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5G Waveform Generation & Analysis Test Bed Reference Solution

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5G Waveform Generation & Analysis Test Bed Reference Solution

Introduction

One of the most significant challenges research and development (R&D) engineers face in developing devices for today’s 5G is the number and variety of waveforms, frequencies, and bandwidths. These test challenges include waveforms at frequencies below 6 GHz and at microwave and millimeter-wave (mmWave) frequencies which may involve wide bandwidths.

A flexible test environment is critical for 5G signal generation and analysis research to address many possible real-world scenarios.

5G Waveform Generation and Analysis Test Challenges

A flexible test platform is essential for 5G research. It enables you to perform different scenarios during the evaluation of early concepts using a variety of modulation schemes at many different frequencies and modulation bandwidths.

As developers conduct experiments, a highly flexible test bed enables the evaluation of waveforms with prototype algorithms and hardware. A flexible test environment makes it possible to quickly transition between what-if scenarios in simulation to the actual testing of the prototype algorithms and hardware.

More specifically, test flexibility is important in three key areas of 5G research and early testing:

  • 5G New Radio (NR) and multiformat waveforms with high fidelity
  • modulation bandwidths, from 100 MHz to more than 5 GHz
  • frequency bands, from RF to centimeter wave to mmWave

5G NR waveform generation and analysis

To address these test challenges, Keysight’s 5G waveform generation and analysis reference solution provides the essential components of a flexible 5G waveform generation and analysis test platform. This reference solution enables engineers and researchers to generate and analyze a variety of 5G NR waveforms at RF, centimeter wave, and mmWave frequencies. A range of modulation bandwidths is available up to 2.5 GHz, emphasizing 5G NR activity in the 28 GHz and 37 to 39 GHz bands.

The Keysight M9484C VXG microwave signal generator and Keysight’s PathWave signal generation software give you various standards-compliant and custom 3GPP 5G NR waveforms. The dual-channel capability provides a variety of test use cases:

•Generating spatially multiplexed signals from each transmission antenna.

•Creating low power level wanted signals and high-power interfering signals.

•Producing phase-coherent signals to evaluate amplitude and phase shifts in phased array antenna systems with real-world modulated signals.

Keysight’s PathWave vector signal analysis (89600 VSA) software enables signal demodulation and analysis within the simulation software. PathWave works using a signal analyzer, oscilloscope, or PC to control a variety of instruments or digitizers.

The M8195A arbitrary waveform generator provides direct intermediate frequency (IF) signals to the external mixer. In contrast, the Keysight N5183B MXG X-Series microwave analog signal generator provides the local oscillator (LO) for upconversion to millimeter-wave frequencies. The Keysight N9042B UXA signal analyzer can directly digitize signal bandwidths up to 2 GHz for analysis. Using an oscilloscope, the UXA’s wideband IF output enables you to analyze up to 5 GHz of bandwidth signal.

Signal Creation Configuration

For pre-5G and 5G NR signals in the 28 and 39 GHz bands, the M9484C VXG microwave signal generator offers less than 0.5% error vector magnitude (EVM) and up to 2.5 GHz bandwidth without external heads or components, as displayed in Figure 4.

An external arbitrary waveform generator (AWG) is required for bandwidths above 2.5 GHz. The Keysight M8190A AXIe AWG offers 5 GHz analog bandwidth. This solution can operate with a 14-bit resolution at up to 8 GSa/s or a 12-bit resolution of up to 12 GSa/s.

For signal generation above 54 GHz, the MXG X-Series microwave analog signal generators provide the local oscillators (LOs) for the mmWave upconverters.

Keysight’s PathWave Pro signal generation software for 5G NR, pre-5G, and custom modulation quickly creates a variety of standards-compliant and custom waveforms for evaluating DUT characteristics over a wide range of signal configurations.

Figure 4 shows that the parameterized graphical user interfaces (GUI) make it easy to quickly create 5G NR, pre-5G, custom OFDM, and IQ waveforms. You can use PathWave software to save the VSA setup files to recall configurations for in-depth demodulation and analysis insights.

Calibration for our signal generators and signal analyzers covers frequency, amplitude, and modulation bandwidth. This method ensures metrology-grade measurements, so you see the true performance of your DUT rather than the test equipment. However, at wider modulation bandwidths and higher carrier frequencies, the test fixturing between the instrument and the DUT can significantly impact the amplitude and phase response across the signal bandwidth.

Typical test fixturing includes adapters, cables, couplers, combiners, and amplifiers. The generators and analyzers enable de-embedding of the test fixture by importing the S-parameters of the text fixture. This process effectively moves the calibration plane from the instrument to the input / output of the DUT. The network analyzer measures the S-parameters. 

Signal analysis

For vector signal analysis, the N9042B UXA 50 GHz or N9041B 110 GHz signal analyzers can directly demodulate up to 1 GHz bandwidth using Option H1G. For backhaul and higher mmWave bands with wider bandwidths up to 5 GHz, use the N9041B as a precision downconverter to an S-Series Infiniium oscilloscope, which samples the IF.

For ultimate bandwidth, use a high-performance oscilloscope to digitize the signal at RF and mmWave frequencies. For example, in Figure 5, the Infiniium UXR-Series oscilloscopes feature sample rates up to 256 GHz with 10-bits of vertical resolution, enabling high fidelity measurements similar to a spectrum analyzer.

Additionally, the oscilloscope is available in four-channel versions for multichannel measurements like multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO) spatial multiplexing measurements. Since the oscilloscope is phase coherent, measuring DUTs like phased array antennas and chipsets are simple and fast.

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