Network analyzer calibration employing reciprocity of a device

A method of determining a parameter value for a set of calibration standards used to calibrate a vector network analyzer comprising:

• employing measurements of an asymmetric reciprocal device to optimize a parameter value of a defining parameter of the set of calibration standards, wherein employing comprises:
• measuring S-parameters of the set of calibration standards;
• measuring raw S-parameters of the asymmetric reciprocal device;
• and
• adjusting the parameter value to minimize a difference between a corrected forward transmission S-parameter and a corrected reverse transmission S-parameter of the asymmetric reciprocal device.

A method of determining a parameter value that describes a calibration standard in a set of calibration standards used to calibrate a vector network analyzer comprising:

• measuring S-parameters of the set of calibration standards using the vector network analyzer;
• measuring raw S-parameters for an asymmetric reciprocal device using the vector network analyzer;
• and
• adjusting the parameter value that describes the calibration standard until a difference between a corrected forward transmission S-parameter and a corrected reverse transmission S-parameter for the asymmetric reciprocal device is minimized.

A method of compensating a calibration of a vector network analyzer comprising:

• optimizing error coefficients of an error model of the vector network analyzer using measurements of an asymmetric reciprocal device,
• wherein the calibration is compensated to minimize effects of a poorly known defining parameter of a set of calibration standards used for the calibration, wherein optimizing comprises:
• measuring S-parameters of the set of calibration standards using the vector network analyzer;
• measuring raw S-parameters for the asymmetric reciprocal device using the vector network analyzer;
• adjusting a parameter value of the defining parameter to minimize a difference between a corrected forward transmission S-parameter and a corrected reverse transmission S-parameter for the asymmetric reciprocal device;
• and
• storing a set of the error coefficients for the error model, the error coefficient set being extracted from an optimized set of parameter values, the optimized set including the adjusted parameter value of the defining parameter.

A method of compensating a calibration of a vector network analyzer comprising:

• measuring S-parameters of a set of calibration standards using the vector network analyzer;
• measuring raw S-parameters for an asymmetric reciprocal device using the vector network analyzer;
• and
• adjusting a parameter value of the set of calibration standards to minimize a difference between a corrected forward transmission S-parameter and a corrected reverse transmission S-parameter for the asymmetric reciprocal device.

A vector network analyzer that compensates for inaccuracies in knowledge of a parameter value of a set of calibration standards comprising:

• a test set, the test set comprising a port, the port being temporarily connected to a calibration standard of the set of calibration standards and independently temporarily connected to an asymmetric reciprocal device;
• a memory;
• a computer program stored in the memory;
• and
• a controller that controls an operation of the test set and executes the computer program,
• wherein the computer program comprises instructions that, when executed by the controller, compensate a calibration of the vector network analyzer using measurements of the asymmetric reciprocal device taken with the test set to determine an optimized set of error coefficients, and
• wherein the instructions of the computer program comprise instructions that implement measuring S-parameters of the set of calibration standards;
• instructions that implement measuring raw S-parameters for the asymmetric reciprocal device;
• instructions that implement adjusting the parameter value of the set of calibration standards to minimize a difference between a corrected forward transmission S-parameter and a corrected reverse transmission S-parameter for the asymmetric reciprocal device, the adjusted parameter value being used to compute the optimized set of error coefficients;
• and instructions that implement storing the optimized set of error coefficients.

A calibration compensation system comprising:

• a computer;
• a vector network analyzer;
• and
• a computer program stored in a memory, the computer program being executed by the computer,
• wherein the computer program comprises instructions that, when executed by the computer, control the vector network analyzer to determine a parameter value of a defining parameter of a calibration standard in a set of calibration standards using a measurement of an asymmetric reciprocal device, and
• wherein the instructions of the computer program comprise instructions that implement measuring S-parameters for the set of calibration standards using the vector network analyzer;
• instructions that implement measuring raw S-parameters for the asymmetric reciprocal device using the vector network analyzer;
• instructions that implement adjusting the parameter value to minimize a difference between a corrected measured forward transmission S-parameter and a corrected reverse transmission S-parameter of the asymmetric reciprocal device;
• and instructions that implement reporting an optimized parameter value, the optimized parameter value being the adjusted parameter value for the calibration standard.