RFQ - D-Band VNA Extender Heads

The current state of the art for traceable RF power measurement is up to a maximum frequency of 110 GHz in waveguides. One of the chief goals of the EMPIR project TEMMT - Traceability for electrical measurements at millimetre-wave and terahertz frequencies for communications and electronics technologies - is to develop metrological traceability for power measurements in waveguide in the D-Band, 110 to 170 GHz, thereby improving on the state of the art.

NPL's involvement in this project consists of developing a Micro-calorimeter primary standard and direct comparison transfer systems in this band. NPL is also collaborating on the development and testing of metrology grade power sensors suitable to use in a micro-calorimeter. Two port S-parameter measurements are an essential part of the development characterisation and testing of these standards and systems.

NPL's current VNA capability can access the WR10 W-Band (75 to 110 GHz) and the WR5 G-Band (140 to 220 GHz) for measurement of S-parameters across all of these frequencies, but not at the intervening frequencies. Therefore NPL's current VNA capability requires extending into the WR6 D-Band.

The most effective way to achieve this is for NPL to acquire a pair of WR6 D-Band VNA Extender Heads. These heads are required to be compatible with the Keysight PNA-X, which will be used to drive them.