Pulsed RF Measurement Library Specifications
- Updated2025-05-13
- 13 minute(s) read
Pulsed RF Measurement Library Specifications
Definitions
Warranted specifications describe the performance of a model under stated operating conditions and are covered by the model warranty. Warranted specifications account for measurement uncertainties, temperature drift, and aging. Warranted specifications are ensured by design or verified during production and calibration.
Characteristics describe values that are relevant to the use of the model under stated operating conditions but are not covered by the model warranty.
- Typical specifications describe the performance met by a majority of models.
- Nominal specifications describe an attribute that is based on design, conformance testing, or supplemental testing.
- Measured specifications describe the measured performance of a representative model.
Specifications are Measured unless otherwise noted.
Loopback setup describes using a cable to connect the Signal Generator to the Signal Analyzer on a device.
Conditions
Refer to ni.com/docs for detailed specifications on the specific instruments used within the S-parameter measurement system.
Specifications are valid for the system and all included instruments under the following conditions unless otherwise noted:
- System environmental characteristics are met
- Instrument-level conditions are met
- System undergoes 30-minute warm-up period
- Self-calibration is performed after the specified warm-up period is complete
- Self-calibration is performed before system calibration
- System calibration is performed as specified in S-Parameter Measurement Test System Calibration
- S-parameter calibration is performed as specified in S-Parameter Measurement Test System Calibration
- Calibration cycles are maintained
- Hardware temperature is within ±5 °C of the last self-calibration temperature
- The chassis fan mode is set to Auto when used in a chassis with ≥58 W slot-cooling capability or the fan mode is set to High when used in any other chassis
- Empty chassis slots contain slot blockers and EMC filler panels to minimize temperature drift and reduce emissions
- Instruments are connected with appropriate cables as described in Connecting the Hardware for S-Parameter Measurements
Pulse Measurements
Pulse Profile for PXIe-5842
| Measurement Bandwidth | Minimum Pulse Width | Standard Deviation |
|---|---|---|
| 2 GHz | 6.43 ns | 0.00017 ns |
| Conditions: measured with PXIe-5842 at the highest supported bandwidth of 2 GHz; measurements at 10 GHz and power level of 0 dBm in a loopback setup with 100 pulses per burst. A pulse width of 6.4 ns and PRI of 1 µs was configured. RF Signal Generator exports a digital trigger that is used by RF Signal Analyzer to acquire pulses. Each measurement was taken multiple times across multiple instruments. The resultant measurements were used as statistical samples to calculate the standard deviation. | ||
| Measurement Bandwidth | Rise Time Detected | Standard Deviation |
|---|---|---|
| 2 GHz | 585 ps | 70.9 ps |
| Conditions: measured with PXIe-5842 at the highest supported bandwidth of 2 GHz; measurements at 10 GHz and power level of 0 dBm in a loopback setup with 100 pulses per burst. A pulse width of 10 µs and PRI of 10 ms was configured. RF Signal Generator exports a digital trigger that is used by RF Signal Analyzer to acquire pulses. Each measurement was taken multiple times across multiple instruments. The resultant measurements were used as statistical samples to calculate the standard deviation. | ||
Pulse Profile for PXIe-5831 and PXIe-5841
Conditions: measured with PXIe-5831 and PXIe-5841 at the highest supported bandwidth of 1 GHz; measurements at power level of 0 dBm in a loopback setup with 100 pulses per burst. RF Signal Generator exports a digital trigger that is used by RF Signal Analyzer to acquire pulses. Each measurement was taken multiple times across hardware at a given frequency and pulse width selection. The resultant measurements were used as statistical samples to calculate the standard deviations. The typical measurement bandwidth chosen = 2 M or 10/(pulse width), whichever was higher.
| Measurement Bandwidth | Minimum Pulse Width | Standard Deviation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 GHz | 8 ns | 0.00085 ns |
| Measurement Bandwidth | Rise Time Detected | Standard Deviation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 GHz | 1.2 ns | 0.0035 ns |
Pulse Stability for PXIe-5842
Conditions: measurements at power level of 0 dBm in a loopback setup with 100 pulses per burst. RF Signal Generator exports a digital trigger that is used by RF Signal Analyzer to acquire pulses. 500 ms of settling after frequency lock was applied except when changing from the previous frequency to the new frequency crosses 1.75 GHz, 7.2 GHz, or 14.4 GHz, in which case 1.5 s of settling was applied. Each measurement was taken multiple times with multiple instruments at a given frequency and pulse width selection. The resultant measurements were used as a statistical sample to calculate the mean and standard deviation. Typical bandwidth chosen = 2 M or 10/(pulse width), whichever was higher.
| Pulse Width | PRI | Amplitude Pulse Stability (dB) | Amplitude Stability Standard Deviation (dB) | Phase Pulse Stability (dB) | Phase Stability Standard Deviation (dB) | Total Pulse Stability (dB) | Total Stability Standard Deviation (dB) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 μs | 10 ms | -85 | 0.4 | -77 | 0.6 | -77 | 0.5 |
| 5 μs | 10 ms | -86 | 0.7 | -81 | 0.5 | -80 | 0.4 |
| 10 μs | 10 ms | -86 | 0.5 | -81 | 0.4 | -80 | 0.3 |
| 20 μs | 10 ms | -86 | 0.5 | -81 | 0.7 | -80 | 0.6 |
| 50 μs | 10 ms | -86 | 0.4 | -81 | 0.4 | -80 | 0.3 |
| Pulse Width | PRI | Amplitude Pulse Stability (dB) | Amplitude Stability Standard Deviation (dB) | Phase Pulse Stability (dB) | Phase Stability Standard Deviation (dB) | Total Pulse Stability (dB) | Total Stability Standard Deviation (dB) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 μs | 10 ms | -84 | 0.6 | -78 | 0.4 | -77 | 0.2 |
| 5 μs | 10 ms | -86 | 0.3 | -82 | 0.3 | -80 | 0.3 |
| 10 μs | 10 ms | -85 | 0.5 | -82 | 0.5 | -80 | 0.3 |
| 20 μs | 10 ms | -86 | 0.5 | -82 | 0.4 | -80 | 0.3 |
| 50 μs | 10 ms | -86 | 0.4 | -82 | 0.3 | -80 | 0.3 |
| Pulse Width | PRI | Amplitude Pulse Stability (dB) | Amplitude Stability Standard Deviation (dB) | Phase Pulse Stability (dB) | Phase Stability Standard Deviation (dB) | Total Pulse Stability (dB) | Total Stability Standard Deviation (dB) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 μs | 10 ms | -84 | 0.5 | -77 | 0.6 | -77 | 0.5 |
| 5 μs | 10 ms | -86 | 0.4 | -81 | 0.2 | -80 | 0.2 |
| 10 μs | 10 ms | -86 | 0.3 | -81 | 0.3 | -80 | 0.2 |
| 20 μs | 10 ms | -86 | 0.6 | -81 | 0.3 | -80 | 0.3 |
| 50 μs | 10 ms | -85 | 0.5 | -81 | 0.4 | -80 | 0.4 |
| Pulse Width | PRI | Amplitude Pulse Stability (dB) | Amplitude Stability Standard Deviation (dB) | Phase Pulse Stability (dB) | Phase Stability Standard Deviation (dB) | Total Pulse Stability (dB) | Total Stability Standard Deviation (dB) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 μs | 10 ms | -84 | 0.4 | -76 | 0.6 | -76 | 0.6 |
| 5 μs | 10 ms | -85 | 0.5 | -79 | 0.4 | -78 | 0.3 |
| 10 μs | 10 ms | -86 | 0.6 | -79 | 0.4 | -78 | 0.4 |
| 20 μs | 10 ms | -86 | 0.5 | -79 | 0.5 | -78 | 0.4 |
| 50 μs | 10 ms | -85 | 0.4 | -79 | 0.4 | -78 | 0.4 |
| Pulse Width | PRI | Amplitude Pulse Stability (dB) | Amplitude Stability Standard Deviation (dB) | Phase Pulse Stability (dB) | Phase Stability Standard Deviation (dB) | Total Pulse Stability (dB) | Total Stability Standard Deviation (dB) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 μs | 10 ms | -84 | 0.4 | -75 | 2.1 | -75 | 1.9 |
| 5 μs | 10 ms | -85 | 0.4 | -78 | 0.2 | -78 | 0.2 |
| 10 μs | 10 ms | -86 | 0.4 | -79 | 0.5 | -78 | 0.5 |
| 20 μs | 10 ms | -86 | 0.5 | -78 | 0.4 | -78 | 0.4 |
| 50 μs | 10 ms | -86 | 0.4 | -78 | 0.3 | -78 | 0.2 |
| Pulse Width | PRI | Amplitude Pulse Stability (dB) | Amplitude Stability Standard Deviation (dB) | Phase Pulse Stability (dB) | Phase Stability Standard Deviation (dB) | Total Pulse Stability (dB) | Total Stability Standard Deviation (dB) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 μs | 10 ms | -84 | 0.4 | -69 | 1.1 | -68 | 1.1 |
| 5 μs | 10 ms | -85 | 0.6 | -71 | 0.6 | -71 | 0.6 |
| 10 μs | 10 ms | -85 | 0.5 | -71 | 0.7 | -71 | 0.6 |
| 20 μs | 10 ms | -85 | 0.5 | -71 | 0.5 | -71 | 0.5 |
| 50 μs | 10 ms | -85 | 0.3 | -71 | 0.8 | -71 | 0.8 |
| Pulse Width | PRI | Amplitude Pulse Stability (dB) | Amplitude Stability Standard Deviation (dB) | Phase Pulse Stability (dB) | Phase Stability Standard Deviation (dB) | Total Pulse Stability (dB) | Total Stability Standard Deviation (dB) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 μs | 10 ms | -83 | 0.7 | -70 | 0.8 | -70 | 0.7 |
| 5 μs | 10 ms | -85 | 0.4 | -72 | 0.3 | -72 | 0.3 |
| 10 μs | 10 ms | -85 | 0.8 | -72 | 0.3 | -72 | 0.3 |
| 20 μs | 10 ms | -85 | 0.4 | -72 | 0.3 | -72 | 0.3 |
| 50 μs | 10 ms | -85 | 0.4 | -72 | 0.7 | -72 | 0.6 |
Pulse Stability for PXIe-5841 with PXIe-5655
Conditions: measurements at power level of 0 dBm in a loopback setup with 100 pulses per burst. RF Signal Generator exports a digital trigger that is used by RF Signal Analyzer to acquire pulses. Each measurement was taken multiple times with multiple instruments at a given frequency and pulse width selection. The resultant measurements were used as statistical samples to calculate the 95% high limits and standard deviations. Typical bandwidth chosen = 2 M or 10/(pulse width), whichever was higher.
| Pulse Width | PRI | Amplitude Pulse Stability (dB) | Amplitude Stability Standard Deviation (dB) | Phase Pulse Stability (dB) | Phase Stability Standard Deviation (dB) | Total Pulse Stability (dB) | Total Stability Standard Deviation (dB) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 μs | 10 ms | -83 | 0.3 | -75 | 1.8 | -74 | 1.6 |
| 5 μs | 10 ms | -85 | 0.6 | -80 | 0.7 | -79 | 0.6 |
| 10 μs | 10 ms | -85 | 0.3 | -80 | 0.4 | -79 | 0.3 |
| 20 μs | 10 ms | -85 | 0.4 | -80 | 0.6 | -79 | 0.6 |
| 50 μs | 10 ms | -85 | 0.4 | -80 | 0.5 | -79 | 0.4 |
| Pulse Width | PRI | Amplitude Pulse Stability (dB) | Amplitude Stability Standard Deviation (dB) | Phase Pulse Stability (dB) | Phase Stability Standard Deviation (dB) | Total Pulse Stability (dB) | Total Stability Standard Deviation (dB) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 μs | 10 ms | -83 | 0.3 | -75 | 0.9 | -74 | 0.8 |
| 5 μs | 10 ms | -84 | 0.6 | -78 | 1.0 | -77 | 0.8 |
| 10 μs | 10 ms | -84 | 0.6 | -78 | 1.0 | -77 | 0.8 |
| 20 μs | 10 ms | -85 | 0.4 | -77 | 1.6 | -76 | 1.3 |
| 50 μs | 10 ms | -85 | 0.4 | -78 | 1.1 | -77 | 0.9 |
| Pulse Width | PRI | Amplitude Pulse Stability (dB) | Amplitude Stability Standard Deviation (dB) | Phase Pulse Stability (dB) | Phase Stability Standard Deviation (dB) | Total Pulse Stability (dB) | Total Stability Standard Deviation (dB) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 μs | 10 ms | -82 | 0.4 | -69 | 3.3 | -69 | 3.2 |
| 5 μs | 10 ms | -84 | 0.4 | -76 | 0.6 | -76 | 0.4 |
| 10 μs | 10 ms | -84 | 0.3 | -76 | 0.3 | -76 | 0.2 |
| 20 μs | 10 ms | -84 | 0.4 | -76 | 0.4 | -76 | 0.3 |
| 50 μs | 10 ms | -84 | 0.1 | -76 | 0.2 | -76 | 0.2 |
Pulse Stability for PXIe-5831
Conditions: measurements at power level of 0 dBm in a loopback setup with 100 pulses per burst. RF Signal Generator exports a digital trigger that is used by RF Signal Analyzer to acquire pulses. Each measurement was taken multiple times with multiple instruments at a given frequency and pulse width selection. The resultant measurements were used as statistical samples to calculate the 95% high limits and standard deviations. Typical bandwidth chosen = 2 M or 10/(pulse width), whichever was higher.
| Pulse Width | PRI | Amplitude Pulse Stability (dB) | Amplitude Stability Standard Deviation (dB) | Phase Pulse Stability (dB) | Phase Stability Standard Deviation (dB) | Total Pulse Stability (dB) | Total Stability Standard Deviation (dB) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 μs | 10 ms | -82 | 0.7 | -76 | 0.3 | -75 | 0.4 |
| 5 μs | 10 ms | -83 | 0.7 | -79 | 0.4 | -78 | 0.3 |
| 10 μs | 10 ms | -84 | 0.4 | -79 | 0.3 | -78 | 0.3 |
| 20 μs | 10 ms | -83 | 0.8 | -79 | 0.5 | -78 | 0.4 |
| 50 μs | 10 ms | -84 | 0.6 | -79 | 0.5 | -78 | 0.4 |
| Pulse Width | PRI | Amplitude Pulse Stability (dB) | Amplitude Stability Standard Deviation (dB) | Phase Pulse Stability (dB) | Phase Stability Standard Deviation (dB) | Total Pulse Stability (dB) | Total Stability Standard Deviation (dB) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 μs | 10 ms | -82 | 0.7 | -74 | 0.5 | -73 | 0.5 |
| 5 μs | 10 ms | -83 | 0.9 | -76 | 0.6 | -75 | 0.5 |
| 10 μs | 10 ms | -84 | 0.5 | -76 | 0.5 | -76 | 0.4 |
| 20 μs | 10 ms | -84 | 0.4 | -76 | 0.8 | -75 | 0.7 |
| 50 μs | 10 ms | -84 | 0.4 | -76 | 0.5 | -76 | 0.4 |
| Pulse Width | PRI | Amplitude Pulse Stability (dB) | Amplitude Stability Standard Deviation (dB) | Phase Pulse Stability (dB) | Phase Stability Standard Deviation (dB) | Total Pulse Stability (dB) | Total Stability Standard Deviation (dB) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 μs | 10 ms | -82 | 0.5 | -72 | 0.4 | -72 | 0.4 |
| 5 μs | 10 ms | -83 | 0.8 | -75 | 0.6 | -74 | 0.5 |
| 10 μs | 10 ms | -84 | 0.5 | -75 | 0.6 | -74 | 0.5 |
| 20 μs | 10 ms | -84 | 0.3 | -75 | 0.4 | -75 | 0.4 |
| 50 μs | 10 ms | -83 | 0.7 | -75 | 0.5 | -74 | 0.5 |
| Pulse Width | PRI | Amplitude Pulse Stability (dB) | Amplitude Stability Standard Deviation (dB) | Phase Pulse Stability (dB) | Phase Stability Standard Deviation (dB) | Total Pulse Stability (dB) | Total Stability Standard Deviation (dB) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 μs | 10 ms | -81 | 0.8 | -70 | 0.5 | -70 | 0.5 |
| 5 μs | 10 ms | -83 | 0.6 | -72 | 0.6 | -72 | 0.6 |
| 10 μs | 10 ms | -83 | 0.8 | -73 | 0.4 | -72 | 0.3 |
| 20 μs | 10 ms | -83 | 0.8 | -72 | 0.7 | -72 | 0.7 |
| 50 μs | 10 ms | -83 | 0.4 | -72 | 0.8 | -72 | 0.7 |
S-Parameter Measurements
Key Parameter Range Supported
IFBW | 100 Hz, 300 Hz, 1 kHz, 3 kHz, 10 kHz |
Pulse width | 10 us to 1 ms |
Averaging per point | 1 to 10 |
Averaging per sweep | 1 to 10 |
Trace Noise and Noise Floor
PXIe-5831 with Two Couplers per Port and using PXIe-2597 Switches
Conditions: measurements taken with PXIe-5831 at 0 dBm power level with two couplers per port. IFBW set at 1 kHz as a typical use case. No averaging.
PXIe-5841 with Two Couplers per Port
Conditions: measurements taken with PXIe-5841 at 0 dBm power level with two couplers per port. IFBW set at 1 kHz as a typical use case. No averaging.
Measurement Errors
PXIe-5831 with Two Couplers per Port and using PXIe-2597 Switches
Conditions: 100 measurements taken with PXIe-5831 at 0 dBm power level and 1 kHz IFBW with no averaging and two couplers per port to calculate 95% confidence level range for the reflection and transmission of each respective bandpass filter. This range is compared with reference VNA measurement using the same calibration kit to generate the maximum possible error. The measurement uncertainty of the reference VNA is added to the maximum error to generate the measurement error graphs.
PXIe-5841 with Two Couplers per Port
Conditions: 100 measurements taken with PXIe-5841 at 0 dBm power level and 1 kHz IFBW with no averaging and two couplers per port to calculate 95% confidence level range for the reflection and transmission of each respective bandpass filter. This range is compared with reference VNA measurement using the same calibration kit to generate the maximum possible error. The measurement uncertainty of the reference VNA is added to the maximum error to generate the measurement error graphs.
S-Parameter Drift
PXIe-5831 with Two Couplers per Port and using PXIe-2597 Switches
Conditions: measurements taken with PXIe-5831 every 15 minutes for 24 hours at 0 dBm power level with two couplers per port. IFBW set at 1 kHz as a typical use case. No averaging.
PXIe-5841 with Two Couplers per Port
Conditions: measurements taken with PXIe-5841 every 15 minutes for 24 hours at 0 dBm power level with two couplers per port. IFBW set at 1 kHz as a typical use case. No averaging.
