Usage of the contactless vector network analysis with varying transmission line geometries

Abstract

The scattering parameters of embedded devices can be measured by means of contactless vector network analysis. To achieve accurate measurement results, the contactless measurement setup has to be calibrated. However, if the substrate material or the planar transmission lines on the substrate changes, a new calibration is necessary. In this paper a method will be examined, which reduces the number of calibration cycles by using a database. Analytical results show that by using this database method, errors occur which depend on the coupling coefficients and on the load impedances of the contactless probes. However, the measurement results show deviations smaller than 7% in comparison to the conventional vector network analysis, which is sufficient for the most pratical applications.