Rohde & Schwarz is participating at EuMW virtual with a lavishly designed virtual trade show booth, where visitors can learn about new developments and exchange ideas with experts. The focus is on test systems for RF frontend designs, for radar and satellite systems and for wireless technologies from 5G to the sub-terahertz range. European Microwave Week 2020 was postponed and takes place from 10th – 15th January 2021, as an online event.
RF component tests
RF component tests and associated research applications are on display at one counter of the Rohde & Schwarz booth. A highlight here is the new vector-receiver load pull measurement setup with an R&S ZNA high-end vector network analyzer (VNA) and microwave impedance tuners from Maury Microwave. This setup enables very fast, high-precision measurements on nonlinear RF amplifiers, as well as on-wafer measurements on nonlinear semiconductor components. It supports high-speed power and impedance sweeps. Using the R&S ZNB40 VNA with a frequency range up to 40 GHz, Rohde & Schwarz also demonstrates how measurement accuracy can be significantly increased with little effort when testing signal integrity on digital designs and microwave board designs.
As another highlight, Rohde & Schwarz demonstrates online access to the R&S WinIQSIM2 simulation software and the R&S Vector Signal Explorer (VSE) RF analysis software via the R&S Cloud4Testing software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform. Analyses and simulations are running in the cloud, so users need not install the software on their own devices – e.g. in their home offices – nor do they need to allow for any processing power for these tasks. The R&S Cloud4Testing SaaS platform is also attractive for companies that perform amplifier tests according to multiple, different standards.
5G NR and beyond
Rohde & Schwarz also presents RF base station test solutions for the 5G FR2 frequency range from 26 GHz to 39 GHz, as well as an R&S CMP200 based test solution for ultra wideband components compliant with IEEE 802.15.4a/4z. This transmission technology is suitable for precise location finding, e.g. for machines or materials.
At the following counter, the focus is on next generation cellular technologies. Here, the Rohde & Schwarz experts explain how an antenna operating in the sub-terahertz range can be characterized over the air (OTA testing). Many modern components and modules are so small and so tightly integrated that wired measurements are no longer possible. Using a compact antenna test range (CATR) and suitable test procedures will provide a compact setup for OTA antenna characterization.
