6-port network analyzers

Metrology laboratories in industry and universities use heterodyne network analyzers to characterize passive (attenuators, filters, etc.) and active (transistors, amplifiers, etc.) microwave (or high-frequency) networks. This type of analyzer, which consists of non-ideal microwave components, is subject to systematic errors and therefore requires appropriate calibration using a calibration kit consisting, in principle, of fixed and sliding loads, short circuits, and open circuits, supplied either by the analyzer manufacturer or by a specialized manufacturer.

After calibration, the analyzer must be verified using a verification kit, which generally consists of fixed attenuators and matched and unmatched air lines. The components of a verification kit must have known values, and therefore be calibrated. This means that they must be fully characterized in terms of modulus and phase, reflection and transmission. The 6-port vector network analyzer can perform this calibration.

The ratings used in this file are the same as those in the Microwave Network Analyzers file. ref. [3] , to which the reader may refer.