Use of electronic calibration units for vector-network-analyzer verification

We present measurements demonstrating that electronic calibration units are stable enough to be used in place of mechanical vector-network-analyzer verification artifacts. This enables a new fully automated approach to verifying microwave vector-network-analyzer calibrations with a single computer-controlled electronic verification artifact. The new system presents verification results in easy-to-understand performance metrics that, unlike those derived from measurements of mechanical verification artifacts, are independent of the actual artifacts employed.