Characterization and verification of coaxial open-circuit primary standards for millimeter-wave vector network analyzer calibration

This paper presents a new form of primary reference standard suitable for vector network analyzer calibration at millimeter-wave frequencies. The standard comprises a calculable, frequency-dependent, capacitor terminating a section of lossy coaxial line. The standard can be realized in any of the currently available precision coaxial line sizes used at these frequencies. The paper describes the characterization (via electromagnetic modeling and precision dimensional and electrical metrology) and validation (via precision electrical measurements) of these standards. Results are presented for a series of such standards that have been realized in the 1.85 mm line size.