

Start Stop

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Daniel Valuch CERN BE/RF (daniel.Valuch@cern.ch)
Spectrum analyser user interface

Y axis, 1 square (/division)

Y axis, full scale 10 square

Set by: Amplitude/scale

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Daniel Valuch CERN BE/RF (daniel.Valuch@cern.ch)
Spectrum analyser user interface

Other important settings

Introduction to RF measurements and instrumentation

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Daniel Valuch CERN BE/RF (daniel.Valuch@cern.ch)
Spectrum analyser user interface

Introduction to RF measurements and instrumentation

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Daniel Valuch CERN BE/RF (daniel.Valuch@cern.ch)
Spectrum analyzer user interface

Introduction to RF measurements and instrumentation

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Daniel Valuch CERN BE/RF (daniel.Valuch@cern.ch)
Spectrum analyzer user interface

Frequency
and
Screen + Soft keys amplitude Markers
and
advanced

RF input

Introduction to RF measurements and instrumentation

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Daniel Valuch CERN BE/RF (daniel.Valuch@cern.ch)
Spectrum analyser user interface

Introduction to RF measurements and instrumentation

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Daniel Valuch CERN BE/RF (daniel.Valuch@cern.ch)
Spectrum analyser user interface
Frequency Markers
and and
amplitude advanced
Screen + Soft keys

RF and IF inputs

Introduction to RF measurements and instrumentation

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Daniel Valuch CERN BE/RF (daniel.Valuch@cern.ch)
• IF detector bandwidth – resolution bandwidth

• Receiver signal Sweep time Resolution bandwidth

bandwidth prior the
power detector

• IF/resolution bandwidth
defines the
measurement noise floor
AND how close two
different signals can be
in order to still distinguish
them
Noise floor

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Different
Daniel Valuch CERN BE/RF (daniel.Valuch@cern.ch) signals
• IF detector bandwidth – resolution bandwidth

• Receiver signal
bandwidth prior the
power detector

• IF/resolution bandwidth
defines the
measurement noise floor
AND how close two
different signals can be
in order to still distinguish
them

Introduction to RF measurements and instrumentation

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Daniel Valuch CERN BE/RF (daniel.Valuch@cern.ch)
Real time spectrum analyzer

Introduction to RF measurements and instrumentation

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Daniel Valuch CERN BE/RF (daniel.Valuch@cern.ch)
Signal demodulation by s.a.

Introduction to RF measurements and instrumentation

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Daniel Valuch CERN BE/RF (daniel.Valuch@cern.ch)
Modern spectrum analysers

Introduction to RF measurements and instrumentation

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Daniel Valuch CERN BE/RF (daniel.Valuch@cern.ch)
Vector network analyser
• Vector network analyser is a device, which excites a RF
network and measures a response from its ports. All
signals are measured as phasors.

If we know RFL and FWD If we know TRN and FWD

we can calculate: we can calculate:
• VSWR • Gain, attenuation
• S-parameters S11, S12 • S-parameters S21, S22
• Reflection coefficient G • Transmission coefficient T
• Impedance R+jX • Group delay
• Admitance Y+jB • Phase shift
• Input matching

Introduction to RF measurements and instrumentation

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Daniel Valuch CERN BE/RF (daniel.Valuch@cern.ch)
Vector network analyser

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Daniel Valuch CERN BE/RF (daniel.Valuch@cern.ch)
Vector network analyser
• How does the VNA measure?
• Send signal from port 1 and measure the response at port 1
and port 2
R A

Port 1
~ DUT

Port 2

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Daniel Valuch CERN BE/RF (daniel.Valuch@cern.ch)
Vector network analyser
• How does the VNA measure?
• Send signal from port 1 and measure response at port 1 and
port 2
R A

S11=A-/R

Port 1
~ DUT

Port 2

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Daniel Valuch CERN BE/RF (daniel.Valuch@cern.ch)
Vector network analyser
• How does the VNA measure?
• Send signal from port 1 and measure response at port 1 and
port 2
R A

Port 1
~ DUT

Port 2

S21=B-/A+
B

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Daniel Valuch CERN BE/RF (daniel.Valuch@cern.ch)
VNA user interface

Menu bar

X Axis, typ. Frequency

Start/stop
Center/span

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Daniel Valuch CERN BE/RF (daniel.Valuch@cern.ch)
VNA user interface

Y axis, measured
parameter

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Daniel Valuch CERN BE/RF (daniel.Valuch@cern.ch)
VNA user interface

Instrument status,
calibration, reference etc.

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Daniel Valuch CERN BE/RF (daniel.Valuch@cern.ch)
VNA user interface

Calculation of a derived
parameter using the
measured trace

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Daniel Valuch CERN BE/RF (daniel.Valuch@cern.ch)
Setting up process…

Super important for high-Q

device measurements

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Daniel Valuch CERN BE/RF (daniel.Valuch@cern.ch)
Few notes on IF bandwidth
• VNA uses a super-heterodyne receivers to
measure the RF signals

• Same noise handling procedures as for the

spectrum analyser apply

Introduction to RF measurements and instrumentation

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Daniel Valuch CERN BE/RF (daniel.Valuch@cern.ch)
IF (detector) bandwidth
• Bandpass filter measurement, fc=1GHz

IF bandwidth 100kHz

Introduction to RF measurements and instrumentation

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Daniel Valuch CERN BE/RF (daniel.Valuch@cern.ch)
IF (detector) bandwidth
• Bandpass filter measurement, fc=1GHz

IF bandwidth 10kHz

Introduction to RF measurements and instrumentation

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Daniel Valuch CERN BE/RF (daniel.Valuch@cern.ch)
IF (detector) bandwidth
• Bandpass filter measurement, fc=1GHz

IF bandwidth 1kHz

Introduction to RF measurements and instrumentation

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Daniel Valuch CERN BE/RF (daniel.Valuch@cern.ch)
IF (detector) bandwidth
• Bandpass filter measurement, fc=1GHz

IF bandwidth 100Hz

Introduction to RF measurements and instrumentation

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Daniel Valuch CERN BE/RF (daniel.Valuch@cern.ch)
IF (detector) bandwidth
• Bandpass filter measurement, fc=1GHz

IF bandwidth 10Hz

Noise floor for IFBW=100kHz

Noise floor for IFBW=10Hz

Introduction to RF measurements and instrumentation

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Daniel Valuch CERN BE/RF (daniel.Valuch@cern.ch)
IF (detector) bandwidth
• Bandpass filter measurement, fc=1GHz

IF bandwidth 10Hz
Plus averaging

Introduction to RF measurements and instrumentation

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Daniel Valuch CERN BE/RF (daniel.Valuch@cern.ch)
Measurement errors and calibration

verydemotivational.com
• The instrument always
shows some curves…

• …but in 99% cases this is

not what you want to
measure

Introduction to RF measurements and instrumentation

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Daniel Valuch CERN BE/RF (daniel.Valuch@cern.ch)
Measurement errors and calibration
• “Hello Daniel, this is Nikolai. We are trying to
measure the 1.3GHz superconducting cavity
but the instrument shows something strange…”

Introduction to RF measurements and instrumentation

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Daniel Valuch CERN BE/RF (daniel.Valuch@cern.ch)
Measurement errors and calibration
• We work in the RF domain

• The instrument measures our DUT

• …but also everything around (cables,
connectors, adapters, spurious reflections etc.)
• …and the instrument is sensitive to temporal
alignment of the signals as well
• …finally the instrument also measures himself

Introduction to RF measurements and instrumentation

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Daniel Valuch CERN BE/RF (daniel.Valuch@cern.ch)
Measurement errors and calibration
• All networks which connect DUT to the
instrument introduce static systematic errors

• We can measure them and mathematically de-

embed them from the measurement

• This process is called Calibration

Introduction to RF measurements and instrumentation

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Daniel Valuch CERN BE/RF (daniel.Valuch@cern.ch)
Measurement errors and calibration
• All networks which connect DUT to the
instrument introduce static systematic errors

• We can measure them and mathematically de-

embed them from the measurement

• This process is called Calibration

Introduction to RF measurements and instrumentation

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Daniel Valuch CERN BE/RF (daniel.Valuch@cern.ch)
Measurement errors and calibration
• Directional coupler measurement without and
with full calibration

Without calibration Full calibration

Calibration process
• 3 standards: Open, Short, Load + Thru

Introduction to RF measurements and instrumentation

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Daniel Valuch CERN BE/RF (daniel.Valuch@cern.ch)
Thank you for your attention
Thank you for your attention

After the break: hands on part

Introduction to RF measurements and instrumentation

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Daniel Valuch CERN BE/RF (daniel.Valuch@cern.ch)