Phase noise and jitter measurement equipment for millimeter wave systems

• Subject Area: Electrical Engineering and Information Technology
• Term: Funded in 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 550790947

At the Institute for Microwave Engineering (MWT) at the University of Ulm, Prof. Waldschmidt's research group is investigating rf-systems for sensor and communication applications in the entire millimeter wave range from 30 to 300 GHz. Extensive measurement equipment is required to verify the theoretical, methodological and simulative research work. Many of the systems considered in the research are limited in their performance primarily by phase noise or jitter. For this reason, new measurement equipment for phase noise and jitter measurements is needed in the research group. In particular, the new measurement equipment should allow research to be carried out on concepts for radar sensors that are hardly limited by phase noise. For this purpose, it must be possible to measure very low phase noise. Furthermore, experimental research on networks of radar sensors is to be expanded using the new measurement equipment. In these networks, coherency is generated without a common local oscillator signal or reference signal for the sensors, which requires very stable signal sources. In order to characterize these, it must be possible to measure both the phase noise in the frequency domain with a phase noise meter and the temporal jitter in the time domain with a high-bandwidth oscilloscope. Two highly stable and low-phase noise signal sources are to be acquired to supplement the phase noise measurement system and oscilloscope so that the signal sources do not limit the measurement performance when performing the phase noise and jitter measurements of the device under test. Two sources are required, as both heterodyne receivers with several LO inputs and additive phase noise from mixers are to be measured.

• DFG Programme: Major Research Instrumentation
• Major Instrumentation: Phasenrausch- und Jitter-Messplatz für Millimeterwellen-Systeme
• Instrumentation Group: 6470 Elektronische Meßwertwandler (A/D, D/A, Spannung, Frequenz, Puls-Code)
• Applicant Institution: Universität Ulm
• Leader: Professor Dr.-Ing. Christian Waldschmidt