Introduction; Defining High Power - Agilent Technologies AN 1287-6 Application Note

Introduction

This application note describes linear and nonlinear
measurements of high-power components and how
to use a network analyzer for making them. It covers
the power limitations of a network analyzer, and
special network-analyzer equipment configurations
for high-power measurements. How to improve
the accuracy of high-power measurements and
solve common problems when making high-power
measurements are also described.
To get the most from this note, you should have a
basic understanding of network analyzers and the
measurements you can make with a network ana-
lyzer. For a basic review, please see the Appendix
at the end of this note. Additional network analysis
literature and study materials can be ordered
through Agilent Technologies. A reference list is
included at the end of the note.

Defining high power

What might be considered "high-power device
output" (e.g., 30 dBm or 1 Watt) in one application
can be insignificant in another application, such as
a radar test that uses devices with power levels in
the 60 dBm (1,000 Watt) range. In this note, "high
power" refers to a power level above the compres-
sion level and certainly above the damage level of
a standard network analyzer. Therefore, a power
amplifier with an output beyond the measurement
capability of a standard network analyzer would be
classified as a high-power device. We extend our
definition to also include devices that require a
drive level that is higher than a standard network
analyzer can provide. So a high-power device is
one that delivers more power than a standard
network analyzer can measure, or requires more
input power than the analyzer can provide.
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