The present invention is an adaptable pre-matched tuner system and calibration method for measuring reflection factors above Γ=0.85 for a DUT. The system includes a first and second large-band microwave tuners connected in series, the first and second large-band tuners being mechanically and electronically integrated; and a controller for controlling the two large-band tuners. The first tuner is adapted to act as a pre-matching tuner and the second tuner is adapted to investigate an area of a Smith Chart that is difficult to characterise with a single tuner, so that the combination of the first and second large-band tuners permits the measurement of reflection factors above Γ=0.85. The pre-matched tuner system allows the generation of a very high reflection factor at any point of the reflection factor plane (Smith Chart). The pre-matched tuner must be properly calibrated, such as to be able to concentrate the search for optimum performance of the DUT in the exact location of the reflection factor plane where the DUT performs best, using a pre-search algorithm.
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1. An electro-mechanical microwave tuner comprising a slotted transmission airline, in which two, similar or equal in size, metallic microwave probes are moved in, out and along the slotted airline by means of electrical remote control, in which the microwave probes can be inserted individually into the slot of the airline in such a way as for the physical vertical distance between each probe and the center conductor of the airline to be remotely adjustable from a maximum of at least two times the diameter of the center conductor of the airline to a minimum of zero, said minimum distance corresponding to physical contact between the probe and the center conductor maximum electric field before Corona discharge and in which the physical horizontal position of each microwave probe is adjustable independently, from a minimum of zero to a maximum of one half of a wavelength at the lowest frequency of operation.
2. An electromechanical microwave tuner as in
3. An electromechanical microwave tuner as in
4. An electromechanical microwave tuner as in
5. A calibration method for electromechanical microwave tuners as in
a) withdrawing vertically the metallic microwave probes of the prematching and the tuning sections out of the slabline (initializing);
b) measuring and saving in memory the S-parameters of the initialized tuner;
c) measuring the S-parameters of the tuner at a number of horizontal and vertical positions of the tuning microwave probe of the tuning section and de-embedding the S-parameter matrix of the initialized tuner;
d) saving the resulting S-parameters of the tuning section probe in a calibration data file;
e) withdrawing the tuning microwave probe of the tuning section from the slabline;
f) measuring the S-parameters of the tuner at a number of horizontal and vertical positions of the prematching microwave probe of the prematching section;
g) saving the S-parameters of the pre-matching section probe in another calibration data file;
h) retrieving the S-parameters from the said individual calibration files and cascading them, in order to generate whereby generating the calibration data for the overall pre-matched tuner for any combination of horizontal and vertical positions of either microwave probe.
6. A calibration method for electro-mechanical microwave tuners as in
a) inserting the said tuner in a load pull measurement setup either as input tuner or as output tuner;
b) withdrawing vertically both metallic microwave probes from the slabline of the said tuner;
c) using manual remote control to position the pre-match metallic microwave probe of the pre-matching section of the said tuner in order to optimize the matching conditions for maximum output power or gain or other parameter of a device under test, measured in the said load pull setup;
d) removing the said tuner from the load pull setup and connecting it to the test ports of a vector network analyzer, without changing the position of the pre-matching probe, as determined in the procedure of
e) measuring the S-parameters of the said tuner at a number of horizontal and vertical positions of the microwave tuning probe of the tuning section;
f) saving the measured S-parameter matrix in a calibration data file.
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This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/186,203 filed Mar. 1, 2000, which is incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention relates to an adaptable pre-matched tuner system and method, and more particularly to such a system to be used in load-pull set-ups for the measurement, characterisation and testing of RF or microwave devices. It is particularly useful when devices presenting very high reflection factors have to be measured, such as high-power, low impedance transistors, diodes and MMICs, especially when operated in saturated mode.
Traditional large-band microwave tuners have been used for some time already to synthesize impedances within RF/microwave measurement set-ups. Their capability of synthesizing high reflection loads is however somewhat limited, which makes that in practice they cannot be used reliably when characterising the high-power, low-impedance devices that have appeared in the market during the recent years.
These limitations are mainly of two natures:
a) Power Limitations
In active tuners, the maximum handling capability is determined by the characteristics of the active circuitry inside, and is generally extremely low, usually below 1 Ampere.
In electromechanical tuners, the maximum handling capability is related to the connector current handling capability, as, at high reflection factors, very high currents are generated. Also, voltage limitations are also an issue as corona discharges can take place between the tuning slug and the central conductor at impedances at which the gap between the two becomes very small.
b) Accuracy Limitations
Even when power limitations are not a factor, traditional tuners, especially electromechanical ones, cannot generate, characterise and reproduce, accurately and consistently, reflection factors higher than approximately 0.90. Also, network analysers, which in some cases constitute an integral part of the calibration set-up, become less and less accurate when very high reflection factor loads (Γ≧0.95) are to be measured.
To overcome these inherent difficulties of traditional large-band tuners, a solution has already been proposed: an impedance transformer can be introduced between the DUT and the tuner (see
In fact, impedance transformers can be of different types, but up to now the ones that have been described in the literature are λ/4 transmission lines, used when microstrip or stripline devices mounted on a test-jig have to be characterised, and pre-matching probes, when on-wafer measurements need to be performed.
These impedance transformers do sometimes work, but they are not always practical: they are inherently narrowband, they involve significant additional ohmic losses along the measurement set-up signal path and they cannot be adjusted. This means that a long and complicated trial-and-error process has to take place whenever a new device has to be characterised, or even when the measurement frequency is changed. Also, in practice, no phase control is possible. Finally, λ/4 transmission lines might also prove cumbersome to implement because, for lower frequencies (<500 MHz) and larger transformation ratios (more than 4:1), transmission lines become extremely long and wide.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an adaptable pre-matched tuner system and calibration method which resolves the above-noted deficiencies in the prior art. In accordance with the invention, this object is achieved with an adaptable pre-matched tuner system for measuring reflection factors above Γ=0.85 for a DUT, comprising a first and second large-band microwave tuners connected in series, said first and second large-band tuners being mechanically and electronically integrated; and a controller for controlling the two large-band tuners. The first tuner is adapted to act as a pre-matching tuner and the second tuner is adapted to investigate an area of a Smith Chart that is difficult to characterise with a single tuner, so that the combination of the first and second large-band tuners permits the measurement of reflection factors above Γ=0.85.
The pre-matched tuner system allows the generation of a very high reflection factor at any point of the reflection factor plane (Smith Chart). The pre-matched tuner must be properly calibrated, such as to be able to concentrate the search for optimum performance of the DUT in the exact location of the reflection factor plane where the DUT performs best, using a pre-search algorithm.
The present invention and its advantages will be more easily understood after reading the following non-restrictive description of preferred embodiments thereof, made with reference to the following drawings in which:
The present invention concerns a microwave tuner, which is capable of reliably and consistently synthesizing extremely large ranges of loads (0 ≦Γ≦0.995), with phases which can be chosen arbitrarily.
The tuner of the present invention comprises the following fundamental elements integrated in a single system:
The proposed solution consists in integrating within the same housing the mechanics and the electronics of two traditional electromechanic large-band tuners mounted in a cascaded configuration. By properly adjusting the first tuner, it can be made to actually act as an impedance transformer, effectively replacing the λ/4 transmission lines or the prematching probe of the prior art. The second tuner is thus able to operate within a Smith Chart region in which it functions accurately without being submitted to excessive current loads. As a common controller controls both tuners, calibration and control can be performed precisely and in a repeatable fashion.
In fact, there are several benefits to the use of a large-band electromechanical tuner for prematching purposes instead of a λ/4 transmission line or a pre-matching probe. The most important are:
Consequently, referring now to the appended Figures, the system of the present invention comprises, as mentioned previously, two cascaded large-band tuners.
As is usual, each of the tuners includes vertical displacement motors 13 for the slugs 11, horizontal displacement motors 15 for the slugs and an electronic module 17 for driving the motors and interfacing with a controller 19. The invention provides, in a preferred embodiment thereof, for the integration of the motors 13, 15 and the electronic module 17 into a single housing.
The controller 19 controls the displacement of the tuning slugs 11, and records data related to the tuners. The controller 19 is preferably connected to the pre-matched tuners 10 through a bus 21. Connectors 23 are provided for connecting the tuners 10 to other equipment in the set-up.
Essentially, the present invention permits characterisation of DUTs 30 in regions which are traditionally not covered in typical set-ups, either due to the magnitude of the reflection factors, or due to the magnitude of the power.
An alternative example of the benefits of the present invention is shown in
However, in order to reach this area, the tuners must be pre-matched, i.e. properly calibrated.
Unlike when one tuner is used, by using two tuners there is an infinite combination of adjustments that would allow the synthesis of a specific impedance (see
Furthermore, when optimums in DUT output power, noise, or any other performance characteristic need to be found, the method according to the present invention permits, always using calibration information, to select the best possible path. For instance, if noise is the parameter that requires to be measured, the method of the present invention will look for minima, instead of maxima.
There are a number of solutions that can be implemented for calibrating the set-up of the present invention.
Referring now to
However, although straightforward, this technique does have potential disadvantages. In reality, since the system according to the present invention includes two independent tuners, the combined calibration time may be too long for practical considerations. For instance, if each tuner is calibrated at 400 impedance positions per frequency, as a minimum requirement for subsequent tuning flexibility around the Smith Chart (and as presently done for a single tuner), then the combination should be calibrated at 400×400=160 000 points per frequency. At a realistic average of 10 minutes per set of 400 points per tuner per frequency, this would mean nearly three days of continuous measurement sessions per frequency in order to calibrate the tuner system according to the present invention, which is unacceptable.
Consequently, the present invention also provides for alternative methods for calibrating the setup of the present invention, which considerably cut down on the calibration time. They are based on approximations, but have been found to provide very adequate results.
Preferably, the setup shown in
The first calibration method consists of calibrating each tuner independently of the other. The non-calibrating tuner is set to zero (probes retracted) and only the other tuner is calibrated. The residual two-port parameter matrix of the non-calibrating tuner is extracted from the total result by S-parameter matrix de-embedding. This means that a separate S-parameter calibration matrix will be generated for each tuner, and the product of the two matrices is performed by software. Of course, this method permits the interpolation between calibration points, which drives the impedance characterisation capability of the combined tuners into the hundreds of millions of points. Furthermore, since the two tuners work together, finding the points where the tuning probes are the furthest away from the line in order to increase power handling is relatively easy.
The second calibration method consists of two steps. One tuner section (designated the “prematching” section) is experimentally positioned in order to obtain a close to maximum performance of the DUT. This section's position is not modified any more. In step 2, the remaining tuner section (designated the “tuning” section) is calibrated as a normal tuner by positioning the tuner motors at preselected positions and measuring its S-parameters on a calibrated vector network analyzer. This calibration method allows a better tuning resolution and accuracy around the expected DUT optimum reflection factor, but does not allow for subsequent re-adjusting of the prematching section without re-calibrating the whole tuner.
Either calibration algorithm will provide for very high SWR not obtainable by non-prematching tuners as well as higher tuning accuracy and power handling capability. The first method will, in addition, provide for the flexibility of being able to change the focusing area of the final tuning without having to re-calibrate the tuner.
Consequently, the present invention has the following advantages, among others:
The invention thus resides in a novel arrangement for the realisation of a pre-matching tuner, as described herein. The invention also entails a measurement architecture permitting the synthesis of an impedance within the Smith chart presenting a reflection factor less than, or equal to, 0.995 in a precise and consistent fashion. Additionally, this architecture can also focus on high power capability (greater than for a single tuner), or higher characterisation accuracy than for a single tuner.
The first method of calibrating the pre-matched tuner according to the present invention consists of a two step calibration in which the parameters of the pre-matching section are de-embedded from the tuning section.
The second method for calibrating the pre-matched tuner according to the present invention uses as a first step a control and peak-search algorithm at the basis of the software routine to control the pre-matching section and as a second step the actual calibration of the tuning section.
It should be apparent that the controller 19 referred to in the present invention can be embodied as software adapted to run on a typical personal computer.
Although the present invention has been explained hereinabove by way of a preferred embodiment thereof, it should be pointed out that any modifications to this preferred embodiment within the scope of the appended claims is not deemed to alter or change the nature and scope of the present invention.
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