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N5511A Phase Noise Test System User’s Guide                                                                                                257

AM Noise Measurement Fundamentals
Amplitude Noise Measurement

Amplitude Noise Measurement 

The level of amplitude modulation sidebands is also constant with increasing 

modulation frequency. The AM detector gain can thus be measured at a single 

offset frequency and the same constant will apply at all offset frequencies. 

Replacing the phase detector with an AM detector, the AM noise measurement 

can be calibrated in the same way as PM noise measurement, except the phase 

modulation must be replaced with amplitude modulation.
The AM noise measurement is a characterization of a source. The residual AM 

noise of a DUT can only be made by using a source with lower AM noise, then 

subtracting that AM noise from the measured output noise of the DUT. The 

noise floor of this technique is the noise floor of the source.

AM noise measurement block diagrams 

Figure 11-1 

Single Channel AM Measurement

Figure 11-2 

Dual Channel AM Measurement 

Summary of Contents for N5511A

Page 1: ...User s Guide Keysight N5511A Phase Noise Test System...

Page 2: ...S government customers under its standard commercial license which is embodied in its End User License Agreement EULA a copy of which can be found at http www keysight com find sweula The license set...

Page 3: ...To receive the latest updates by email subscribe to Keysight Email Updates at the following URL http www keysight com find MyKeysight Information on preventing instrument damage can be found at www ke...

Page 4: ...4...

Page 5: ...rify License Key is Installed 29 Powering the System Off 30 3 Phase Noise Basics What is Phase Noise 32 Ideal vs Real Word Signals 33 Phase terms 34 4 Expanding Your Measurement Experience GUI Feature...

Page 6: ...ocking 76 Adding Isolation 76 Increasing the PLL Bandwidth 77 Inserting a Device 79 An attenuator 79 An amplifier 80 Evaluating Noise Above the Small Angle Line 82 Determining the Phase Lock Loop band...

Page 7: ...s 186 System connections 186 8 Residual Measurement Examples Amplifier Measurement Example Single Channel 188 Required equipment 188 Connections 188 Configuring Equipment 189 Measurement Procedure 190...

Page 8: ...Using an External AM Detector 258 Calibration and Measurement General Guidelines 260 User entry of phase detector constant 261 Double Sided Spur 263 Single Sided Spur 267 12 AM Noise Measurement Examp...

Page 9: ...e Noise Level of Various Keysight Sources 330 Increase in Measured Noise as Ref Source Approaches DUT Noise 331 Approximate Sensitivity of Delay Line Discriminator 332 AM Calibration 333 Voltage Contr...

Page 10: ...ice 359 Proper Connector Torque 359 Connector Wear and Damage 359 2 92 Connector Precautions 359 Cleaning Procedure 360 General Procedures and Techniques 361 Connector Removal 362 Instrument Removal 3...

Page 11: ...Contents N5511A Phase Noise Test System User s Guide 11...

Page 12: ...12 N5511A Phase Noise Test System User s Guide Contents...

Page 13: ...13 Keysight N5511A Phase Noise Test System User s Guide 1 Getting Started Introduction on page 14 Documentation Map on page 15 Additional Documentation on page 16 System Overview on page 17...

Page 14: ...e basics and measurement fundamentals to get you started Use Table 1 1 on page 15 as a guide to Learning about the N5511A phase noise test system Learning about phase noise basics and measurement fund...

Page 15: ...e Measurement Fundamentals Chapter 6 Absolute Measurement Examples Chapter 7 Residual and Additive Noise Measurement Fundamentals Chapter 8 Residual Measurement Examples Chapter 9 FM Discriminator Fun...

Page 16: ...uide Getting Started Additional Documentation Additional Documentation The N5511A system documentation includes Keysight N5511A Phase Noise Test System Installation Guide Keysight N5511A Series Phase...

Page 17: ...ruments to work in the system This stand alone instrument architecture easily configures for various measurement techniques including the absolute phase noise PLL reference source technique and delay...

Page 18: ...ise systems The N5511A system uses a LAN or USB GPIB port to communicate with the assets in the system However the N5511A system and N5510 software are backwards compatible with earlier E5505A systems...

Page 19: ...N5511A Phase Noise Test System User s Guide 19 Getting Started System Overview Figure 1 2 Keysight E5505A system comparison to N5511A system...

Page 20: ...ivalent system instrument model numbers System or Instrument Number Old Number Phase Noise Test System N5511A E5505A 50 kHz 40 GHz phase detector M9550A N5500A 201 50kHz 26 5 GHz Baseband Test Set FFT...

Page 21: ...Guide 2 Introduction Introducing the GUI on page 22 Designing to Meet Your Needs on page 24 N5511A Operation A Guided Tour on page 25 Powering the System On on page 26 Starting the Measurement Softwa...

Page 22: ...tting lost in the defining process The system provides three default segment tables To obtain a quick look at your data select the fast quality level If it is important to have more frequency resoluti...

Page 23: ...N5511A Phase Noise Test System User s Guide 23 Introduction Introducing the GUI Figure 2 1 N5510 graphical user interface GUI...

Page 24: ...m to a proficient user of the system s basic measurement capabilities Beginning The section N5511A Operation A Guided Tour contains a step by step procedure for completing a phase noise measurement Th...

Page 25: ...iscover that the phase noise measurement system offers enormous flexibility for measuring the noise characteristics of your signal sources and two port devices Required equipment The equipment shipped...

Page 26: ...op right of the rack to the on position 2 Verify that all instrument power switches are on 3 Allow the system to warm up for 30 minutes Before applying power make sure the AC power input and the locat...

Page 27: ...t Technologies Inc has not provided internet security software for this N5511A Phase Noise Test System Connecting the PC to a Local Area Network LAN without first installing internet security software...

Page 28: ...N5510 icon on the desktop shortcut shown above or navigate to the N5510 User Interface through the Windows start menu Click Start All Programs Keysight N5510 N5510 User Interface 2 When the program st...

Page 29: ...he Keysight License Manager to see the license keys installed Start All Programs Keysight License Manager Keysight License Manager 4 Verify the licenses are installed Figure 2 5 Keysight License Manag...

Page 30: ...tart icon then shut down Always shut down the N5510 software before powering off the N5511A system 2 Use the Start menu to shut down the PC Press the power switch on each instrument to the off positio...

Page 31: ...31 Keysight N5511A Phase Noise Test System User s Guide 3 Phase Noise Basics What is Phase Noise on page 32 Ideal vs Real Word Signals on page 33 Phase terms on page 34...

Page 32: ...t some amount of frequency instability This stability can be broken down into two components long term stability short term stability Figure 3 1 Frequency Stability Long term stability describes the f...

Page 33: ...ractice however there are always small unwanted amplitude and phase fluctuations present on the signal An actual signal is better modeled by Where E t Amplitude fluctuations and randomly fluctuating p...

Page 34: ...tion of the source under test in the frequency or time domain Since frequency and phase are related to each other all of these terms are also related Spectral density One fundamental description of ph...

Page 35: ...quency domain L f is an indirect measurement of noise energy easily related to the RF power spectrum observed on an RF analyzer Figure 3 5 shows that the National Institute of Standards and Technology...

Page 36: ...y presented logarithmically as a spectral density plot of the phase modulation sidebands in the frequency domain expressed in dB relative to the carrier per Hz dBc Hz as shown in Figure 3 6 This chapt...

Page 37: ...t indicates a relative level of 45 dBc Hz at a 1 Hz offset 45 dB more noise power at a 1 Hz offset in a 1 Hz bandwidth than in the total power of the signal which is of course invalid Figure 3 7 shows...

Page 38: ...38 N5511A Phase Noise Test System User s Guide Phase Noise Basics What is Phase Noise...

Page 39: ...s on page 40 Viewing Markers on page 40 Display Preferences on page 41 Omitting Spurs on page 43 Displaying the Parameter Summary on page 45 Exporting Measurement Results on page 47 Saving Measurement...

Page 40: ...access the marker function on the View menu click Markers In the dialog box containing Marker buttons at the bottom of the application up to nine markers may be added To add a marker click Add Marker...

Page 41: ...splay colors are highly customizable Navigate to View Display Parameters The following menu will appear allowing the ability for the user to customize the colors of various items on the display Figure...

Page 42: ...42 N5511A Phase Noise Test System User s Guide Expanding Your Measurement Experience GUI Features Figure 4 4 Display Preferences Window...

Page 43: ...ded results without displaying any spurs that may be present The ability to omit or view spurs is conditional on the Mark Spurs option under the Type and Range tab of the measurement definition being...

Page 44: ...without spurs See Figure 4 6 Figure 4 6 Graph displayed without spurs 4 To re display the spurs check Spurs in the Display Preferences dialog box This feature can also be accessed by right clicking on...

Page 45: ...Parameter Summary The Parameter Summary function allows you to quickly review the measurement parameter entries that were used for this measurement The parameter summary data is included when you pri...

Page 46: ...er s Guide Expanding Your Measurement Experience GUI Features 2 The Parameter Summary Notepad dialog box appears The data can be printed or changed using standard Notepad functionality See Figure 4 9...

Page 47: ...Results The Export Measurement Results function exports data in one of three types Exporting Trace Data Exporting Spur Data Exporting X Y Data 1 To export measurement results on the File menu point to...

Page 48: ...oise Test System User s Guide Expanding Your Measurement Experience GUI Features Exporting Trace Data 1 On the File menu point to Export Results then click on Trace Data See Figure 4 11 Figure 4 11 Tr...

Page 49: ...ise Test System User s Guide 49 Expanding Your Measurement Experience GUI Features Exporting spur data 1 On the File menu point to Export Results then click on Spur Data See Figure 4 12 Figure 4 12 Sp...

Page 50: ...e Noise Test System User s Guide Expanding Your Measurement Experience GUI Features Exporting X Y Data 1 On the File menu point to Export Results then click on X Y Data See Figure 4 13 Figure 4 13 X Y...

Page 51: ...lect Use Title as Filename to name the file using the title of the graph Figure 4 14 Saving Measurement State Recall Measurement State A pnx file can be opened to recall a previously saved state Navig...

Page 52: ...initiated Don t Automatically Clear Graph when restarting a measurement the default behavior is for the current trace to be cleared To retain the trace uncheck this option Don t Automatically change P...

Page 53: ...N5511A Phase Noise Test System User s Guide 53 Expanding Your Measurement Experience GUI Features Toolbar Figure 4 16 Toolbar selections...

Page 54: ...54 N5511A Phase Noise Test System User s Guide Expanding Your Measurement Experience GUI Features...

Page 55: ...it on page 60 What Sets the Measurement Noise Floor on page 63 Selecting a Reference Single Channel on page 65 Estimating the Tuning Constant on page 71 Tracking Frequency Drift on page 72 Changing th...

Page 56: ...cillator VCO In a PLL configuration the reference source is locked in quadrature with the DUT which means that the signal from the references is 90 degrees out of phase with the DUT The signals from t...

Page 57: ...tput will be represented as 3 Noise contributed from the channel internally is added to the overall output The FFT output can be represented as a sum When using the PLL technique in a single channel c...

Page 58: ...es Two separate reference sources are required to provide a reference to each of the phase detectors The result of this setup is having two separate single channel measurements with a common DUT signa...

Page 59: ...ch of the channels in a dual channel measurement can be represented as follows The two outputs are cross correlated resulting in the phase noise of the DUT A dual channel measurement removes the uncor...

Page 60: ...es the relationship that typically exists between the VCO s peak to peak tuning range and the tuning range of the system The system s drift tracking range is limited to a small portion of the peak tun...

Page 61: ...s Capture Range Once the loop is locked the frequency of the beat note must remain within the drift tracking range for the duration of the measurement In Figure 5 6 the ranges calculated in the previ...

Page 62: ...eference source selection the most critical aspect of your measurement setup Specifying your VCO Source When you set up your PLL measurement you need to know four things about the tuning characteristi...

Page 63: ...t port of the system s phase detector Table 5 1 shows the amplitude ranges for the L and R ports If the L port Reference Input signal is within the amplitude range shown in Table 5 1 the signal level...

Page 64: ...e noise level of the source you are using as the reference source sets the noise floor for the measurement When you set up your measurement you want to use a reference source with a noise level that i...

Page 65: ...T noise approaches reference noise Using a Similar Device The test system performs best when you are able to use a device similar to the DUT as the reference source for your PLL measurement Of course...

Page 66: ...est the N5511A measurement sensitivity starts at the DUT phase noise performance level This means the cross correlation process starts out at this sensitivity and this system sensitivity only improves...

Page 67: ...n a dramatic reduction in measurement time 40 second to get to a 184 dBc Hz correlated device noise floor Figure 5 10 Using a 100 MHz High Performance DUT Example 2 Using a 9 6 GHz high performance DU...

Page 68: ...el Example 3 Using a 10MHz high performance DUT as both REF1 and REF2 significantly reduces the number of cross correlations resulting in a dramatic reduction in measurement time 20 minutes to get to...

Page 69: ...timate what the drift range of the sources you are using will be over the measurement period thirty minutes maximum Details on the relationship between the capture and drift tracking ranges and the tu...

Page 70: ...ts relative to center voltage of the VCO tuning curve Other User VCO Source Estimated within a factor of 2 10 to 10 See Figure 5 13 1 E 6 Measure Table 5 2 Tuning Characteristics of Various VCO Source...

Page 71: ...selected in the Calibration Process menu Table 5 3 lists the calibration method choices and the tuning constant accuracy required for each Table 5 3 VCO tuning constant calibration method VCO Tuning C...

Page 72: ...st set s phase detector must remain throughout the measurement period In addition the beat note signal must remain within the system s Capture Range 5 of the PTR during the time it takes the system to...

Page 73: ...measurement period The length of the measurement period is primarily a function of the frequency offset range specified for the measurement Start to Stop Frequency Action If beat note drift exceeds t...

Page 74: ...d value is used to determine the system s PTR PTR VCO Tuning Constant X Voltage Tuning Range From the PTR the phase noise software derives the capture and drift tracking Ranges for the measurement The...

Page 75: ...t level must remain constant across its tuning range As long as these qualifications are met and the software does not indicate any difficulty in establishing its calibration criteria an increase in P...

Page 76: ...ation The best way to prevent injection locking is to isolate the output of the source being injection locked typically the DUT by increasing the buffering at its output This can be accomplished by in...

Page 77: ...the frequency of the beat note just prior to where the injection locking occurs as the beat note is tuned toward 0 Hz 2 Multiply the injection locking bandwidth by 2 to determine the minimum PLL bandw...

Page 78: ...78 N5511A Phase Noise Test System User s Guide Absolute Measurement Fundamentals Minimizing Injection Locking Figure 5 16 Peak tuning range PTR Required by injection locking...

Page 79: ...e has sufficient output amplitude to maintain the required signal level at the test set s phase detector input port The signal level required for the measurement depends on the noise floor level neede...

Page 80: ...t the output of the source Note however that the noise of the inserted amplifier is also summed into the measured noise level along with the noise of the source in a single channel measurement Use the...

Page 81: ...Figure 5 19 Dual Channel Configuration When a measurement is configured in such manner the noise contribution from the amplifiers is removed by cross correlation due to their noise being uncorrelated...

Page 82: ...d until the hardware Connect Diagram appears on the display Determining the Phase Lock Loop bandwidth 1 Determine the Peak Tuning Range PTR of your VCO by multiplying the VCO Tuning Constant by the Tu...

Page 83: ...iterion level shown on the graph in Figure 5 21 The average noise level of the signal must remain below the small angle line at all offset frequencies beyond the PLL bandwidth The small angle line app...

Page 84: ...factor of ten by selecting FREQ and SPAN Continue comparing the noise level to the graph 7 Continue to increase the span width and compare the noise level out to 100 kHz If the noise level exceeds the...

Page 85: ...eed to consider one of the following measurement options 1 Evaluate your source using the noise data provided by the RF analyzer in the procedure you just performed 2 Increase the PTR if possible to p...

Page 86: ...absolute measurements various parameter of the reference need to be measured The type of calibration to be used is determined by the system configuration and equipment availability User calibrations...

Page 87: ...s the power splitter output it replaces requires a power meter Searching for the beat note will require that you adjust the center frequency of one of the sources above and below the frequency of the...

Page 88: ...88 N5511A Phase Noise Test System User s Guide Absolute Measurement Fundamentals Calibration Figure 5 24 Beat Note Single Channel...

Page 89: ...Your Measurement Results if you are not familiar with the relationship between the PLL capture range and the peak tuning range of the VCO The beat note frequency is set by the relative frequency diff...

Page 90: ...you are able to locate the beat note but it distorts and then disappears as you adjust it towards 0 Hz your sources are injection locking to each other Set the beat note to the lowest frequency possi...

Page 91: ...ur Single sided spur method and double sided spur method are the two most accurate calibration methods Figure 5 26 shows the setup for a measurement using the single channel single sided spur calibrat...

Page 92: ...ar to the others except that an additional source and a power splitter have been added so that the spur can be summed with the input carrier frequency Advantages Calibration is done under actual measu...

Page 93: ...N5511A Phase Noise Test System User s Guide 93 Absolute Measurement Fundamentals Calibration Figure 5 28 Define Measurement Menu Cal Known Spurs Parameters...

Page 94: ...lower sideband Figure 5 29 Single Sided Spur When the phase modulation is detected in the phase detector the AM component is rejected This detection process reveals the lower sideband but reduces the...

Page 95: ...from the Measured Beat Note section on page 87 The resultant sideband spurs from the phase modulation must have amplitudes that are 100 dB and 20 dB relative to the carrier amplitude Advantages Calib...

Page 96: ...e to the carrier as well as the modulating rate is entered in the software under the Cal tab In the example in Figure 5 33 the system measures a tone at 40 dBc Figure 5 33 Known Spur Parameters The sy...

Page 97: ...System User s Guide 6 Absolute Measurement Examples Example Overviews on page 98 Input Ports on page 99 Single Channel Measurement on page 100 Dual Channel EFC on page 117 Dual Channel DCFM on page 13...

Page 98: ...sing beat note user calibration method and EFC tuning mode Dual Channel using EFC Dual channel measurement of an E8257D PSG UNY at 1 GHz using beat note user calibration method and EFC tuning mode The...

Page 99: ...can be overwritten by manually selecting the detector to be utilized in the measurement setup as long as the input signal is within the hardware specifications of the detector input Low Frequency Inp...

Page 100: ...signal generator as a reference source and one PSG as the device under test DUT Required equipment Two SMA 3 5 mm cables ideal lengths approximately 20 inch One BNC to BNC cable Two signal sources on...

Page 101: ...e M9550A phase detector module inside the PNTS chassis to the EFC port at the back of the REF PSG as reference source using the BNC to BNC cable 2 DUT to Sig RF on PNTS Connect the RF output of the DU...

Page 102: ...Equipment Configure the DUT and source for this measurement 1 Set up DUT PSG Frequency 1 GHz Amplitude 11 dBm RF On Off RF ON Mod On Off MOD OFF 2 Set up REF PSG Frequency 1 GHz Amplitude 14 dBm RF On...

Page 103: ...ingle Channel Measurement Measurement Procedure Measurement Type and Range At the top of the main application window click Define and then select Measurement from the drop down menu Define Measurement...

Page 104: ...ngle segment measurement method where every segment is captured independently and after the previous segment has been measured this is how E5500 works Fast is multi segment where segments are being me...

Page 105: ...Measurement Examples Single Channel Measurement Source Calibration Next we will configure the settings for the DUT and the reference sources Navigate to the Source tab at the top of the current windo...

Page 106: ...ou are using To change these values refer to Table 6 1 below Table 6 1 Tuning Characteristics for Various Sources VCO Source Carrier Freq Tuning Constant Hz V Center Voltage V Voltage Tuning Range V I...

Page 107: ...lute Measurement Examples Single Channel Measurement Cal Configuration Navigate to the Cal tab The following window will appear Figure 6 4 Cal Tab For this lab we will use Beat Note Cal Refer to the C...

Page 108: ...urement 1 Configure Phase Detector Constant Settings Phase Detector Constant Derive detector constant from measured beat note 2 Configure VCO Tune Constant Settings VCO Tune Constant Measure VCO tune...

Page 109: ...oise Test System User s Guide 109 Absolute Measurement Examples Single Channel Measurement Block Diagram Configuration Navigate to the Block Diagram tab The following window will appear Figure 6 5 Blo...

Page 110: ...N5511A Phase Noise Test System User s Guide Absolute Measurement Examples Single Channel Measurement 1 Phase Detector Phase Detector Automatic Detection Selection 2 Test Set Tune Voltage VCO Tune Mode...

Page 111: ...N5511A Phase Noise Test System User s Guide 111 Absolute Measurement Examples Single Channel Measurement Configure Graph Navigate to the Graph tab The following window will appear Figure 6 6 Graph Tab...

Page 112: ...the title to whatever you want but it is quite helpful to set the title to correspond to the measurement you are making e g center frequency DUT absolute residual measurement number of FFT points etc...

Page 113: ...a noise floor level that is below the expected noise floor of your DUT The Checking the Beat Note procedure below will provide you with an opportunity to estimate the measurement noise floor that your...

Page 114: ...played use an oscilloscope connected to the Monitor port on the test set or a counter to check the beat note being created between the reference source and your DUT Figure 6 8 Oscilloscope displaying...

Page 115: ...e resulting beat note will be very close to 0 Hz Searching for the beat note will require that you adjust the center frequency of one of the sources above and below the frequency of the other source u...

Page 116: ...ton when you have completed the beat note check and are ready to make the measurement When the measurement is complete refer to Chapter 14 Evaluating Your Measurement Results for help in evaluating yo...

Page 117: ...res two references and the DUT This example steps through measuring a E8257D PSG UNY as a DUT using two other E8257D PSG UNYs as references Required equipment Keysight N5511A Phase Noise Test System K...

Page 118: ...configuration for a Dual Channel EFC measurement Figure 6 12 Dual Channel EFC Measurement Setup Connectors on M9550A Connects to Green EFC Out on rear of PSG Purple Oscilloscope Red DUT source RF afte...

Page 119: ...Connect the RF output of the DUT to the RF splitter 4 Splitter to RF IN 1 Connect splitter out 1 to the RF1 LB port of the PNTS using the 12 inch cable 5 Splitter to RF IN 2 Connect splitter out 1 to...

Page 120: ...quipment Configure the equipment to the settings for this lab 1 Power Power on all the equipment Keysight N5511A PNTS PSGs 2 Set up the DUT Frequency 1 GHz Amplitude 14 dBm RF On Off On 3 Set up REF 1...

Page 121: ...les Dual Channel EFC Measurement Procedure Measurement Type and Range At the top of the main application window click Define and then select Measurement from the drop down menu Define Measurement Type...

Page 122: ...dependently and after the previous segment has been measured this is how E5500 measures Fast is multi segment where segments are being measured in parallel This option allows for a live view of the da...

Page 123: ...ute Measurement Examples Dual Channel EFC Source Configuration Next we will configure the settings for the DUT and the reference sources Navigate to the Source tab at the top of the current window The...

Page 124: ...etector Input Frequency Detector Input Frequency 1 GHz 3 Set Reference Source Settings Frequency 1 GHz Power 14 dBm 4 VCO Tuning Parameters Nominal Tune Constant 70 Hz V Tune Range 5 V Input resistanc...

Page 125: ...Absolute Measurement Examples Dual Channel EFC Cal Configuration Navigate to the Cal tab The following window will appear Figure 6 15 Cal Tab For this tab we will use Beat Note Cal Refer to the Cal De...

Page 126: ...FC 1 Configure Phase Detector Constant Settings Phase Detector Constant Derive detector constant from measured beat note 2 Configure VCO Tune Constant Settings VCO Tune Constant Measure VCO tune const...

Page 127: ...se Noise Test System User s Guide 127 Absolute Measurement Examples Dual Channel EFC Block Diagram Configuration Navigate to the Block Diagram tab The following window will appear Figure 6 16 Block Di...

Page 128: ...128 N5511A Phase Noise Test System User s Guide Absolute Measurement Examples Dual Channel EFC 1 Phase Detector Phase Detector Automatic Detection Selection 2 Test Set Tune Voltage VCO Tune Mode EFC...

Page 129: ...N5511A Phase Noise Test System User s Guide 129 Absolute Measurement Examples Dual Channel EFC Configure Graph Navigate to the Graph tab The following window will appear Figure 6 17 Graph Tab...

Page 130: ...e Noise Test System User s Guide Absolute Measurement Examples Dual Channel EFC 1 Set Title 2 Set X Scale X Scale Minimum 10 Hz X Scale Maximum 2 MHz 3 Set Y Scale Y Scale Maximum 0 dBc Hz Y Scale Min...

Page 131: ...equency to create a beat note that is within the capture range of the system The phase lock loop PLL capture range is 5 of the peak tuning range of the VCO source you are using The peak tuning range f...

Page 132: ...during calibration if the beat note of one of the references is out of the desired range The window will specify which channel needs to be tuned Figure 6 19 Manual Tune Pause Point Figure 6 20 Oscill...

Page 133: ...our Measurement Results for help in evaluating your measurement results Figure 6 21 shows the result of this measurement example Figure 6 21 Dual Channel EFC Measurement Results Figure 6 22 shows an i...

Page 134: ...x2 Keysight PSG E8257D E8257D E8257D signal sources x3 one PSG acting as a DUT and the other two as references REF with DCFM capability Keysight N5511A Phase Noise Test System Oscilloscope Keysight I...

Page 135: ...e PNTS to the EXT1 port on the front of REF2 sources using a BNC to BNC cable 3 DUT RF to Splitter Connect the RF output of the DUT to the RF splitter 4 Splitter to RF IN 1 Connect splitter out 1 to t...

Page 136: ...for this lab 1 Power Power on all the equipment Keysight N5511A PNTS PSGs 2 Set up the DUT Frequency 1 GHz Amplitude 14 dBm RF On Off On 3 Set up REF 1 Frequency 1 GHz Amplitude 14 dBm FM FM Dev 1 kHz...

Page 137: ...es Dual Channel DCFM Measurement Procedure Measurement Type and Range At the top of the main application window click Define and then select Measurement from the drop down menu Define Measurement Type...

Page 138: ...dependently and after the previous segment has been measured this is how E5500 measures Fast is multi segment where segments are being measured in parallel This option allows for a live view of the da...

Page 139: ...ute Measurement Examples Dual Channel DCFM Source Configuration Next we will configure the settings for the DUT and the reference sources Navigate to the Source tab at the top of the current window Th...

Page 140: ...tector Input Frequency Detector Input Frequency 1 GHz 3 Set Reference Source Settings Frequency 1 GHz Power 14 dBm 4 VCO Tuning Parameters Nominal Tune Constant 1000 Hz V Tune Range 1 V Input resistan...

Page 141: ...Absolute Measurement Examples Dual Channel DCFM Cal Configuration Navigate to the Cal tab The following window will appear Figure 6 26 Cal Tab For this tab we will use Beat Note Cal Refer to the Cal D...

Page 142: ...CFM 1 Configure Phase Detector Constant Settings Phase Detector Constant Derive detector constant from measured beat note 2 Configure VCO Tune Constant Settings VCO Tune Constant Measure VCO tune cons...

Page 143: ...se Noise Test System User s Guide 143 Absolute Measurement Examples Dual Channel DCFM Block Diagram Configuration Navigate to the Block Diagram tab The following window will appear Figure 6 27 Block D...

Page 144: ...144 N5511A Phase Noise Test System User s Guide Absolute Measurement Examples Dual Channel DCFM 1 Phase Detector Phase Detector Automatic Detection Selection 2 Test Set Tune Voltage VCO Tune Mode DCFM...

Page 145: ...N5511A Phase Noise Test System User s Guide 145 Absolute Measurement Examples Dual Channel DCFM Configure Graph Navigate to the Graph tab The following window will appear Figure 6 28 Graph Tab...

Page 146: ...Noise Test System User s Guide Absolute Measurement Examples Dual Channel DCFM 1 Set Title 2 Set X Scale X Scale Minimum 10 Hz X Scale Maximum 2 MHz 3 Set Y Scale Y Scale Maximum 0 dBc Hz Y Scale Min...

Page 147: ...Menu Measure New Measurement Connection Diagram If connection diagram is enabled see Chapter 4 Expanding Your Measurement Experience verify the connections as indicated by the diagram and click Conti...

Page 148: ...ure range and the peak tuning range of the VCO The beat note frequency is set by the relative frequency difference between the two sources If you have two very accurate sources set at the same frequen...

Page 149: ...xamples Dual Channel DCFM When the measurement is complete refer to Chapter 14 Evaluating Your Measurement Results for help in evaluating your measurement results Figure 6 31 shows the result of this...

Page 150: ...Keysight Infinivision MSO X 3054A or similar with high impedance inputs SMB BNC cables x2 to connect monitor outputs to oscilloscope Power Divider operational at carrier frequency To prevent damage t...

Page 151: ...nfiguration used for an OCXO Dual Channel measurement Figure 6 32 OCXO Dual Channel measurement configuration Connectors on M9550A Connects to Green Vtune port of reference Purple Scope monitor Red DU...

Page 152: ...output of the DUT to the RF splitter 4 Splitter to RF IN 1 Connect splitter out 1 to the RF1 LB port of the PNTS using the 12 inch cable 5 Splitter to RF IN 2 Connect splitter out 1 to the RF1 LB port...

Page 153: ...Channel Measurement Configuring Equipment Configure the equipment to the settings for this lab 1 Power Power on all the equipment Keysight N5511A PNTS DUT OCXO Reference OCXOs Allow for oscillators t...

Page 154: ...O Dual Channel Measurement Measurement Procedure Measurement Type and Range At the top of the main application window click Define and then select Measurement from the drop down menu Define Measuremen...

Page 155: ...red independently and after the previous segment has been measured this is how E5500 measures Fast is multi segment where segments are being measured in parallel This option allows for a live view of...

Page 156: ...asurement Examples OCXO Dual Channel Measurement Source Configuration Next we will configure the settings for the DUT and the reference sources Navigate to the Source tab at the top of the current win...

Page 157: ...Set Detector Input Frequency Detector Input Frequency 10 MHz 3 Set Reference Source Settings Frequency 10 MHz Power 10 dBm 4 VCO Tuning Parameters Nominal Tune Constant 7 Hz V Tune Range 5 V Input re...

Page 158: ...te Measurement Examples OCXO Dual Channel Measurement Cal Configuration Navigate to the Cal tab The following window will appear Figure 6 35 Cal Tab For this tab we will use Beat Note Cal Refer to the...

Page 159: ...asurement 1 Configure Phase Detector Constant Settings Phase Detector Constant Derive detector constant from measured beat note 2 Configure VCO Tune Constant Settings VCO Tune Constant Measure VCO tun...

Page 160: ...Noise Test System User s Guide Absolute Measurement Examples OCXO Dual Channel Measurement Block Diagram Configuration Navigate to the Block Diagram tab The following window will appear Figure 6 36 B...

Page 161: ...Phase Noise Test System User s Guide 161 Absolute Measurement Examples OCXO Dual Channel Measurement 1 Phase Detector Phase Detector Automatic Detection Selection 2 Test Set Tune Voltage VCO Tune Mod...

Page 162: ...2 N5511A Phase Noise Test System User s Guide Absolute Measurement Examples OCXO Dual Channel Measurement Configure Graph Navigate to the Graph tab The following window will appear Figure 6 37 Graph T...

Page 163: ...t System User s Guide 163 Absolute Measurement Examples OCXO Dual Channel Measurement 1 Set Title 2 Set X Scale X Scale Minimum 10 Hz X Scale Maximum 2 MHz 3 Set Y Scale Y Scale Maximum 0 dBc Hz Y Sca...

Page 164: ...range for your VCO can be estimated by multiplying the VCO tuning constant by the tune range of VCO Refer to Chapter 14 Evaluating Your Measurement Results if you are not familiar with the relationshi...

Page 165: ...beat note of one of the references is out of the desired range The window will specify which channel needs to be tuned Figure 6 38 Manual Tune Pause Point When the measurement is complete refer to Cha...

Page 166: ...166 N5511A Phase Noise Test System User s Guide Absolute Measurement Examples OCXO Dual Channel Measurement...

Page 167: ...and Additive Noise Measurement Fundamentals What is Residual Noise on page 168 Fundamental Measurement Technique on page 170 Assumptions on page 172 Frequency translation devices on page 173 Calibrati...

Page 168: ...s dividers filters mixers multipliers phase locked loop synthesizers or any other two port electronic networks Residual noise is composed of both AM and FM components The noise mechanisms Residual noi...

Page 169: ...ct origin of this noise component is unknown The second in the case of amplifiers or multipliers is noise which may modulate an RF signal by the multiplication of baseband noise with the signal This m...

Page 170: ...hase shift can be accomplished using line stretchers Figure 7 3 Quadrature Technique When measuring a two port device the source noise in each of the two phase detector paths is correlated at the phas...

Page 171: ...ch of the two phase detectors Similarly the signal that passes through the DUT is split to the RF inputs of each of the two phase detectors Quadrature is established separately for each of the phase t...

Page 172: ...urce AM noise is comparatively small A typical mixer type phase detector only has about 20 to 30 dB of AM noise rejection If the AM component of the signal is greater than 20 to 30 dB above the residu...

Page 173: ...l a possible but not recommended assumption is that the noise of each DUT is half the measured result or 3 dB less All that really can be concluded is that the noise level of one of the DUTs is at lea...

Page 174: ...tional devices are needed These are inserted in the LO paths for each channel These translating devices need not be identical to the DUT but must have the same translating factor Performance of each o...

Page 175: ...rom for calibrating a two port measurement The configuration for each method is provided on the following pages Once configured the application provides instructions while performing the calibration T...

Page 176: ...mentals Calibrating the Measurement Figure 7 8 Calibration Selections The method used will mainly be determined by the sources and equipment available to you When calibrating the system for measuremen...

Page 177: ...nto the phase detector and the test configuration Advantages Easy method for calibrating the measurement system Requires little additional equipment only an RF power meter to manually measure the driv...

Page 178: ...f dual channel measurement separated by 0 1 Hz to 50 MHz at the phase detector The calibration source output power must be manually adjusted to the same level as the power splitter output it replaces...

Page 179: ...cceptable range the calibration constant will be measured The calibration source is then removed the splitter s termination removed and this path of the splitter is connected directly to the LO input...

Page 180: ...uration This technique requires you to adjust off of quadrature to both the positive and the negative peak output of the Phase Detector This is done by either adjusting the phase shifter or the freque...

Page 181: ...a mathematical representation of DC peak voltage cal Measuring the peak positive voltage means adjusting the phase shifter s so that the LO path of each channel is in phase with the RF path into the m...

Page 182: ...ated out Disadvantages Requires RF source used to have modulation capabilities else a phase modulator which operates at the desired carrier frequency Requires audio calibration source Requires RF spec...

Page 183: ...the phase modulator to both LO channel paths Figure 7 13 Single Channel Measurement with Phase Modulator Figure 7 14 shows the setup for a dual channel residual measurement where the stimulus provides...

Page 184: ...signal You will find that the equipment setup for this calibration option is similar to the others except that an additional source and a power splitter have been added so that the spur can be summed...

Page 185: ...The RF calibration source should be adjusted such that the sidebands are between 30 and 60 dB below the carrier and the frequency offset of the spur between 10 Hz and 50 MHz Enter the offset and rela...

Page 186: ...is important to keep your equipment connected until the measurements have been made all problems corrected and the results have been evaluated to make sure that the measurement is valid If the equipme...

Page 187: ...187 Keysight N5511A Phase Noise Test System User s Guide 8 Residual Measurement Examples Amplifier Measurement Example Single Channel on page 188 Amplifier Measurement Example Dual Channel on page 202...

Page 188: ...damentals for more information about residual phase noise measurements Required equipment RF amplifier Stimulus source at frequency under test for this example an E8257D PSG will be used RF calibratio...

Page 189: ...xample Single Channel Configuring Equipment Set Up stimulus PSG Frequency 1 GHz Amplitude 14 dBm Set SSB Cal Tone Set the cal source to be at a 1 kHz offset from the stimulus carrier at the output of...

Page 190: ...ent Procedure Start the N5510 application Measurement Type and Range At the top of the main application window click Define and select Measurement from the drop down menu Define Measurement The follow...

Page 191: ...ent Examples Amplifier Measurement Example Single Channel 1 Choose Measurement Type Measurement Type Residual Phase Noise without using phase locked loop 2 Choose Channel Setup Channel Setup Single 3...

Page 192: ...asurement Example Single Channel Source Configuration Next we will configure the settings for the DUT and the reference source REF Navigate to the Source tab at the top of the current window and the f...

Page 193: ...User s Guide 193 Residual Measurement Examples Amplifier Measurement Example Single Channel Cal Confirmation Navigate to the Cal tab from the Define Measurement window The following window will appea...

Page 194: ...er s Guide Residual Measurement Examples Amplifier Measurement Example Single Channel 1 Configure Phase Detector Constant Cal Derive detector constant from single sided spur 2 Known Spur Parameters Am...

Page 195: ...er s Guide 195 Residual Measurement Examples Amplifier Measurement Example Single Channel Block Diagram Set Up Choose the Block Diagram tab from the Define Measurement window The following window will...

Page 196: ...tem User s Guide Residual Measurement Examples Amplifier Measurement Example Single Channel 1 Phase Shifter Select Manual from the Phase Shifter pull down 2 Phase Detector Select Automatic Detector fr...

Page 197: ...se Test System User s Guide 197 Residual Measurement Examples Amplifier Measurement Example Single Channel Graph Configuration Navigate to the Graph tab The following window will appear Figure 8 6 Gra...

Page 198: ...de Residual Measurement Examples Amplifier Measurement Example Single Channel Set the graph parameters for graph display 1 Set X Scale X Scale Minimum 1 Hz X Scale Maximum 20 MHz 2 Set Y Scale Y Scale...

Page 199: ...the Do you want to perform a New Calibration and Measurement prompt appears click Yes When the Connect Diagram dialog box appears click on the hardware down arrow and select your hardware configurati...

Page 200: ...Refer to Chapter 7 Residual and Additive Noise Measurement Fundamentals for more information about residual phase noise measurements calibration types If the software prompts to Establish Quadrature M...

Page 201: ...the RF from the calibration source Figure 8 8 Apply Modulation The system will prompt you to Remove Modulation Turn off calibration source RF Figure 8 9 Remove Modulation The system will now measure...

Page 202: ...mentals for more information about residual phase noise measurements Required equipment RF amplifier Stimulus source at frequency under test for this example an E8257D PSG will be used RF calibration...

Page 203: ...Example Dual Channel Configuring Equipment Set Up stimulus PSG Frequency 1 GHz Amplitude 14 dBm Set SSB Cal Tone Set the cal source to be at a 1 kHz offset from the stimulus carrier at the output of t...

Page 204: ...nt Procedure Start the N5510 application Measurement Type and Range At the top of the main application window click Define and select Measurement from the drop down menu Define Measurement The followi...

Page 205: ...Example Dual Channel 1 Choose Measurement Type Measurement Type Residual Phase Noise without using phase locked loop 2 Choose Channel Setup Channel Setup Single 3 Cross correlations FFT Analyzer Minim...

Page 206: ...asurement Example Dual Channel Source Configuration Next we will configure the settings for the DUT and the reference source REF Navigate to the Source tab at the top of the current window and the fol...

Page 207: ...m User s Guide 207 Residual Measurement Examples Amplifier Measurement Example Dual Channel Cal Confirmation Navigate to the Cal tab from the Define Measurement window The following window will appear...

Page 208: ...ser s Guide Residual Measurement Examples Amplifier Measurement Example Dual Channel 1 Configure Phase Detector Constant Cal Derive detector constant from single sided spur 2 Known Spur Parameters Amp...

Page 209: ...ser s Guide 209 Residual Measurement Examples Amplifier Measurement Example Dual Channel Block Diagram Set Up Choose the Block Diagram tab from the Define Measurement window The following window will...

Page 210: ...stem User s Guide Residual Measurement Examples Amplifier Measurement Example Dual Channel 1 Phase Shifter Select Manual from the Phase Shifter pull down 2 Phase Detector Select Automatic Detector fro...

Page 211: ...Guide 211 Residual Measurement Examples Amplifier Measurement Example Dual Channel Graph Configuration Navigate to the Graph tab The following window will appear Figure 8 15 Graph Confirmation Set th...

Page 212: ...Test System User s Guide Residual Measurement Examples Amplifier Measurement Example Dual Channel 1 Set X Scale X Scale Minimum 1 Hz X Scale Maximum 20 MHz 2 Set Y Scale Y Scale Minimum 30 dBc Hz Y Sc...

Page 213: ...the Do you want to perform a New Calibration and Measurement prompt appears click Yes When the Connect Diagram dialog box appears click on the hardware down arrow and select your hardware configuratio...

Page 214: ...ditive Noise Measurement Fundamentals for more information about residual phase noise measurements calibration types If the software prompts to Establish Quadrature Manually adjust the phase differenc...

Page 215: ...urement Example Dual Channel The system will then prompt you to Apply Modulation to the Carrier At this moment turn on the RF from the calibration source Figure 8 17 Apply Modulation The system will p...

Page 216: ...mple Dual Channel The system will now measure the noise data The segment data will be displayed on the computer screen as the data is taken until all segments have been taken over the entire range you...

Page 217: ...217 N5511A Phase Noise Test System User s Guide 9 FM Discriminator Fundamentals The Frequency Discriminator Method on page 218...

Page 218: ...criminator Figure 9 1 converts short term frequency fluctuations of a source into voltage fluctuations that can be measured by a baseband analyzer The conversion is a two part process first converting...

Page 219: ...surement is made System sensitivity A frequency discriminator s system sensitivity is determined by the transfer response As shown below it is desirable to make both the phase detector constant K and...

Page 220: ...be measured without compensating for the sin x x response For example a 200 ns delay line will have better sensitivity close to carrier than a 50 ns delay line but will not be usable beyond 2 5 MHz of...

Page 221: ...y line and LZ is the attenuation of the delay line Taking the derivative with respect to the length L to find the maximum of this equation results in LZ 8 7 dB of attenuation The optimum sensitivity o...

Page 222: ...ase detector compression point Improved sensitivity can be achieved by reducing the length of the delay or by using a more efficient line so that the signal level out is 5 7 dBm or 8 7 dB below the mi...

Page 223: ...FM Discriminator Measurement Examples Introduction on page 224 FM Discriminator Single Channel Measurement using Double Sided Spur Calibration on page 225 FM Discriminator Single Channel Measurement u...

Page 224: ...rift tracking The setup for a discriminator measurement uses a delay line to convert frequency fluctuations to phase fluctuations and a phase shifter to set quadrature at the phase detector Figure 10...

Page 225: ...apply a signal beyond the systems specifications Refer to the data sheet for power specifications To ensure accurate measurements allow the DUT and measurement equipment to warm up at least 30 minute...

Page 226: ...Figure 10 2 shows the noise floor of the discriminator for given delay times t 2 Determine the length of coax required to provide the necessary delay Eight feet of BNC cable will provide 12 ns of dela...

Page 227: ...ble Sided Spur Calibration Define the measurement Measurement Type and Range From the Define menu navigate to the Measurement window Refer to Figure 10 3 1 Choose the Type and Range tab 2 From the Mea...

Page 228: ...r Single Channel Measurement using Double Sided Spur Calibration Source Calibration 1 Choose the Source tab Refer to Figure 10 4 2 Enter the carrier center frequency of your DUT 5 MHz to 1 6 GHz Enter...

Page 229: ...odulated calibration source into a spectrum analyzer and measure the 1st modulation sideband frequency and power relative to the carrier s frequency and power Enter the parameters in the following ste...

Page 230: ...annel Measurement using Double Sided Spur Calibration Block Diagram Configuration 1 Choose the Block Diagram tab Refer to Figure 10 6 2 From the Reference Source pull down select Manual 3 From the Pha...

Page 231: ...riminator Single Channel Measurement using Double Sided Spur Calibration Configure Graph 1 Choose the Graph tab Refer to Figure 10 7 2 Enter a graph description of your choice Figure 10 7 Select Graph...

Page 232: ...specified because they are more widely available Using BNC cables may degrade the close in phase noise results and while adequate for this example should not be used for an actual measurement on an un...

Page 233: ...iminator Measurement Examples FM Discriminator Single Channel Measurement using Double Sided Spur Calibration Beginning the measurement 1 From the View menu choose Meter to select the quadrature meter...

Page 234: ...riminator Measurement Examples FM Discriminator Single Channel Measurement using Double Sided Spur Calibration 2 From the Measurement menu choose New Measurement 3 When the Do you want to perform a Ne...

Page 235: ...ed Spur Calibration 4 When the Connect Diagram dialog box appears click on the hardware pull down arrow and select your hardware configuration from the list See Figure 10 9 Figure 10 9 Setup diagram f...

Page 236: ...g the measurement The calibration procedure determines the discriminator constant to use in the transfer response by measuring the system response to a known FM signal 2 Establish quadrature by adjust...

Page 237: ...n until all segments have been taken over the entire range you specified in the Measurement definition s Type and Range When the measurement is complete When the measurement is complete refer to Chapt...

Page 238: ...requency 100 E 6 Hz Minimum Number of Averages 4 FFT Quality Normal Swept Quality Fast 2 Sources Tab Carrier Source Frequency 1 027 E 9 Hz Power 19 dBm Detector Input Frequency 1 027 E 9 Hz 3 Cal Tab...

Page 239: ...1 027GHz 19 dBm out VCO DSS Graph Type Single sideband Noise dBc Hz X Scale Minimum 10 Hz X Scale Maximum 100 E 6 Hz Y Scale Minimum 10 dBc Hz Y Scale Maximum 190 dBc Hz Normalize trace data to a 1 H...

Page 240: ...loss in the delay line Verify that the signal source will be able to provide a power level at the output of the delay line of between 5 and 17 ICBM Be sure to take into account an additional 4 to 6 d...

Page 241: ...inator Single Channel Measurement using FM Rate and Deviation Calibration in the power splitter The loss across 8 feet of BNC cable specified in this example is negligible The test set Signal and Refe...

Page 242: ...e and Deviation Calibration Define the measurement Measurement Type and Range From the Define menu navigate to the Measurement window Refer to Figure 10 12 1 Choose the Type and Range tab 2 From the M...

Page 243: ...ingle Channel Measurement using FM Rate and Deviation Calibration Source Calibration 1 Choose the Source tab Refer to Figure 10 13 2 Enter the carrier center frequency of your DUT 5 MHz to 1 6 GHz Ent...

Page 244: ...t using FM Rate and Deviation Calibration Cal Configuration 1 Choose the Cal tab Refer to Figure 10 14 2 Select Derive constant from FM rate and deviation as the calibration method 3 Set the FM Rate t...

Page 245: ...el Measurement using FM Rate and Deviation Calibration Block Diagram Configuration 1 Choose the Block Diagram tab Refer to Figure 10 15 2 From the Reference Source pull down select Manual 3 From the P...

Page 246: ...inator Single Channel Measurement using FM Rate and Deviation Calibration Configure Graph 1 Choose the Graph tab Refer to Figure 10 16 2 Enter a graph description of your choice Figure 10 16 Select Gr...

Page 247: ...n specified because they are more widely available Using BNC cables may degrade the close in phase noise results and while adequate for this example should not be used for an actual measurement on an...

Page 248: ...nator Measurement Examples FM Discriminator Single Channel Measurement using FM Rate and Deviation Calibration Beginning the measurement 1 From the View menu choose Meter to select the quadrature mete...

Page 249: ...minator Measurement Examples FM Discriminator Single Channel Measurement using FM Rate and Deviation Calibration 2 From the Measurement menu choose New Measurement 3 When the Do you want to perform a...

Page 250: ...eviation Calibration 4 When the Connect Diagram dialog box appears click on the hardware pull down arrow and select your hardware configuration from the list See Figure 10 18 Figure 10 18 Setup diagra...

Page 251: ...ing the measurement The calibration procedure determines the discriminator constant to use in the transfer response by measuring the system response to a known FM signal 2 Establish quadrature by adju...

Page 252: ...n until all segments have been taken over the entire range you specified in the Measurement definition s Type and Range When the measurement is complete When the measurement is complete refer to Chapt...

Page 253: ...p Frequency 100 E 6 Hz Minimum Number of Averages 4 FFT Quality Normal Swept Quality Fast 2 Sources Tab Carrier Source Frequency 1 027 E 9 Hz Power 19 dBm Detector Input Frequency 1 027 E 9 Hz 3 Cal T...

Page 254: ...1 027GHz 19 dBm out VCO DSS Graph Type Single sideband Noise dBc Hz X Scale Minimum 10 Hz X Scale Maximum 100 E 6 Hz Y Scale Minimum 10 dBc Hz Y Scale Maximum 190 dBc Hz Normalize trace data to a 1 H...

Page 255: ...nt Fundamentals AM Noise Measurement Theory of Operation on page 256 Amplitude Noise Measurement on page 257 Calibration and Measurement General Guidelines on page 260 User entry of phase detector con...

Page 256: ...unction between the known signal and the measured baseband signal is calculated Phase noise measurement In the case of small angle phase modulation 0 1 rad the modulation sideband amplitude is constan...

Page 257: ...detector with an AM detector the AM noise measurement can be calibrated in the same way as PM noise measurement except the phase modulation must be replaced with amplitude modulation The AM noise meas...

Page 258: ...an AM detector filter Keysight 70429A K21 The detector for example is an 33330C Low Barrier Schottky Diode Detector The Schottky detectors will handle more power than the point contact detectors and...

Page 259: ...mixer products The AC load on the detector is 50 set by the input impedance of the LNA in the test system The 50 ohm load increases the detector bandwidth up to more than 100 MHz N5511A has an intern...

Page 260: ...In a dual channel configuration the internal noise floor can be reduced by cross correlation and can thus make these power considerations less critical An amplifier amplifiers if dual channel must be...

Page 261: ...of leveled outputs the AM detector sensitivity will always be essentially the same Very quick method of estimating the equivalent phase detector constant Disadvantages It is the least accurate of the...

Page 262: ...AM Noise Measurement Fundamentals Calibration and Measurement General Guidelines 4 Measure the noise data and interpret the results The measured data will be plotted as single sideband AM noise in dB...

Page 263: ...ed spur method and the single sided spur method are the two most accurate methods for this reason Disadvantages Required that the DUT have adjustable AM which may also be turned off Requires the AM of...

Page 264: ...ed in an absolute or residual measurement as AM is not being suppressed in this measurement See Figure 11 8 Figure 11 8 AM Detector removes carrier 4 Reconnect the AM detector and enter the carrier to...

Page 265: ...his method is identical to method 1 however a reference with modulation capabilities is used to calibrate the measurement 1 Connect the device under test in a single channel or dual channel configurat...

Page 266: ...gure 11 10 AM Detector removes carrier 4 Enter the carrier to sideband ratio and offset frequency then measure the calibration constant 5 Remove the AM source and reconnect the DUT 6 Measure noise dat...

Page 267: ...tector are calibrated out The double sided spur method and the single sided spur method are the two most accurate methods for this reason Disadvantages Requires 2 RF sources which must be between 10 H...

Page 268: ...ded spur ratio and the spur offset at the input to the AM detector with an RF spectrum analyzer See Figure 11 13 The spur should be adjusted such that it is between 30 and 60 dBc with a carrier offset...

Page 269: ...Fundamentals Calibration and Measurement General Guidelines Figure 11 14 AM Detector removes carrier 5 Reconnect DUT signal to the AM detector s 6 Begin measurement following on screen instructions fo...

Page 270: ...270 N5511A Phase Noise Test System User s Guide AM Noise Measurement Fundamentals Calibration and Measurement General Guidelines...

Page 271: ...271 Keysight N5511A Phase Noise Test System User s Guide 12 AM Noise Measurement Examples AM Noise Measurement Examples on page 272...

Page 272: ...ired equipment This measurement requires an E8257D in addition to the phase noise test system and your DUT You also need the coaxial cables and adapters necessary to connect the DUT and reference sour...

Page 273: ...for this lab 1 Power Power on all the equipment Keysight N5511A PNTS E8257D PSG 2 Set up the DUT carrier signal Frequency 1 GHz Amplitude 14 dBm RF On Off On 3 Set up modulating tone AM AM Depth 1 5...

Page 274: ...ment Procedure Measurement Type and Range File New Do you want to see the measurement parameters to default values Yes At the top of the main application window click Define and then select Measuremen...

Page 275: ...independently and after the previous segment has been measured Fast is multi segment where segments are being measured in parallel This option allows for a live view of the data acquisition of the mea...

Page 276: ...Examples Source Calibration Next we will configure the settings for the DUT and the reference sources Navigate to the Source tab at the top of the current window This window will appear Figure 12 3 So...

Page 277: ...Noise Measurement Examples AM Noise Measurement Examples Cal Configuration Navigate to the Cal tab This window will appear Figure 12 4 Cal Tab For this tab we will use Beat Note Cal Refer to the Cal...

Page 278: ...ide AM Noise Measurement Examples AM Noise Measurement Examples 1 Configure Phase Detector Constant Settings Phase Detector Constant Derive detector constant from double sided spur 2 Configure Known S...

Page 279: ...Guide 279 AM Noise Measurement Examples AM Noise Measurement Examples Block Diagram Configuration Navigate to the Block Diagram tab This window will appear Figure 12 5 Block Diagram Tab 1 Phase Detec...

Page 280: ...280 N5511A Phase Noise Test System User s Guide AM Noise Measurement Examples AM Noise Measurement Examples Configure Graph Navigate to the Graph tab This window will appear Figure 12 6 Graph Tab...

Page 281: ...t System User s Guide 281 AM Noise Measurement Examples AM Noise Measurement Examples 1 Set Title 2 Set X Scale X Scale Minimum 10 Hz X Scale Maximum 2 MHz 3 Set Y Scale Y Scale Maximum 0 dBc Hz Y Sca...

Page 282: ...asurement Close Define Window From the File Menu Measure New Measurement When the Do you want to perform a New Calibration and Measurement prompt appears click Yes Software will prompt to turn on and...

Page 283: ...283 Keysight N5511A Phase Noise Test System User s Guide 13 Baseband Noise Measurement Example Baseband Noise with Test Set Measurement Example on page 285...

Page 284: ...s can be performed in either single or dual channel mode The baseband noise paths are calibrated in N5511A and therefore there is no user calibration required The figures below show the configuration...

Page 285: ...nu Define Measurement Measurement Type Baseband Noise using test set Connect a noise source to the test set using one of the configurations as shown in Figure 13 1 New Measurement Close Define Window...

Page 286: ...6 N5511A Phase Noise Test System User s Guide Baseband Noise Measurement Example Baseband Noise with Test Set Measurement Example The connection diagram will show the configuration setup Press Continu...

Page 287: ...and Noise Measurement Example Baseband Noise with Test Set Measurement Example Figure 13 2 shows a typical phase noise curve for a baseband noise measurement using the test set Figure 13 2 Phase Noise...

Page 288: ...st 2 Cal Tab Gain preceding noise input 0 dB 3 Block Diagram Tab Noise Source Test Set Noise Input 4 Test Set Tab Input Attenuation 0 dB LNA Low Pass Filter 20 MHz Auto checked LNA Gain Auto Gain Mini...

Page 289: ...stem User s Guide 14 Evaluating Your Measurement Results Evaluating the Results on page 290 Gathering More Data on page 293 Outputting the Results on page 294 Graph of Results on page 295 Omit Spurs o...

Page 290: ...File is recommended for each measurement These steps provide an overview of the evaluation process Look for obvious problems on the graph such as discontinuity breaks Compare the graph against known...

Page 291: ...s of a similar type of circuit operating in a similar manner The reference source It is important that you know the noise and spur characteristics of your reference source when you are making phase no...

Page 292: ...Compensation for added reference source noise For example applying to the graph the 7 dB difference in noise levels at 10 Hz reveals that the measured results should be decreased by about 1 dB at 10...

Page 293: ...er action recommended in Problem Solving on page 302 repeating the measurement after each change allows you to check the effect that the change has had on the total noise graph To repeat a measurement...

Page 294: ...nt Results Outputting the Results Outputting the Results To generate a printed hardcopy of your test results you must have a printer connected to the computer Using a printer To print the phase noise...

Page 295: ...Graph of Results functions from the main graph menu You can load a result file using the File System functions and then display the results The following functions are available to help you evaluate y...

Page 296: ...Test System User s Guide Evaluating Your Measurement Results Graph of Results 2 To remove the highlighted marker click the Delete button You may add as many as nine markers See Figure 14 6 Figure 14 6...

Page 297: ...aluating Your Measurement Results Omit Spurs Omit Spurs Omit Spurs plots the currently loaded results without displaying any spurs that may be present 1 On the View menu click Display Preferences See...

Page 298: ...298 N5511A Phase Noise Test System User s Guide Evaluating Your Measurement Results Omit Spurs 2 In the Display Preferences dialog box uncheck Spurs See Figure 14 8 Click OK Figure 14 8 Uncheck spurs...

Page 299: ...299 Evaluating Your Measurement Results Omit Spurs 3 The Graph will be displayed without spurs Figure 14 9 To re display the spurs check Spurs in the Display Preferences dialog box Figure 14 9 Graph...

Page 300: ...r summary The Parameter Summary function allows you to quickly review the measurement parameter entries that were used for this measurement The parameter summary data is included when you print the gr...

Page 301: ...s Guide 301 Evaluating Your Measurement Results Omit Spurs 2 The Parameter Summary Notepad dialog box appears Figure 14 12 The data can be printed or changed using standard Notepad functionality Figu...

Page 302: ...ption Recommended Action Break between segments where closely spaced spurs are resolved in one segment but not in the next Closely spaced spurs that are resolved in one sweep segment but not in the ne...

Page 303: ...uency between the phase detector portion of the measurement and the voltage controlled oscillator tune line measurement The accuracy degradation can be caused by An inaccurate Tuning or Phase Detector...

Page 304: ...Refer to Table 14 3 The spur marking criterion is a detected upward change of more than X dB where X is the value shown below within 4 data points a single data point noise peak will not be marked as...

Page 305: ...eases in the Peak Tuning Range set by the VCO source Shorten coaxial cables as much as possible particularly the Tune Voltage Output cable Make sure all cable connections are tight It may be possible...

Page 306: ...of the signal To accurately plot noise that exceeds the small angle line select the Spectral Density of Phase Modulation dB Hz graph type S L raises the noise floor by 3 dB The 10 dB per decade line i...

Page 307: ...Lock Loop Suppression on page 309 PLL suppression parameters on page 310 Ignore Out Of Lock Mode on page 312 PLL Suppression Verification Process on page 313 Blanking Frequency and Amplitude Informati...

Page 308: ...e Advanced Functions allows you to manipulate the test system or to customize a measurement using the extended capabilities of the N5510 software This chapter describes each of these advanced function...

Page 309: ...Loop Suppression Selecting PLL Suppression Curve on the View menu causes the software to display the PLL Suppression Curve plot as shown in Figure 15 1 when it is verified during measurement calibrat...

Page 310: ...nge plotted for the smoothed measured loop suppression The frequency of the assumed pole is normally much greater than the Closed PLL BW and there is no loop peaking If the smoothed measured PLL suppr...

Page 311: ...sion The Assumed Pole frequency is normally much greater than the Closed PLL BW An Assumed Pole frequency of less than 10 X PLL BW is an indication of peaking on the PLL Suppression curve For PLL BWs...

Page 312: ...ows you to measure sources with high close in noise that normally would cause an out of lock condition and stop the measurement When Ignore Out Of Lock is selected the user is responsible for monitori...

Page 313: ...on which is very useful in detecting errors in the phase detector constant or tune constant the tune constant linearity limited VCO tune port bandwidth conditions and injection locking conditions If t...

Page 314: ...ression information The PLL Suppression View graph has been updated to allow measured calculated adjusted and theoretical information to be examined more closely When the Always Show Suppression Graph...

Page 315: ...of the measured results it is used to compare with the theoretical loop suppression c Theoretical suppression curve Figure 15 6 this is the predicted loop suppression based on the initial loop parame...

Page 316: ...316 N5511A Phase Noise Test System User s Guide Advanced Software Features Phase Lock Loop Suppression Figure 15 4 Measured loop suppression curve...

Page 317: ...N5511A Phase Noise Test System User s Guide 317 Advanced Software Features Phase Lock Loop Suppression Figure 15 5 Smoothed loop suppression curve...

Page 318: ...318 N5511A Phase Noise Test System User s Guide Advanced Software Features Phase Lock Loop Suppression Figure 15 6 Theoretical loop suppression curve...

Page 319: ...N5511A Phase Noise Test System User s Guide 319 Advanced Software Features Phase Lock Loop Suppression Figure 15 7 Smoothed vs theoretical loop suppression curve...

Page 320: ...320 N5511A Phase Noise Test System User s Guide Advanced Software Features Phase Lock Loop Suppression Figure 15 8 Smoothed vs Adjusted theoretical loop suppression curve...

Page 321: ...ures Phase Lock Loop Suppression Figure 15 9 Adjusted theoretical vs theoretical loop suppression curve Accuracy degradation Accuracy specification degradation is determined by taking the larger of Ma...

Page 322: ...ise graph See Figure 15 10 Figure 15 10 Choosing levels of security Implementing either of the secured levels described in this section is not reversible Once the frequency or frequency amplitude data...

Page 323: ...equency and Amplitude Information on the Phase Noise Graph Secured Frequencies Cannot be Viewed When Secured Frequencies cannot be viewed is selected all frequency information is blanked on the phase...

Page 324: ...324 N5511A Phase Noise Test System User s Guide Advanced Software Features Blanking Frequency and Amplitude Information on the Phase Noise Graph Figure 15 12 Secured frequencies cannot be viewed...

Page 325: ...aph Secured Frequencies and Amplitudes cannot be viewed When Secured Frequencies and Amplitudes cannot be viewed is selected all frequency and amplitude information is blanked on the phase noise graph...

Page 326: ...326 N5511A Phase Noise Test System User s Guide Advanced Software Features Blanking Frequency and Amplitude Information on the Phase Noise Graph...

Page 327: ...f Various Keysight Sources on page 330 Increase in Measured Noise as Ref Source Approaches DUT Noise on page 331 Approximate Sensitivity of Delay Line Discriminator on page 332 AM Calibration on page...

Page 328: ...phase detector in the test set Figure 16 1 illustrates the approximate noise floor of the N5500A test set for a range of R input port signal levels from 15 dBm to 15 dBm These estimates of sensitivity...

Page 329: ...dians integrated over any one decade of offset frequency At approximately 0 2 radians the power in the higher order sidebands of the phase modulation is still insignificant compared to the power in th...

Page 330: ...indicates the level of phase noise that has been measured for several potential reference sources at specific frequencies Depending on the sensitivity that is required at the offset to be measured a s...

Page 331: ...e as Ref Source Approaches DUT Noise The graph shown in Figure 16 4 demonstrates that as the noise level of the reference source approaches the noise level of the DUT the level measured by the softwar...

Page 332: ...to the delay line sensitivity it is apparent the delay line sensitivity is tipped up by 20 dB decade beginning at an offset of 1 2 The sensitivity graphs indicate the delay line frequency discriminat...

Page 333: ...is used to determine the equivalent phase Detector Constant from the measured AM Detector input level or from the diode detector s DC voltage The equivalent phase detector constant phase slope is rea...

Page 334: ...o maintain quadrature is limited to a fraction of the peak tuning range PTR to ensure that the tuning slope is well behaved and the VCO Tune Constant remains accurate After phase lock is established t...

Page 335: ...for Center Voltage The graph in Figure 16 8 outlines the minimum to maximum Tune Range of VCO that the software provides for a given center voltage The Tune range of VCO decreases as the absolute val...

Page 336: ...in Figure 16 9 provides a comparison between the typical phase noise level of a variety of sources and the minimum tuning range that is necessary for the test system to create a phase lock loop of suf...

Page 337: ...n Figure 16 10 illustrates the closed Phase Lock Loop Bandwidth PLL BW chosen by the test system as a function of the Peak Tuning Range of the source Knowing the approximate closed PLL BW allows you t...

Page 338: ...mits Due to Peak Tuning Range The graph in Figure 16 11 illustrates the equivalent phase noise at the Peak Tuning Range entered for the source due to the inherent noise at the test set Tune Voltage Ou...

Page 339: ...M Deviation 0 10 50 600 Compute Keysight 8662 3A EFC u0 5 E 9 x 0 0 10 1E 6 Measure DCFM FM Deviation 0 10 1 K 8662 Calculate 600 8663 Calculate Keysight 8642A B FM Deviation 0 10 600 Calculate Keysig...

Page 340: ...340 N5511A Phase Noise Test System User s Guide Reference Graphs and Tables Tuning Characteristics of Various VCO Source Options...

Page 341: ...341 Keysight N5511A Phase Noise Test System User s Guide 17 System Specifications System Specifications on page 342 Power requirements on page 344...

Page 342: ...nd Pollution Degree 2 Table 17 1 Mechanical and environmental specifications Specifications Values Temperature Operating 0 C to 55 C 32 F to 131 F Non operating storage 40 C to 70 C 40 F to 158 F Alti...

Page 343: ...ing characteristics Warm up time required 30 minutes Carrier frequency Input Range 50 kHz to 40 GHz System noise response 175 dBc Hz typically 10 kHz offsets System spurious response 120 dBc typically...

Page 344: ...voltage The N5511A system is shipped with AC power cords appropriate for your location For information on an instrument s power line module see the instrument s separate user s guide Table 17 3 N5511...

Page 345: ...connections N5511A System Modules on page 346 Making Connections on page 347 N5511A Two Channel Cable Connections on page 349 System Connectors on page 354 This chapter contains information and diagra...

Page 346: ...346 N5511A Phase Noise Test System User s Guide System Interconnections N5511A System Modules N5511A System Modules Figure 18 1 N5511A System Modules...

Page 347: ...orque the connector to the proper value Proper Connector Torque Provides more accurate measurements Keeps moisture out of the connectors Eliminates radio frequency interference RFI from affecting your...

Page 348: ...provide a monitor to view the user interface Connect a display port cable to the M9037A controller display port connection and your monitor Figure 18 2 M9037A Controller Display Port Connect a USB ke...

Page 349: ...11A Two Channel Cable Connections Figure 18 3 All Cables Cable colors are for identifying purposes only Cable Color Cable Group Cable Part Numbers White Clock 8120 5091 120 mm Green Phase Detector Tes...

Page 350: ...erconnections N5511A Two Channel Cable Connections Figure 18 4 Clock Cables Clock Cable Connections All Cables Part 8120 5091 120 mm M9551A M9300A 156 kHz Clk 1 100 MHz Out 1 156 kHz Clk 1 100 MHz Out...

Page 351: ...N5511A Two Channel Cable Connections Figure 18 5 Phase Noise Test Set 1 Cables Phase Noise Test Set 1 Cable Connections All Cables Part 8121 2175 300 mm M9551A M955xA 156 kHz IN 1 156 kHz 100 MHz 156...

Page 352: ...N5511A Two Channel Cable Connections Figure 18 6 Phase Noise Test Set 2 Cables Phase Noise Test Set 2 Cable Connections All Cables Part 8121 2175 300 mm M9551A M955xA 156 kHz IN 2 156 kHz 100 MHz 156...

Page 353: ...erconnections N5511A Two Channel Cable Connections Figure 18 7 FFT Data Converter Cables FFT Data Converter Cable Connections All Cables Part 8121 5091 M9551A M955xA 156 kHz CAL 1 BB Cal In DC 100 MHz...

Page 354: ...stem Connectors The following figures and tables show the connectors and adapters for the main N5511A system It includes the type and quantity for each module in the system Figure 18 8 M9300A Connecto...

Page 355: ...Qty Adapter Coaxial straight Female K Female K 3 Adapter Coaxial Straight Bulkhead SMB Jack MMCX Jack 50 6 GHz 1 Adapter Coaxial Straight Bulkhead SMA Jack MMCX Jack 50 6 GHz 1 RF SMB Male Straight E...

Page 356: ...ors Figure 18 10 M9551A Connectors Table 18 4 M9551A Connectors Description Qty RF SMB Male Straight Edge mount 50 4 GHz 16 Micro USB Type B Receptacle Right angle SMT 5 POS 0 65mm 30VAC 1 8A 1 Row 1...

Page 357: ...neral Procedures and Techniques on page 361 Instrument Removal on page 364 Instrument Installation on page 367 Using Inspecting and Cleaning RF Connectors on page 358 Repeatability on page 358 RF Cabl...

Page 358: ...ected RF Cable and Connector Care Connectors are the most critical link in a precision measurement system These devices are manufactured to extremely precise tolerances and must be used and maintained...

Page 359: ...e torque required depends on the type of connector Refer to Table 19 1 Do not overtighten the connector Never exceed the recommended torque when attaching cables Connector Wear and Damage Look for met...

Page 360: ...oth or one slightly dampened with water to clean the external case parts Do not attempt to clean internally Do not allow excessive alcohol to run into the connector Excessive alcohol entering the conn...

Page 361: ...This section introduces you to the various cable and connector types used in the system Read this section before attempting to remove or install an instrument Each connector type may have unique cons...

Page 362: ...arefully join the connectors being careful not to cross thread them Loosen precision 3 5 mm connectors on flexible cables by turning the connector nut counter clockwise with a 5 16 inch wrench Always...

Page 363: ...male connector center pin into the female connector Make sure the cable is aligned with the instrument connector properly before joining them Turn the silver nut clockwise by hand until it is snug th...

Page 364: ...and Techniques then disconnect all cables on the front and on the rear panel Most cables are fairly easy to remove and reconnect and have no special considerations besides making sure you put the cab...

Page 365: ...m the front and rear of both instruments Note the location of cables for re installation 5 Remove the four corner screws on the front of the rack panel that secures the instruments in place The screws...

Page 366: ...nchtop Instrument Table 19 5 To remove an instrument from a benchtop system Step Notes 1 Power off each instrument in the system 2 Unplug the selected instrument s power cord from the AC power supply...

Page 367: ...reconnect and have no special considerations besides making sure you put the cables back in the right place Semirigid cables require more care especially when reconnecting them Make sure all semirigid...

Page 368: ...m sliding them along the support rails until they meet the rack mount ears The rack mount ears stop the instruments at the correct depth 5 Replace the rack panel in front of the instruments and secure...

Page 369: ...This information is subject to change without notice Keysight Technologies 2019 Edition 1 September 2019 N5511 90002 www keysight com...

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