An Analytical Expression for the Limits of Error in the Measurement of Reflection-Coefficient Phase (Short Papers)

An exact analytical expression for calculating the limits of phase error that can occur when the reflection coefficient of a load is measured through a lossless two-port network is presented. Art empirical expression previously reported by Garver et al. agrees well with the exact expression, except when the reflection coefficients of the lossless two-port and the load are nearly the same in magnitude.