A New Calibration Technique for Automated Broadband Microwave Measurements

This paper presents new results in the area of precision microwave measurements using "six-port techniques". These techniques allow one to compute the complex ratio of two signals using power measurements alone. After proper calibration of the six-port network, the output of 4 simple square law diode detectors completely determines the ratio of the scattering variables at the 2 remaining ports. A unified calibration procedure is presented which has the vitue of being conceptually simple and appropriate to both vector voltmeter and reflectometer applications. Finally, an automated microwave system designed to measure the scattering parameters of a two-port network over the 2 GHz to 18 GHz band will be described in the presentation.