An Introduction

Phase Noise Analysis is a useful tool for the design and production of a wide range of RF/Microwave components and systems. The following course provides a quick introduction into the use of the Berkeley Nucleonics Phase Noise Test System. Many of the principles and techniques are ubiquitous across other instrumentation types, with several proprietary capabilities and measurements described as well.

Typical DUTs that require phase noise measurements include:

Fundamental Concept of Phase Noise Testing

Using internal or external references and multiple cross-correlations, we are able to measure phase noise of a DUT using <<Zero-IF>> front-end techniques. For high-drifting DUTs, we use <<Direct Sampling>> techniques. For further close in performance, we use <<Heterodyne Zero-If>> techniques. We will explore these measurement techniques in more detail later in the lesson.