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Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MMM.2008.919925
86 June 2008
1527-3342/08/$25.00©2008 IEEE
© CREATAS
Andrej Rumiantsev
and Nick Ridler
I
t was during the late 1950s that the
need for reliable measurement, and
therefore reliable measurement
standards, at RF and microwave
frequencies began to emerge. This led
to the introduction of precision coaxial air
lines as primary reference standards of
impedance [1], [2]; see Figure 1. These lines
use conductors made from very-high-con-
ductivity metals and air as the dielectric,
due to the simple and predictable electro-
magnetic properties (i.e., permeability and
permittivity) of air at RF and microwave
frequencies [3]. This ensured that the prop-
erties of these lines were very close to those
of ideal lines [4].
Also during the late 1950s and through-
out the 1960s, much work was undertaken
to develop precision coaxial connectors to
ensure that very repeatable and repro-
ducible measurements could be made at
microwave frequencies [5], [6]. To help
focus this effort, committees were estab-
lished (including an IEEE subcommittee on
precision coaxial connectors [7]) tasked
with producing standards for these preci-
sion connectors. Finally, by the late 1960s,
the first fully automated vector network
analyzers (VNAs) providing high-precision
measurement capabilities were introduced
(e.g., [8], [9]). The stage was now set for
work to begin on introducing reliable mea-
surement assurance techniques for mea-
surements made using VNAs (Figure 2).
However, there were several other key
developments that took place during the 1970s,
1980s, and 1990s that greatly improved the state
of the art of measurements made using VNAs.
These included the introduction of:
• smaller precision coaxial connectors
(beginning with the 3.5-mm connector
[10] and ending with the 1-mm connec-
tor [11]), enabling measurements to be
made over wider bandwidths
• VNA calibration and verification kits
containing high-precision devices suit-
able for calibrating and/or verifying the
performance of the VNAs
• reliable VNA calibration techniques
[including thru-reflect-line (TRL) [12],
line-reflect-line (LRL) [13], etc.)
Andrej Rumiantsev is with SUSS MicroTec Test
Systems GmbH, Germany. Nick Ridler is with the
National Physical Laboratory, United Kingdom.
June 2008 87
• six-port VNAs [14] used by national measurement
standards laboratories [such as the National
Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in
the United States and the National Physical
Laboratory (NPL) in the United Kingdom, etc.] to
provide an independent measurement method to
verify the performance of the commercially avail-
able VNAs.
Finally, also by the late 1980s and early 1990s, national
measurement standards laboratories (i.e., NIST, NPL, etc.)
began turning their attention to demonstrating the reliabil-
ity of VNA measurements made on planar circuits (such as
on-wafer measurements) to support the rapidly develop-
ing microelectronics industry. Both NIST and NPL pro-
duced standard wafers [15], [16] that contained the planar
circuit equivalent to the coaxial air line—i.e., precision sec-
tions of coplanar waveguide and/or microstrip transmis-
sion line. These lines provided the reference standards for
calibrating VNAs for on-wafer measurements.
All of the above activities greatly improved the state
of the art for practitioners and users of VNA measure-
ments. Also, in addition to all these activities, much was
done by measurement experts working in industrial,
academic, and government laboratories to establish
traceability and other quality assurance mechanisms for
these VNA measurements. These topics are discussed in
”What is Traceability?” and “Measurement Assurance.”
Systematic Measurement Errors
What Is Calibration and Error Correction?
Calibration is defined as the “set of operations that estab-
lish, under specified conditions, the relationship between
values of quantities indicated by a measuring instrument
or measuring system, or values represented by a material
measure or a reference material, and the corresponding
values realized by standards” [17]. As such, calibration
traditionally involves having an instrument or component
sent away periodically to a standards and/or calibration
laboratory, who then undertake the calibration process.
This often results in a certificate of calibration being issued
that demonstrates the current condition of the instrument
or component.
However, in the context of a VNA, the term calibra-
tion can have at least two different meanings. First, the
traditional concept of calibration can still be applied,
with the VNA being sent away for calibration, typically
every year or so. (Alternatively, some companies offer
periodic on-site calibration, performed by a visiting cal-
ibration specialist.) However, of more relevance to this
article is another form of calibration that is performed
locally, usually each time the instrument is set up and
configured for a given series of measurements. This sec-
ond form of calibration is intended to remove systemat-
ic errors from the instrument hardware (and to take into
account the presence of any accessories that may have
been added to enable specific measurements to be per-
formed) at the required frequencies for the measure-
ments. For example, measurements may be required to
be made in an on-wafer environment. In which case,
first cables need to be connected to the VNA front-panel
connectors, followed by coaxial adaptors, and finally
on-wafer probes (Figure 3). This second form of calibra-
tion will correct for the effects of these added compo-
nents as well as correct the systematic errors in the
VNA. This is why this type of calibration is often
referred to as error correction, and it is this type of cali-
bration that will be discussed in this article.
The demand for increased measurement accuracy
from the VNA can be achieved by improving the hard-
ware, the models used for characterizing measurement
errors, the calibration methods used for calculating
these errors, and the definitions of calibration stan-
dards. For
S
-parameters, the systematic errors are often
represented using so-called error models of the mea-
surement system (i.e., VNA). The number of error coef-
ficients included in the error model, as well as the type
of error model, depends on
Figure 1. An example of precision reference coaxial air
lines of different length.
Figure 2. A coaxial mm-wave measurement bench based
on the Agilent 8510 VNA. This analyzer was the industry
reference for microwave measurements for many years.
(a) (b)
88 June 2008
Traceability, in the context of a measurement, is
defined as the “property of the result of a measure-
ment or the value of a standard whereby it can be
related to stated references, usually national or inter-
national standards, through an unbroken chain of
comparisons all having stated uncertainties” [17].
Applying this concept to a VNA measurement, the
stated references could be precision air lines (or their
equivalent), the VNA is the transfer device used as
part of the unbroken chain of comparisons, and the
precision connectors enabling these comparisons to
be made within acceptable limits to the uncertainty of
measurement.
The benefit of having a measurement that is trace-
able stems from the fact that it can be used to
demonstrate the equivalence of measurements made
independently of one another. This is of paramount
importance in a customer/supplier relationship where
a common understanding is needed of the parame-
ters that define (or specify) the performance of the
device being bought or sold. Therefore, if two mea-
surements of a quantity are made independently, and
these measurements are both traceable, then their
values will agree to within the stated uncertainties of
the measurements. This is, therefore, an extremely
valuable process that can provide the necessary
underpinning assurance that is needed when operat-
ing within a truly global marketplace where the cus-
tomer and supplier may be located in different parts
of the world.
The vital role that traceability can play was recog-
nized long ago and led to the introduction of national
measurement accreditation schemes so that cus-
tomers and suppliers could fully demonstrate the
quality of their measurements to an independent third
party (i.e., the accreditation body). These days, such
accreditation processes are controlled by international
standards (e.g., [72]), thus ensuring that the accredita-
tion process is itself applied uniformly across all types
of measurements and at all locations around the
world. Most countries maintain a national accreditation
body for this purpose, and these bodies are them-
selves linked through international accreditation orga-
nizations such as the International Laboratory
Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC, www.ilac.org).
When traceability is harmonized within an agreed
system of units (e.g., the international system of units,
SI), then not only is it possible to demonstrate equiva-
lence between measurements of the same quantity,
but it also becomes possible to demonstrate the
equivalence of measurements of different quantities.
This is achieved through the relationship of these
quantities to the so-called base quantities within the
system of units. (In SI, the seven base quantities are
length, mass, time, electric current, thermodynamic
temperature, amount of substance, and luminous
intensity.)
By following the traceability path of a measure-
ment back to its fundamental base quantities, it is
possible to demonstrate the harmonization of the
measurement within the system of units. For example,
a reflection measurement made along a transmission
line can usually be traced back to dimensional mea-
surements, since it is the dimensions of the transmis-
sion line that determine the impedance and therefore
the amount of signal that is reflected by the line. The
base quantity for dimensional measurements is
length. Similarly, for power and noise measurements,
these can usually be related back to heating effects.
Therefore, the base quantity is thermodynamic tem-
perature. In just about all microwave measurements,
the frequency of the measurement needs to be
known. Since frequency is the reciprocal of periodic
time, the base quantity is time.
A key role of a national measurement standards
laboratory (such as NIST, NPL, etc.) is to maintain pri-
mary reference standards of measurement. For exam-
ple, at microwave frequencies, these are usually stan-
dards of power, impedance, attenuation, noise, etc. In
addition, the national measurement standards labora-
tory is tasked with realizing the seven SI base quanti-
ties. By linking these two roles, the national measure-
ment standards laboratory is able to deliver a wide
range of traceable measurements to industry that are
also harmonized within the SI.
The subsequent 'linking' of the capabilities of one
national measurement standards laboratory to others
is achieved through participation in international mea-
surement comparison programs conducted under the
auspices of organizations such as the International
Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM,
www.bipm.org) and their consultative committees.
The results from these comparison exercises are ana-
lyzed and placed on a database maintained by the
BIPM that demonstrates the capability of each nation-
al laboratory.
Finally, it is worth mentioning that these days, with
the global accessibility of the Internet, measurement
services that make extensive use of the Internet are
beginning to be developed. These services are starting
to play a role in providing traceable measurements in
a highly efficient manner. For example, a system has
recently been put in place by NPL that uses the
Internet to provide traceability for high-precision mea-
surements using VNAs at any location around the
world [73].
What Is Traceability?
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