Frequency-switching speed and post-tuning drift measurement of fast-switching microwave-frequency synthesisers

Frequency-switching speed is a critical parameter in many communication systems, target detection as well as in automated test systems. Measuring frequency-switching speed is necessary to determine the suitability of the frequency synthesiser for a particular application. In this paper, a method for measuring frequency-switching speed of fast-switching microwave-frequency synthesisers is described and demonstrated. The measurement set-up utilises a general-purpose analogue spectrum analyser to perform the measurement. Frequency-switching measurement is demonstrated up to 70 GHz. This method can also be utilised in monitoring slow- and fast-frequency drifts in microwave oscillators