Wideband power sensors measure up to 40GHz
1 min read
Rohde & Schwarz has announced what it claims to be the world's first wideband sensors to measure power from 50MHz to 40GHz without the need for a base unit.
The NRP Z85 and NRP Z86 devices are connected to a pc via a USB interface instead of a base unit and display envelope power over a dynamic range of -47 to 20 dBm – unprecedented in the industry according to R&S.
Along with high resolution pulse analysis, the devices are designed to provide high precision continuous - average measurements over the entire dynamic range from -60 to 20dBm. These performance characteristics make the sensors suitable for applications in the development and maintenance of microwave and radar systems as well as in the design and production of microwave components.
The wideband power sensors can be operated from a pc via the R&S NRP Z4 USB adapter, or in combination with an R&S NRP/NRP2 power meter. They can also be connected to any signal generator or virtually any signal, spectrum and network analyzer from R&S. Users can read the power measured from the DUT directly at the generator or analyser. According to the company, complete measurement solution comprising an NRP Z85 or Z86 and an NRP Z4 USB adapter is 'significantly' more cost effective than a conventional setup involving a power sensor and a power meter.
The NRP Z85 and Z86 have a video bandwidth of up to 30MHz and a sampling rate of 80MHz, while the rise time is less than 13ns. The power sensors can measure both peak power and average power over a defined time interval as well as perform statistical signal analysis (CCDF, PDF). R&S says the performance is far superior to that of commercial wideband power sensors and with a measurement uncertainty of 0.18dB at 40GHz, the new sensors are said to offer 'unparalleled' accuracy for continuous - average measurements.
