Do now with instruments what you could do for years with your nonlinear simulator

1. Integrated Component
Characterization Environment
“ICE”
“Do now with instruments
what you could do for years with
your nonlinear simulator”
April 2010

2. Outline
● Introduction
● Receivers and Analyzers
● Absolute Calibration Techniques
● Deembedding
● Ranging
● Configurable test-sets
● Tuners
● Record a replay measurements
● Pseudo real-time displays
● Build your own measurement setup
● Remote connection to test environments
● On-line help
● Architecture
● Driver support and applications
● Conclusion
● Want to try?
© Copyright 2009 - 2010 2

3. Integrated Component Characterization Environment
Stimuli Receivers DC Meters
DC
VNA
CW
LSNA
Tuner
...
...
ICE
Calibration
Technology
“Real-Time” and Complete
Stimulus – Response Characterization
Active Components and Circuits
Model
...
Amplifier
... Verification
and Design
S-functions
Tuning
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4. Integrated Component Characterization Environment
● Pseudo real-time active component characterization and tuning
● Allows to use different stimuli in pseudo real-time
● Measures accurately the voltage and current behaviour (V/I) at the ports of a
device under test
● Visualises in pseudo real-time the V/I measurements and derived specifications
in different formats to gain insight in component behaviour
● Base platform for applications, solving specific customer problems
● DC IV Characterization
● Harmonic Distortion Analysis
● S-functions
● ...
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5. ICE supports different receivers / analyzers
Maury MT4463,
Rohde&Schwarz ZVA/T Tektronix HF Oscilloscope (*) powered by NMDG
Agilent PNA-L Agilent PNA-X More to come...
*
( ) Courtesy of On Semiconductor
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6. ICE supports absolute calibration techniques
● Absolute Calibration Techniques (connectorized, in-fixture and on-wafer)
● Relative VNA calibration techniques
● Power calibration
● Phase calibration
● ICE complements the On wafer calibration
calibration capabilities of the
given receiver / analyser to
provide absolute calibration
techniques, adapted to the
type of measured signals
Wafer
Connectorized
● When not available with
receiver / analyser, NMDG
sells a phase calibration kit
Performed by network analyser
Performed by ICE for oscilloscope / MT4463
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7. ICE supports deembedding
● Standard two-port deembedding
i1 i2
v1 v2
● Four-port deembedding supports parasitics to ground
Meas Plane Meas Plane
Input Output
3 4
1 2
Cal Plane Cal Plane
Input Output
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8. ICE supports ranging for best measurements
● Characterization of power devices requires proper attenuation
● Protecting test-set
● Limiting power going into receiver to avoid receiver compressing, causing
measurement errors (nonlinearity of receiver instead of device under test)
Receiver
Limit Input Power
DUT
Limit Power
Automatic adaptation of error coefficients
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9. ICE supports and configures different power test - sets
● External test-sets are required when power exceeds the damage level of the
standard network analyzer
● ICE allows to configure your own network analyzer, combining a receiver,
possibly part of a standard network analyzer, with an external test-set
Define Network Analyser
Focus MPT with
Focus VI Probe as
couplers at output
[low insertion loss -
Define Test Set Define Input high power]
Couplers
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10. ICE supports different tuners
● Focus Microwaves - CCMT and MPT
CCMT MPT
● Active tuning
4 2
1
1
50Ω
4 2 3
3
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11. ICE allows recording and replay of measurements
Measure continuously
For example,
tune bias
After
recording
Recording
continuously
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12. ICE supports pseudo real-time displays
OBSERVE
Configurable Pseudo Real-Time Displays
OPTIMIZE
TUNE Bias Sources Specifications
Source Tuner
Load Tuner
RF Source
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13. Build your own measurement setup with ICE
APC 7 Connection
ZVA24_4P_VI – ZVA24_4P_VI –
RF Analyzer Source APC 7 Connection – Calibration Plane
RF Receiver RF Receiver Fixture Launcher
ZVA24_4P_VI –
Device Package and parasitics
SwitchingMatrix
LargeSignalSource
DUT loadtuner
sourcetuner outputdeembedding
DC Receiver (Incl. Fixture Launcher) DC Receiver
inputdeembed outputdeembed
4142 - Analyzer 4142 - Source2
4142 - Source1
Connection Scheme
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14. ICE integrates smoothly with your test-environment
Test Environments:
Matlab
LabView
Mathematica
...
Example: Setting deembedding matrix (Mathematica)
IPC or TCP .NET connection in ICE
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15. On-line help and Tutorial
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16. ICE Architecture
ZVXPlus
PNAPlus
Matlab ScopePlus
LabView ...
Mathematica
... ... Instrumentation Plug-Ins
RPC
IPC
Customer
Application .NET Integrated Component Characterization Environment GUI
Enviroment
User NMDG Application Plug-In 1
User
NMDG Application Plug-In 2
Tools
S-function Extraction
...
...
S-function Analysis User
...
User
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17. Driver support
● DC Sources
● R&S, Agilent, …
● DC Voltmeters, Currentmeters
● Agilent, …
● DC Force / Sense
● Keithley, …
● RF Source CW and Modulation
● R&S, Agilent, Anritsu, …
● RF Power Meters
● R&S, Agilent, Anritsu, …
● Tuners
● Focus Microwaves, Maury Microwave
● Receivers
● R&S, Agilent, Tektronix, …
● Drivers for different instruments are developed on customer demand
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18. Application Plug-ins
DC IV Characterization Harmonic Distortion Analysis
S-functions More to come ...
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19. Conclusion
● ICE is your “real-life simulator”
● Tune your different stimuli
● Observe in pseudo real-time
● Gain insight in the behaviour of your active RF components
● Optimize the specifications with strong guidance
● ICE is the base platform for applications, solving customer problems
● ICE is made to incorporate the latest advancements in HF measurement
science
● ICE is based on the latest software technologies to realize a fast
development cycle focusing on the measurement problems
For more information info@nmdg.be
www.nmdg.be
© Copyright 2009 - 2010 19

20. Want to try?
Request a Free Trial ICE copy here:
http://www.nmdg.be/register_freeICEsoftware.php
© Copyright 2009 - 2010 20