R&S teams for 6G RF test
Rohde & Schwarz has teamed up with semiconductor test equipment maker FormFactor for a 5G and 6G RF test system.
Characterizing an RF device on its wafer requires a measurement system with a vector network analyzer (VNA), a probe station, RF probes, cables or adapters, a dedicated calibration method as well as calibration substrates for the particular device under test.
To perform these essential measurements for current 5G devices , Rohde & Schwarz is supplying its ZNA vector network analyzer, which characterizes all RF qualification parameters at coaxial and waveguide levels, as well as frequency extenders for application ranges above 67 GHz for future 6G devices.
Frequency extenders open up sub-THz frequencies such as D-band, currently in the focus of 6G research. The extenders will be integrated to the probe station to ensure shortest cabling and enable optimal dynamic range while avoiding losses due to cabling to the probe tip.
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US-based FormFactor addresses the wafer contact with manual, semi-automated and fully automated probe systems including thermal control, high-frequency probes, probe positioners, and calibration tools. The calibration of the complete test system, including the vector analyser, is fully supported in the FormFactor WinCal XE calibration software.
Continuous wave (CW) signals are typically used to verify the RF characteristics of the device, although pulsed signals are also often applied when testing active devices to limit device self-heating. This thermal management is important, and the device under test needs to be kept in stable thermal conditions to enable reliable, repeatable and controlled measurements. Overheating could also damage or destroy the device.
On-wafer RF test setups cannot rely on the coaxial or waveguide calibration methods and standards typically used with VNAs. To enable accurate and consistent calibration results at the wafer level, probe-tip calibration techniques are used on the calibration substrates. These substrates include lumped-element impedance standards, calibration and verification lines, probe alignment marks, as well as an area for probe planarization. Applying the calibration data to the VNA moves the measurement plane down to the wafer to the tips of the RF probes used, essential for the high frequency 6G applications
In the test setup, the user has access to all test capabilities of the R&S ZNA thanks to the fully calibrated setup. Generic S-parameter tests allow characterization for filters and active devices, but distortion, gain and intermodulation tests can also be performed to qualify power amplifiers. Frequency translating measurements for mixers with phase characterization across the bandwidth of the device are another example of the supported measurement applications of the joint solution. The fully calibrated setups also allow all results to be directly taken from the VNA without postprocessing as the calibration data are applied directly to the VNA.
www.rohde-schwarz.com; www.formfactor.cm
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