Material about the design of Network Analyzer front end?

[yolande_yj]

Can anyone give me a link or material talking about the design of Network Analyzer front end? How can it achieve wide band, high dynamic range and high sensitivity? Thanks.

 

[dozer]

HP has a patent on the 8753A VNA which is something like 400 pages....includes the complete firmware source too.

Go to the USPTO site to look it up.

Basically, it's a multi-channel superhet with a low-IF (20 or 100 khz for example).

 

[yolande_yj]

I just checked the website, but can not find it. Can you give me the link? Thanks

 

[dozer]

no, i am sorry, but i looked at it years ago....i don't recall the patent number.

however, i don't understand why you would have trouble finding it.

just enter search-term of "vector network analyzer" or something similar; and also limit responses to those only from Assignee of "hewlett packard".

you might also want to study VNA patents from Wiltron....they have done some good work in modernizing the breed....making nice handheld-size VNA's. A very very detailed patent from Wiltron is...

"Apparatus and method for measuring the phase and magnitude of microwave signals , United States Patent 5524281"

I use this site for patent searching:

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/search.html

key in "vector network analyzer" as search-term, and you get 284 hits. That's a good number....plenty of material, but not too many to wade through...

good luck...