Towards faster, swept, time-coherent transient network analyzer measurements

Time- and phase-coherent swept network analyzer measurements are increasingly important for everything from harmonic waveform reconstruction needs in power amplifier analysis to transient pulse response problems in radar and phased array applications and generic memory effect analysis in device characterization. Classically, there have been several solutions to these problems but these have often been slow or have required sometimes complicated reference-generation schemes to enable phase recovery. By employing a wide-IF digitizer in a sampling receiver along with a somewhat novel triggering/marking scheme, it is possible to perform synchronous complex measurements during a frequency or power sweep at 10s of μs/point sweep rates. This configuration is demonstrated with a waveform reconstruction experiment and with sensitive swept transient DUT measurements delineating thermal response differences of more than 1.5 dB and 15 degrees on a fast sweep timescale.