Fast Calibration and Characterization Test Solution for Phased Array Antennas
Solution Briefs
The increasing adoption of Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) antennas for satellite communications, radar, navigation, and next-generation wireless systems has created a growing demand for faster and more accurate Over-the-Air (OTA) test methodologies. Keysight’s Phased Array Antenna Control and Calibration solution addresses this challenge through an integrated test platform that combines a Compact Antenna Test Range (CATR), vector network analyzer, vector signal generator, and advanced calibration software. The solution provides comprehensive phased array characterization, including gain and phase calibration, beamforming verification, antenna pattern measurements, EIRP, G/T, cross-polarization, and modulation quality analysis. A proprietary calibration algorithm, enhanced with leakage-suppression techniques, enables accurate measurement of individual element responses and reduces calibration times from hours to minutes, even for large arrays. The software automates control of beamforming integrated circuits, test instrumentation, chamber positioners, and thermal conditioning equipment through a unified user interface, supporting a wide range of array architectures, beam configurations, and polarization schemes. Calibration verification measurements, including phase rotation, phase gradient, and beam scan analyses, help ensure array uniformity and optimal beam-steering performance. By streamlining calibration and validation workflows while improving measurement accuracy, the solution accelerates phased array development and production, enabling engineers to achieve higher antenna gain, improved beam-pointing accuracy, and enhanced overall system performance.