Rohde & Schwarz extends frequency range of SMA100B
The analogue microwave signal generator, the R&S SMA100B now provides microwave signals up to 67GHz and industry-leading RF performance, says Rohde & Schwarz. In over-range operation, it provides signals up to 72GHz, adds the company.
The new frequency options means that the R&S SMA100B now covers frequency ranges of up to 31.8, 40, 50 and 67GHz. The analogue microwave signal generator supports applications in the aerospace and defence, wireless communications and semiconductor industries.
The 40GHz instrument covers all major radar bands and the 67GHz instrument allows engineers to have a signal source that covers the emerging Q/V band used for very high throughput satellite feeder links. With the introduction of the 5G mobile network standard, first commercial deployments will use frequencies up to 39GHz and above; the use of frequencies beyond 40GHz is also being investigated by Rohde & Schwarz. The 67GHz instrument supports component testing in the 60GHz frequency range for non-cellular standards such as IEEE 802.11ad and in over-range operation for standards such as IEEE 802.11ay.
The low phase noise option means that the R&S SMA100B can output the purest RF signals with a single sideband phase noise of -120dBc/Hz (40GHz, 20kHz offset, measured). The signal generator can act as a local oscillator during radar system integration or in radar test systems. The increase in sample rates of analogue to digital converters (ADC) and digital to analogue converters (DAC) requires clean RF carriers with lowest phase noise and lowest wideband noise. Low wideband noise of -150dBc/Hz (e.g. at 30GHz, 40MHz offset, measured) helps to measure the true performance of a device, adds the company.
A high output power option means that the R&S SMA100B also addresses attenuation from cables and test fixtures. It can provide sufficient output power with extremely low harmonics, eliminating the need for external amplifiers and filters and simplifying set-ups, says the company. It offers different output power stages to compensate for these losses. Users can upgrade their 31.8, 40, 50 and 67GHz instrument via a keycode without having to send the instrument back to service. Equipped with the high output power option, a 40GHz instrument delivers up to 27dBm at 25GHz, while a 67GHz instrument provides up to 23dBm at 40GHz and up to 17dBm at 67GHz.
The R&S SMA100B provides more than 70dB of uninterrupted RF level sweep without glitches or signal blanks during the level sweep. With the high output power option installed, the R&S SMA100B can be used for measuring the gain transfer curve or output saturation point of high power devices such as amplifiers based on GaN technology or traveling wave tube amplifiers (TWTAs) used in satellites.
When equipped with the Scan AM software option, the R&S SMA100B can simulate amplitude variation coming from scanning radar antennae in order to perform receiver tests with modulation depths of more than 70dB.
The R&S SMA100B is included in the R&S LegacyPro programme and can replace obsolete signal generators from Rohde & Schwarz and other manufacturers in automated test environments without the need to modify the test software.
