Data measurement methods and systems

1. A method of measuring data for noise parameters in a test setup including an impedance tuner, comprising:

(i) setting a tuner state to one of a set of tuner states;

(ii) setting a sweep parameter to a value in a set of multiple sweep parameter values;

(iii) measuring data at said tuner state and sweep parameter value;

(iv) repeating steps (ii) and (iii) for a different sweep parameter value in said set of multiple sweep parameter values until data has been measured for all sweep parameter values in said set;

(v) changing the tuner state to another of said tuner states in said set of tuner states;

(vi) repeating steps (ii), (iii), (iv) and (v) until data has been measured for each of said tuner states in said set of tuner states,

wherein the data is measured as a function of the sweep parameter for said set of parameter values for one tuner state at a time.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said sweep parameter is frequency.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein said sweep parameter is bias applied to a device under test.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the impedance tuner is a mechanical tuner, and each tuner state in said set of tuner states corresponds to one mechanical setting of said mechanical tuner.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

selecting said set of tuner states to vary reflection magnitude and phase, to produce a set of impedances at every sweep parameter value such that reflection magnitude and phase positions corresponding to the different tuner states are separated in an impedance plane at every sweep parameter value.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the impedance tuner is a mechanical slide screw tuner with a mismatch probe and a tuner center conductor, and said tuner states include a set of tuner states with the mismatch probe positioned at various distances from the center conductor, each set having a different impedance magnitude.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the sweep parameter is frequency, and each of said set of tuner states is selected at a probe position for an approximate center frequency of the mismatch probe to produce a satisfactory reflection coefficient magnitude spread of points over an operating frequency band of the mismatch probe.

8. The method of claim 5 , wherein said tuner is a solid state tuner, using a plurality of solid state control elements, and wherein a first control parameter value is primarily used for a magnitude control, and a second control parameter value is primarily used for a phase control.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the first control parameter is the current drive of one control element, and the second control parameter is a selection of which of said plurality of solid state control elements to drive.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein sections of said control elements are connected by couplers.

11. The method of claim 5 , wherein the tuner states are selected for phase steps that are non-uniform.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the method is practiced using a mechanical slide screw tuner and carriage positions are selected with logarithmic spacing.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the tuner states are selected for phase steps that are non-uniform.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the non-uniformity in the phase step spacing varies with frequency bandwidth.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the test setup includes a noise receiver or analyzer, and said data for noise parameters is collected for calibrating or measuring parameters of the noise receiver or analyzer.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the test setup further includes a noise receiver or analyzer, further comprising:

using the measured data to determine noise parameters of a device under test.

17. An automated test setup, wherein the method of claim 1 is implemented by computer software algorithms installed on the test setup.

18. A method of measuring data for noise parameters in a test setup including an impedance tuner, comprising:

(i) setting a tuner state to one of a set of tuner states;

(ii) setting a sweep parameter to a value in a set of multiple sweep parameter values;

(iii) measuring data at said tuner state and sweep parameter value;

(iv) repeating steps (ii) and (iii) for a different sweep parameter value in said set of multiple sweep parameter values until data has been measured for all sweep parameter values in said set;

(v) changing the tuner state to another of said tuner states in said set of tuner states;

(vi) repeating steps (ii), (iii), (iv) and (v) until data has been measured for each of said tuner states in said set of tuner states,

wherein the data is measured as a function of the sweep parameter for said set of parameter values for one tuner state at a time; and

where the tuner includes means for varying reflection magnitude and phase with some degree of independence, said means for varying has a particular response as a function of the tuner state, the method further comprises selecting said set of tuner states, and said selecting step comprises:

measuring the response of the magnitude means for varying as a function of the tuner state;

using said measured response as a function of tuner state to select magnitude control values that give a desired spread of points.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein said sweep parameter is frequency.

20. The method of claim 18 , wherein said sweep parameter is bias applied to a device under test.

21. The method of claim 18 , wherein the impedance tuner is a mechanical tuner with a center conductor and a mismatch probe, and the means for varying reflection magnitude comprises a mismatch probe whose distance from the center conductor can be varied.

22. The method of claim 18 , further comprising:

selecting said set of tuner states to vary reflection magnitude and phase, to produce a set of impedances at every sweep parameter value such that reflection magnitude and phase positions corresponding to the different tuner states are separated in an impedance plane at every sweep parameter value.

23. The method of claim 22 , wherein the impedance tuner is a mechanical slide screw tuner with a mismatch probe and a tuner center conductor, and said tuner states include a set of tuner states with the mismatch probe positioned at various distances from the center conductor, each set having a different impedance magnitude.

24. The method of claim 23 , wherein the sweep parameter is frequency, and each of said set of tuner states is selected at a probe position for an approximate center frequency of the mismatch probe to produce a satisfactory reflection coefficient magnitude spread of points over an operating frequency band of the mismatch probe.

25. The method of claim 22 , wherein said tuner is a solid state tuner, using a plurality of solid state control elements, and wherein a first control parameter value is primarily used for a magnitude control, and a second control parameter value is primarily used for a phase control.

26. The method of claim 25 , wherein the first control parameter is the current drive of one control element, and the second control parameter is a selection of which of said plurality of solid state control elements to drive.

27. The method of claim 25 wherein sections of said control elements are connected by couplers.

28. The method of claim 22 , wherein the tuner states are selected for phase steps that are non-uniform.

29. The method of claim 28 , wherein the method is practiced using a mechanical slide screw tuner and carriage positions are selected with logarithmic spacing.

30. The method of claim 18 , wherein the tuner states are selected for phase steps that are non-uniform.

31. The method of claim 30 , wherein the non-uniformity in the phase step spacing varies with frequency bandwidth.

32. The method of claim 18 , wherein the test setup includes a noise receiver or analyzer, and said data for noise parameters is collected for calibrating or measuring parameters of the noise receiver or analyzer.

33. The method of claim 18 , wherein the test setup further includes a noise receiver or analyzer, further comprising:

using the measured data to determine noise parameters of a device under test.

34. An automated test setup, wherein the method of claim 18 is implemented by computer software algorithms installed on the test setup.

35. The method of claim 18 , wherein said data for noise parameters include data sufficient to determine the noise figure F of a device under test.

36. The method of claim 18 , wherein said data is sufficient to determine a set of noise parameters, including:

Fmin=minimum noise figure;

Gamma_opt magnitude=magnitude of gamma_opt, the optimum source gamma that will produce Fmin;

Gamma_opt phase=phase of gamma_opt, the optimum source gamma that will produce Fmin;

rn=equivalent noise resistance, which determines how fast the noise figure will change as the source gamma moves away from Gamma_opt.

37. A method of measuring data for noise parameters in a test setup including an impedance tuner, comprising:

(i) setting a tuner state to one of a set of tuner states;

(ii) setting a sweep parameter to a value in a set of multiple sweep parameter values;

(iii) measuring data at said tuner state and sweep parameter value;

(iv) repeating steps (ii) and (iii) for a different sweep parameter value in said set of multiple sweep parameter values until data has been measured for all sweep parameter values in said set;

(v) changing the tuner state to another of said tuner states in said set of tuner states;

(vi) repeating steps (ii), (iii), (iv) and (v) until data has been measured for each of said tuner states in said set of tuner states,

wherein the data is measured as a function of the sweep parameter for said set of parameter values for one tuner state at a time; and

wherein said data for noise parameters include data sufficient to determine the noise figure F of a device under test.

38. A method of measuring data for noise parameters in a test setup including an impedance tuner, comprising:

(i) setting a tuner state to one of a set of tuner states;

(ii) setting a sweep parameter to a value in a set of multiple sweep parameter values;

(iii) measuring data at said tuner state and sweep parameter value;

(iv) repeating steps (ii) and (iii) for a different sweep parameter value in said set of multiple sweep parameter values until data has been measured for all sweep parameter values in said set;

(v) changing the tuner state to another of said tuner states in said set of tuner states;

(vi) repeating steps (ii), (iii), (iv) and (v) until data has been measured for each of said tuner states in said set of tuner states,

wherein the data is measured as a function of the sweep parameter for said set of parameter values for one tuner state at a time; and

wherein said data is sufficient to determine a set of noise parameters, including:

Fmin=minimum noise figure;

Gamma_opt magnitude=magnitude of gamma_opt, the optimum source gamma that will produce Fmin;

Gamma_opt phase=phase of gamma_opt, the optimum source gamma that will produce Fmin;

rn=equivalent noise resistance, which determines how fast the noise figure will change as the source gamma moves away from Gamma_opt.