Agilent Technologies has introduced a new RF power amplifier manufacturing test solution with envelope tracking capability. The first of the company’s new “Reference Solutions,” it includes a graphical user interface program for simplified solution evaluation, example source code optimized for speed, extremely fast modulation analysis and excellent accuracy and measurement repeatability.
“Power amplifier manufacturers seldom have exactly the same test requirements, but they all want to quickly and easily bring their devices to production when developing a new test system,” Mario Narduzzi, marketing manager of Agilent’s Modular Solutions Division, said. “This reference solution for RF PA manufacturing test meets these needs by providing the essential components of a power amplifier test system with the right combination of hardware, software and measurement expertise, enabling fast integration into a test environment and dramatically reducing test system development time.”
Built around the Agilent M9391A PXIe vector signal analyzer and the M9381A PXIe vector signal generator, the new RF PA reference solution delivers high test throughput, reduces cost and allows for rapid integration into a PA test environment, according to the company. It supports the testing of devices that use envelope tracking for improved power efficiency by including the Agilent E33522B waveform generator, which is synchronized to the M9381A VSG.
The M9391A VSA and the M9381A VSG use hardware-accelerated measurements, combined with Agilent’s innovative fast baseband tuning technology, to provide unprecedented servo-loop test times through rapid frequency and amplitude adjustments, enabling test times of less than 300 ms for complete test programs. Leveraging the same user interface and best-in-class measurement IP of the X-Series measurement applications ensures extremely high confidence in measurement results through the entire design and production life cycle. It also allows reuse of existing test code and reduces test development time, facilitating easy migration between test hardware. The Reference Solution includes control of the Agilent N6700B low-profile modular power system mainframe and the Agilent U2004A power sensor, which is used for loss calibration.
