How To Characterize Power Amplifier Modulated Signal Distortion

E5081A ENA-X network analyzer, 44 GHz
Modulation distortion software
+ E5081A ENA-X network analyzer, 44 GHz
+ Modulation distortion software

Characterizing power amplifier modulated signal distortion with a VNA

Characterizing a power amplifier (PA) to ensure compliance with 5G New Radio (NR) standards requires wideband, calibrated vector signal generation and signal analysis. A single testbed with a vector network analyzer (VNA), vector signal generator, and multiple measurement software applications provides fully-calibrated signal generation at the PA input.

The measurement software applications enable accurate adjacent channel power ratio (ACPR) and low residual error vector magnitude (EVM) measurements directly on the VNA. During testing, the engineer operates multiple measurement applications without changing the configuration of the test setup.

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Power amplifier modulated signal distortion characterization solution

Characterizing power amplifier modulated signal distortion requires the Keysight ENA-X network analyzer, MXG signal generator, and modulation distortion software. The integrated upconverter at port 1 of the ENA-X upconverts the modulated signal from the MXG up to the maximum frequency of 44 GHz. The wide dynamic range and vector error correction of the ENA-X results in extremely low residual test-set EVM, yielding a complete picture of your power amplifier's performance without test system interference. Measure EVM with optional demodulation — the MOD software decomposes the linear and nonlinear signal components with spectral correlation to characterize PAs up to 50% faster.

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