Jackson Labs PHASE STATION 53100A, User Manual

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PhaseStation 53100A User’s Manual V1.04 25-Apr-2022 15
Introduction
The 53100A Phase Noise Test Set measures the amplitude, phase and frequency stability of high-
performance RF sources and two-port devices. Carrier frequencies from 1 MHz to 200 MHz are
supported with direct front-panel access to all four measurement channels. The 53100A tells you
everything you need to know about the stability characteristics of your devices, at timescales ranging
from femtoseconds to days.
Measurements made by the 53100A include the following:
- Real-time ‘strip charts’ of phase and frequency differences at subpicosecond precision
- Absolute frequency counts at 13+ digits per second, 17 digits maximum
- Allan deviation (ADEV) typically less than 5E-15 at t=1s
- Modified Allan deviation (MDEV), Hadamard deviation (HDEV), and time deviation (TDEV)
- Fast realtime computation of Maximum Time Interval Error (MTIE)
- Phase noise and AM noise at offsets from 0.001 Hz to 1 MHz and levels below -175 dBc/Hz
- RMS-integrated time jitter with less than 50 fs residual jitter from 0.1 Hz to 1 MHz
- RMS-integrated phase noise, residual FM, and SSB carrier/noise ratio
Using high performance host-based DSP techniques on a Windows® PC, all of these measurements can
be made simultaneously. Results appear as you watch – and you can save, view, compare, export, or
print them at any time. Accuracy and stability are inherited from a user-supplied external reference
which can run at any frequency within the supported range, with no calibration required by the
instrument itself.