Five Reasons to Upgrade from Legacy VNAs to a R&S ZNB Vector Network Analyzer

Five Reasons to Upgrade from Legacy VNAs to a R&S ZNB Vector Network Analyzer Summary: Vector Network Analyzers have evolved from complicated specialist tools to easy-to-use, yet even more powerful RF measurement tools. This white paper outlines the 5 major benefits when upgrading from a legacy VNA to a modern Rohde & Schwarz Vector Network Analyzer: 1. Superior performance and measurement speed 2. Familiar user interface with modern usability 3. Access to advanced measurement functions 4. Code compatibility with legacy instruments 5. World class support and service from Rohde & Schwarz North American service center in Maryland Educational Note Chris Scholz 9.2015 01.01

Table of Contents Table of Contents 1 Introduction... 3 2 Expectations on a Modern Vector Network Analyzer... 4 3 Five reasons to upgrade from legacy Vector Network Analyzers to a R&S ZNB... 5 3.1 Superior Performance and Speed... 5 3.2 Familiar Operation with Major Improvements... 6 3.3 Advanced Measurement Functionality... 7 3.4 R&S LegacyPro Code Emulation... 8 3.5 Rohde & Schwarz North America: Industry leading support and service... 9 01.01 Rohde & Schwarz 2

Introduction 1 Introduction Since building the world s first VNA in 1950, Rohde & Schwarz has been at the forefront of innovation in Vector Network Analysis. The R&S ZNx Series Network analyzer, consisting of ZNB, ZNC and ZND, are the current state-ofthe-art in Vector Network analyses. Build from scratch, the R&S ZN-Series Vector network analyzers are today s general-purpose vector network analyzers with the highest performance in the industry. Fig. 1-1: Build in 1950, the Rohde & Schwarz Zg Graph was the World's first Vector Network Analyzer. With an aging installed base of legacy Vector Network Analyzers, the R&S ZNB - series Vector Network Analyzers are becoming the Vector Network Analyzer of choice to replace out-of-service/out-of-support Vector Network Analyzers. 01.01 Rohde & Schwarz 3

Expectations on a Modern Vector Network Analyzer 2 Expectations on a Modern Vector Network Analyzer Fig. 2-1: Fully touch-screen enabled menus on a modern Vector Network Analyzer. Compared to earlier generations, modern Vector Network Analyzers have made amazing improvements in performance, reliability and ease of use. Today s VNAs are at performance levels that not too many years ago, were impossible to achieve. Many customers however expect more than just performance improvements. Today s measurement tools are also expected to be intuitive to operate; hardly any measurement professional spends time studying user manuals anymore. VNAs are the most accurate test instruments that provide precise measurements with well-defined error margins and sophisticated calibration procedures. In the past, only highly qualified and highly trained users were able to operate the VNA and it required many years of training and often an advanced degree to perform reliable measurements on a VNA. That has changed. Computing technology and graphical user interfaces made it possible that modern measurement instruments have become intuitive to operate. Users expect that basic measurements and even many advanced measurements can be performed without studying an operating manual. But VNAs have been slow in transitioning from specialist s tools to easy-to-use RF instruments. VNAs still remain the most accurate tools in an RF lab but they now have morphed from complicated instruments into tools that are intuitive to use. Designers of modern VNAs have two conflicting interests to manage: On one hand VNAs need to be intuitive and complicated procedures need to be handled by software so that the user can focus on the actual measurements. On the other hand, modern VNAs need to integrate into existing test procedures, techniques and strategies. RF expertise is a skill that is acquired over many years of an engineer s life and RF designs and test techniques evolve over time rather than following revolutionary discoveries. On a similar note, Rohde & Schwarz VNAs are instruments that are also built on a long legacy. 01.01 Rohde & Schwarz 4

Five reasons to upgrade from legacy Vector Network Analyzers to a R&S ZNB 3 Five reasons to upgrade from legacy Vector Network Analyzers to a R&S ZNB The typical useful lifetime of a Vector Network Analyzer is much longer than for any other RF test tool. Many VNAs that are out of support and out of service by the manufacturer are still used for critical measurements on a daily basis. When is the right time to update from legacy instruments to a modern VNA and what are the benefits of a new VNA over a legacy VNA? Customers who have upgraded to modern Rohde & Schwarz VNAs report five major reasons for the upgrade: [1] superior performance and measurement speed [2] easy transition because of a familiar user interface, [3] access to advanced measurement functions, [4] code compatibility and [5] world class support and service from Rohde & Schwarz North American service center in Columbia, MD. 3.1 Superior Performance and Speed Rohde & Schwarz is continually pushing the physical limits. The R&S ZNx Series Vector Network Analyzers have reached performance levels that were impossible to achieve in previous generations. Looking at the three key parameters that determine the performance of a general purpose VNA (dynamic range, measurement speed and output power), all of the parameters have been significantly improved over legacy instruments and achieved class leading R&S ZNB: Superior Performance over legacy instruments performance. Compared to the popular legacy VNAs such as the obsolete HP 8753D Vector Network Analyzer, the dynamic range of the R&S ZNB8 is increased by 20 db 1, measurement speed is more than doubled 2, and the maximum output power is doubled 3. The power sweep range is increased from 25 db for the HP 8753 to 68 db for the R&S ZNB8. With option B22/B24, the R&S ZNB8 has an unprecedented power sweep range of 98 db (100 db typical) The unprecedented RF performance and measurement speed of the R&S ZNB - series Vector Network Analyzers is made possible by a radical re-design of the RF 2x measurement speed 3 db more power 20 db higher dynamic range 1 Dynamic range of the R&S ZNB8 at 2.5 GHz is 20 db larger than for the HP 8753D 2 Measurement speed is 98 ms for 51 measurements points into 1 khz bandwidth for the R&S ZNB8 versus 245 ms for 51 measurement points with 3 khz bandwidth for the HP 8753D 3 Maximum output power of the R&S ZNB8 at 2.5 GHz is 3 db larger than for the HP 8753D 01.01 Rohde & Schwarz 5

Five reasons to upgrade from legacy Vector Network Analyzers to a R&S ZNB path of the instrument. In contrast to competitive instruments, Rohde and Schwarz engineers not only completely re-designed directional elements, reference receivers and measurement receivers, but they also assembled the reflectometers of the R&S ZNB on a common substrate. In addition, high dynamic range option B52/B54 increases the industry leading dynamic range of the R&S ZNB series VNAs to the unprecedented level of 140 db (150 db typical). As a result of the improvements in dynamic range of the R&S ZNB series VNAs, users can use a larger IF bandwidth than they used in legacy VNAs to achieve the same signal to noise ratio. Since sweep time is roughly inverse proportional to the measurement bandwidth, increasing the bandwidth speeds up the measurement time without sacrificing performance. This improvement in measurement time is in addition to the fast measurement speed of the R&S ZNB. Combining the inherent improvement in speed with a larger IF bandwidth makes it possible to increase measurement throughput to unprecedented levels. 3.2 Familiar Operation with Major Improvements Similar look and feel to traditional VNAs: In addition to the electronic performance and measurement speed, the ease of use of a VNA has become of paramount importance for test engineers. For the R&S ZNB vector network analyzers we retain the look and feel of the VNA user interface that many customers have used for decades. Rather than revolutionizing an industry standard we improved upon it. Overarching goal was to make VNAs easy to use for new users and to enable them to perform accurate and reliable measurements without extensive training. Fig. 3-2: The measurement Wizard on R&S ZNx-type VNA guides you through complicated measurements. One of the main difficulties when using legacy VNAs is their deep menu structure. In order to access basic VNA functions it is necessary to navigate through many layers of menus until one finally finds the desired functions. Fig. 3-1: Traditional input keys and knows of a modern Vector Network Analyzer. The R&S ZNB series VNAs radically flattened the menu hierarchy. On a R&S ZNB all functions can be accessed in at most 3 hierarchical levels. Users can quickly access all functionality without the frustration that is commonly associated with using legacy VNAs. Measurement Wizard at no extra charge: For new users, wizard driven setup procedures have become incredibly helpful to setup complicated measurements. Legacy VNAs did not provide any type of wizard. Many times measurements had to be performed multiple times because of user errors in instrument setup or calibration. A measurement wizard is standard for all R&S ZNB VNAs. Users can setup complicated measurements quickly and virtually eliminate the potential for user error. 01.01 Rohde & Schwarz 6

Five reasons to upgrade from legacy Vector Network Analyzers to a R&S ZNB Modern touchscreen: In combination with a high-resolution WXGA Widescreen display, all R&S ZNB VNAs also feature a modern touchscreen. You have a choice between three input methods: You can use the traditional full featured set of front panel buttons and knobs, you can use the mouse attached to one of the 6 USB ports or you can use the touchscreen. Whatever your preference, you have full access to all important functions. In addition, the R&S ZNB VNA features an undo as well as a re-do button that gives access to multiple steps of undo and redo. When using the touch screen or mouse you can zoom into traces, place traces into channels, arrange display area and drop markers where you need them. Fig. 3-3: On a R&S ZNx-type VNA arrange traces in a display area by dropping them in the appropriate location. 3.3 Advanced Measurement Functionality A large percentage of VNAs is used to perform S-parameter measurements. Given the stellar performance of modern Rohde & Schwarz general purpose VNAs, measurements that had to be performed on high-end VNAs can now be accomplished with general purpose class of instruments. Two internal sources: As the only general purpose VNA in the industry, the four-port R&S ZNB4 and R&S ZNB8 are available with an optional second internal source. Two internal sources are useful Fig. 3-4: The measurement wizard of the R&S ZNB when characterizing nonlinear VNA guides you through mixer measurements utilizing components such as mixers or two built-in sources. amplifiers. In addition, SMARTerCal integrates a power sensor into the wizard driven calibration process. The second internal source in combination with SMARTerCal makes it easy to characterize mixers and other frequency converting devices using a general purpose VNA. Extended power range using electronic attenuators: When characterizing nonlinear components such as amplifiers it is also important that exactly the right amount of power is applied to the input of the amplifier under test. Modern active components come in a large variety of performance levels, which makes it necessary that the VNA can provide a stimulus over a large power range. To accomplish this, conventional VNAs used mechanical attenuators that made it possible to vary the stimulus power within power bands. The R&S ZNB series VNAs are the only VNAs in the industry that use electronic attenuators that can sweep the stimulus power over the entire power range. 01.01 Rohde & Schwarz 7

Five reasons to upgrade from legacy Vector Network Analyzers to a R&S ZNB Fig. 3-5: De-embedding on the R&S ZNx series VNA allows you move the reference plane to exactly the point where you need to perform the measurements. Advanced de-embedding/embedding features: For many years, users have been using Rohde & Schwarz de-embedding techniques to remove the influence of adapters, connectors or traces on printed circuit boards. The R&S ZVA was the first VNAs that offered embedding/de-embedding capabilities. Based on the R&S ZVA the R&S ZNB now also improves the usability of the embedding/de-embedding feature and makes it an essential tool for precise component characterizations. Innovative calibration techniques: On legacy VNAs, reference plane calibration used to be a complicated and error-prone process. With a wizard-driven calibration, the R&S ZNB eliminated the propensity for user errors of the calibration process. In addition, it offers as many as 14 different calibration techniques so that users can tailor the calibration to their specific needs. The R&S ZNB also offers SMARTerCal, a technique that combines power calibration and reference plane calibration into a simple wizard driven calibration step. SMARTerCal is crucial when characterizing nonlinear devices such as amplifiers 3.4 R&S LegacyPro Code Emulation Replacing obsolete test system equipment with the equivalent latest instruments should be straightforward, requiring minimum hardware and software changes. In reality, it often requires careful consideration of several important aspects to ensure complete backward compatibility. R&S LegacyPro addresses the issue of code compatibility that arises when replacing an instrument with an up-to-date successor. Instruments supporting R&S LegacyPro have a list of specific legacy test equipment that can be emulated. Selection is simple and once chosen, the tailored instrument emulation mode provides: ı ı An interpreting parser for the instrument to understand the legacy syntax and commands sent by the test system. Responses to the test system from the instrument that are fully understood and mimic the legacy instrument, e.g. measurement results and query feedback. Fig. 3-6: R&S LegacyPro enables you to seamlessly replace obsolete/ unsupported VNAs. 01.01 Rohde & Schwarz 8

Five reasons to upgrade from legacy Vector Network Analyzers to a R&S ZNB 3.5 Rohde & Schwarz North America: Industry leading support and service Fig. 3-7: New Rohde & Schwarz North America headquarters building in Columbia, MD with state-of-the-art service and support facility. and 98% of calibration completed in five business days. Made by Rohde & Schwarz in Germany, serviced by Rohde & Schwarz North America in Columbia, MD. In 2013 Rohde & Schwarz North America moved into a new headquarters in Columbia, MD. The Rohde & Schwarz service center in the new headquarters features a 20,000 sq ft service center with stateof-the-art calibration capabilities accredited to ISO 17025 and Z540.3 up to 65 GHz. We offer industry-leading turn-around times with 80% of repairs We have a service engineer s average over 15 years of experience and have access to the latest technologies and our product development teams in Munich. Our service portfolio includes online service management and order tracking, warranty extensions, obsolescence management and other customized service products. You can rely on Rohde & Schwarz for outstanding products and solutions and our investment in our service capabilities assure you of a long term, reliable and low total cost of ownership experience. Our North American support center in Columbia, MD is open 8:00 am to 7:00 pm. You can contact a real person via phone (1-888-TESTRSA #5), e-mail (customersupport@rsa.rohde-schwarz.com) or the web (Rohde & Schwarz Support). Our staff in the technical support center is trained to assist you in answering any question you may have regarding the use of Rohde & Schwarz products. After hours we provide around the clock support through our other service centers located around the globe. Or staff in our support center is trained to assist you in solving your problems. Rohde & Schwarz North America employs a team of product specialists and field application engineers is ready to help you solve your individual problems. Many of our applications engineers have tens of years of experience in the test and measurement industry and have extensive knowledge of competitive instruments. They will be able to help you when selecting replacement instruments, guide you through the replacement process and coach you in getting the maximum performance out of your new Rohde & Schwarz Vector Network Analyzer. Fig. 3-8: Rohde & Schwarz North America service center in Columbia, MD with typical turn round time of 5 business days. 01.01 Rohde & Schwarz 9

Rohde & Schwarz The Rohde & Schwarz electronics group offers innovative solutions in the following business fields: test and measurement, broadcast and media, secure communications, cybersecurity, radiomonitoring and radiolocation. Founded more than 80 years ago, this independent company has an extensive sales and service network and is present in more than 70 countries. The electronics group is among the world market leaders in its established business fields. The company is headquartered in Munich, Germany. It also has regional headquarters in Singapore and Columbia, Maryland, USA, to manage its operations in these regions. Regional contact Europe, Africa, Middle East +49 89 4129 12345 customersupport@rohde-schwarz.com North America 1 888 TEST RSA (1 888 837 87 72) customer.support@rsa.rohde-schwarz.com Latin America +1 410 910 79 88 customersupport.la@rohde-schwarz.com Asia Pacific +65 65 13 04 88 customersupport.asia@rohde-schwarz.com China +86 800 810 82 28 +86 400 650 58 96 customersupport.china@rohde-schwarz.com Sustainable product design ı ı ı Environmental compatibility and eco-footprint Energy efficiency and low emissions Longevity and optimized total cost of ownership This educational note and the supplied programs may only be used subject to the conditions of use set forth in the download area of the Rohde & Schwarz website. R&S is a registered trademark of Rohde & Schwarz GmbH & Co. KG; Trade names are trademarks of the owners. PAD-T-M: 3573.7380.02/02.04/EN/ Rohde & Schwarz GmbH & Co. KG Mühldorfstraße 15 81671 Munich, Germany Phone + 49 89 4129-0 Fax + 49 89 4129 13777 www.rohde-schwarz.com