High-precision measurements on a compact antenna test range

In the letter recent results of antenna measurements on a compact antenna test range (CATR) are compared with those on an outdoor range. Both results are corrected for the influences of the non-plane-wave illumination of the test antenna.     

Dual reflector feed system for hologram-based compact antenna test range

Manufacturing of large computer-generated submillimeter wave holograms with high pattern accuracy has been the main challenge in the development of hologram based compact antenna test ranges (CATRs). Illumination of the hologram with a shaped beam produced by a dual reflector feed system (DRFS) simplifies the hologram manufacturing by eliminating the narrow slots in the hologram pattern. In this paper, the design of a shaped dual reflector feed for a hologram CATR is described. The simulated and measured illumination field amplitude and phase at 310 GHz are presented and compared to the desired hologram illumination. The measured amplitude is within /spl plusmn/0.5 dB from the design objective in the most significant central region of the illuminating beam. Measurement results of the quiet-zone field of a demonstration CATR illuminated by the DRFS are presented and compared to the measured quiet-zone amplitude and phase of a hologram fed directly with a corrugated horn. The quiet-zone diameters of the both holograms are over 0.25 meters and the measured root mean squared (rms) amplitude and phase ripples are below /spl plusmn/0.4 dB and /spl plusmn/5/spl deg/, respectively. Further improvements to the hologram CATR, such as greater tolerance to manufacturing errors, are also discussed.     

Antenna measurements using a hologram CATR

It becomes increasingly difficult to obtain far-field measurements for large millimetre wave antennas at higher frequencies due to the required large distance between the antennas. A hologram compact antenna test range (CATR) is used to determine the radiation characteristics of a 39 GHz planar antenna in a small facility. The results are compared with those obtained from planar near-field scanning and conventional far-field measurements     

Antenna Tests With a Hologram-Based CATR at 650 GHz

A hologram-based compact antenna test range (CATR) is designed, constructed, and used to test a 1.5-m antenna at 650 GHz. The CATR is based on a 3.16-m-diameter hologram as the collimating element. So far, this is the highest frequency at which any CATR has been used for antenna tests. The quiet zone is measured and optimized before the antenna tests. The measured antenna pattern results at 650 GHz are analyzed and compared to the simulated patterns. Feed scanning antenna pattern comparison technique is used to correct the antenna pattern. These tests show the hologram CATR to be promising for antenna measurements up to 650 GHz.     

紧缩场静区校准用超宽带天线性能的分析

紧缩场是天线天线罩辐射特性、目标散射特性测试的重要设备,在使用前需要对其静区平面波幅度锥削、幅度波 纹及相位变化等电磁性能参数进行校准。紧缩场的静区性能校准离不开全频段的探头接收天线,校准天线的性能会影响紧缩 场静区电磁参数的校准结果。文中阐述了校准紧缩场静区性能的扫描法原理,利用本单位研制的紧缩场校准系统,在某研究 所的紧缩场环境内,比较了标准增益喇叭天线与超宽带双脊喇叭天线分别作为接收探头的差异。实验证明,设计完成的超宽 带双脊喇叭天线具有驻波低、增益适中、更换方便、频带宽等优点,完全可以替代六个波段标准增益喇叭天线的功能。     

Compact antenna test range without reflector edge treatment and RF anechoic chamber

There are several types of CATRs (compact antenna test ranges) used in antenna-pattern measurements. An offset reflector is generally used to generate the quiet zone of a CATR. Serrated edges, rolled edges, or R-cards are generally chosen along the reflector's edge to reduce the edge-diffraction field inside the quiet zone of the CATR. In order to reduce stray signals from the environment, a high-quality RF anechoic chamber is required for a CATR. In this paper, a new type of CATR, without either a reflector edge treatment or an RF anechoic chamber, is developed. A commercially available DBS (direct-broadcast satellite) reflector antenna, without edge treatment, is used as the reflector antenna of the CATR to generate the quiet zone of the antenna test range. In order to improve the quiet zone's performance, the fields due to feed spillover, edge diffractions, and other stray signals are gated out by the ITDAMS (impulse time-domain antenna measurement system). The RF interference in the environment can also be reduced by time synchronization and pulse integration of the impulse time-domain antenna measurement system. In order to verify the capabilities of the proposed CATR, three kinds of antennas (a low-directivity horn antenna, a high-directivity 60 cm direct-broadcast satellite reflector antenna, and a 25 cm Ka-band Cassegrain LMDS - local microwave distribution system - antenna) were measured by the proposed CATR. The antenna-pattern results agreed quite well with those of a near-field range and a far-field range.     

A feed scanning based APC technique for compact antenna test ranges

The measurement accuracy of a compact antenna test range (CATR) depends on the level of spurious signals. To improve the measurement accuracy, several error compensation methods have been developed, but most of them are not feasible at submillimeter wavelengths. This paper introduces an error compensation technique for compact antenna test ranges, which is especially suitable at submillimeter wavelengths. The method is based on antenna pattern comparison (APC). In the original APC technique the antenna pattern is recorded several times at different positions of the quiet-zone field, and the corrected pattern is obtained by averaging the measured patterns. In the proposed method, the lightweight transmitter is moved instead of moving the heavy combination of the antenna under test (AUT) and the rotation stage. The feasibility of the method is studied and the method is tested with measurements in a hologram based compact antenna test range at 310 GHz. The accuracy provided by the proposed method is compared to the accuracy provided by the conventional APC. The accuracies provided by both methods are practically equal.     

Antenna Pattern Correction Technique Based on an Adaptive Array Algorithm

An antenna pattern correction technique is presented that is based on an adaptive array algorithm. In the method, the antenna pattern of the antenna under test (AUT) is measured several times at different positions in the quiet-zone. The corrected antenna pattern is obtained by taking a weighted average of the measured patterns. An array synthesis algorithm is employed for obtaining the averaging weights at each rotation angle of the AUT. The weights are adapted specifically for a given AUT. The adaptive array correction technique is demonstrated in a hologram based compact antenna test range (CATR) at 310 GHz with both a synthetic antenna and a physical test antenna. For verification, the accuracy provided by the adaptive array correction technique is compared to that provided by uniform weighting.     

平面波谱理论在紧缩场干扰源分析中的应用

紧缩场(CATR)是近代高精度天线和雷达散射截面测量广泛采用的一种测试场地,紧缩场研制的一个重要问题是机械装调后的电气测试调整.根据平面波谱理论,对静区空间场做反傅里叶变换,可以在角度域反演出干扰波分布规律,从而为排除干扰源提供理论依据.本文给出了一列干扰波和多列干扰波存在时静区幅相曲线和角域干扰波分布的仿真结果,并介绍了工程应用的一个具体实例.分析中采用副瓣电平可调的切比雪夫窗函数.     

Hologram-based compact range for submillimeter-wave antenna testing

A hologram-based compact antenna test range (CATR) is being developed to overcome challenges met in antenna testing at submillimeter wavelengths. For the first time, this type of CATR has been built for testing of a large reflector antenna at submillimeter wavelengths. The CATR is based on a 3-m computer-generated hologram as the focusing element. This paper discusses the design and the construction of the CATR, and the verification of the CATR operation with quiet-zone tests done for the CATR prior to the antenna testing. Assembly of the CATR, testing of the 1.5-m reflector antenna at 322 GHz, and the disassembly were all done within two months in 2003. The quiet-zone field measurement results are analyzed in this paper. The CATR was concluded to be qualified for antenna testing. The antenna testing is described in a separate paper.     

77 GHz Stepped Lens With Sectorial Radiation Pattern as Primary Feed of a Lens Based CATR

We describe the design, fabrication and measurements of an axisymmetric dielectric lens, featuring a sectorial radiation pattern at 77 GHz. It will be used as the primary feed of a lens-based compact antenna test range (CATR). Due to symmetry of revolution, the sectorial lens profile can be designed in one dimension by using phase only control. The phase variation is echoed on the lens depth. The resulting stepped lens is simulated using France Telecom Orange Labs SRSRD software (“in-house” software developed for dielectric axisymmetric radiating structures) and measured in an anechoic chamber at 77 GHz. Two lenses were fabricated with different materials: PVC and polyurethane, respectively. Good agreements were obtained between simulations and measurements. Less than 0.2 dB ripple in the central beam are obtained for the polyurethane lens although relatively high secondary lobes occur at 11$^{circ}$. Comparisons between the near field of a CATR illuminated by a small horn providing a uniform amplitude taper and the sectorial lens are conducted using numerical simulations. Results show that on-axis oscillations are reduced from 6 to 1 dB with the sectorial lens.      

Exact derivation of aperture errors in antenna measurements

Antenna-pattern measurements are generally undertaken by placing the antenna under test (usually the receiving antenna) sufficiently far from the transmitting antenna that the receiving antenna is illuminated with a plane wave. Gain measurements, whether by substitution, paired horns, or integration of the area under the beam pattern, depend upon the same criterion. A true plane wave is only achieved by separating the two antennas by an infinite distance, but it has been shown by Milne (1950) that small departures from a plane wave do not usually seriously degrade the measurement. The authors consider three aspects of the fields across a linear aperture. The finite spacing between the antennas produces a phase deviation and an amplitude taper. If we are only interested in the apparent gain loss, we need to combine both tapers into an illumination efficiency. It is surprising how little the illumination loss is when the phase deviation and amplitude taper are large. The formulation is given in terms of linear apertures, and can be easily extended to circular or rectangular apertures by adjusting the limits of the integrals     

Millimeter-wave diode-grid frequency doubler

Monolithic diode grid were fabricated on 2-cm² gallium-arsenide wafers in a proof-of-principle test of a quasi-optical varactor millimeter-wave frequency multiplier array concept. An equivalent circuit model based on a transmission-line analysis of plane wave illumination was applied to predict the array performance. The doubler experiments were performed under far-field illumination conditions. A second-harmonic conversion efficiency of 9.5% and output powers of 0.5 W were achieved at 66 GHz when the diode grid was pumped with a pulsed source at 33 GHz. This grid had 760 Schottky-barrier varactor diodes. The average series resistance was 27 Ω, the minimum capacitance was 18 fF at a reverse breakdown voltage of -3 V. The measurements indicate that the diode grid is a feasible device for generating watt-level powers at millimeter frequencies and that substantial improvement is possible by improving the diode breakdown voltage     

非平行光束光栅照明C-T成像光谱仪消像散研究与设计

切尔尼-特纳(Czerny-Turner, C-T)光谱仪是光栅光谱仪中常用的光谱仪器。其结构紧凑, 无非球面镜, 常被用于单色仪和光谱辐射计中。对于成像光谱仪, 像散是影响其空间分辨和光能利用的主要像差。就非平行光束光栅照明像散校正方法进行了理论分析和实验验证, 提出会聚和发散光栅照明C-T成像光谱仪都可以进行像散校正, 其根本取决于光栅入射角和衍射的余弦平方比大于或小于1, 大于1对应发散照明消像散, 小于1则对应会聚照明消像散。     

Testing of a 1.5-m reflector antenna at 322 GHz in a CATR based on a hologram

Hologram-based compact antenna test range (CATR) is a potential method for testing large antennas at submillimeter wavelengths. This paper describes testing of a 1.5-m single offset parabolic reflector antenna with a 3-m-diameter hologram-based CATR. This is the first time such a measurement is carried out at submillimeter wavelengths. The antenna tests were done in a CATR that was specifically designed and constructed for these tests. The measured radiation pattern at the frequency of 322 GHz is presented. The measured pattern corresponds reasonably well to the simulated pattern of the antenna. The effect of the quiet-zone field nonidealities on the measurement results and the reasons for the discrepancies in the measured antenna beam are discussed.     

紧缩场干扰波的时域分析

紧缩场电气测试调整是保证紧缩场最终电气性能指标的一个重要过程。在此过程中，需要根据电气性能检测结果对紧缩场电气设计和机械设计进行必要的调整，排除或尽量控制影响静区的干扰波。在满足近轴近似的条件下，通过平面波角谱分析的方法可以准确地预测干扰波的入射方向和大小。对入射方向相同或相近的两列干扰波，可以采用时域分析方法进行辅助分析。     

巾帼风采--用心演绎精彩--访工业和信息化部电信研究院副院长 刘多

为鼓励更多年轻女性成为ICT技术领域的专业人才,ITU将今年＂世界电信与信息社会日＂的主题定为＂信息通信与女性（Women and Girls in ICT）＂,并表示,期望世界各地的女性均能全面应用ICT,从信息和知识中获取力量,了解自身权利并把握数字机遇。     

Test results of 310 GHz hologram compact antenna test range

The quiet-zone field test results of a submillimetre-wave compact antenna test range (CATR) based on a 60 cm diameter hologram are presented. The instrumentation setup based on a dedicated millimetre-wave vector network analyser is also briefly described. The presented test results at 310 GHz show the potential of the hologram CATR for submillimetre-wave antenna testing     

Ka 波段紧缩场天线的设计

设计了一个Ka 波段紧缩场天线。馈源设计结合角锥喇叭在反射面边缘照射电平下降快与波纹喇叭波瓣宽度宽的特点,通过给角锥喇叭加扼流套的改进设计来实现对反射面的照射。反射面采用锯齿型边缘来降低边缘的绕射作用,并进一步在无法加工锯齿部位贴附三角形吸波材料来减小绕射对静区特性的影响。暗室内采用平面测量结果表明,Ka 波段紧缩场天线静区特性满足设计指标要求。     

Field-dependent photosensitivity of In-SiO2-Cd0.28Hg0.72Te metal-insulator-semiconductor structures with an opaque field electrode

The study of the photosensitivity of an In-SiO₂-Cd_0.28Hg_0.72Te metal-insulator-semiconductor structure with an opaque electrode is continued and the results are reported in this paper. The effect of a drastic decrease in photosensitivity with increasing inversion voltage is considered. This effect manifests itself both under unmodulated illumination (measurements of photocapacitance) and under modulated illumination (measurements of photovoltage), with the onset of a decrease in photovoltage coming ahead of that in photocapacitance. It is believed that this effect is caused by an increase in the longitudinal resistance of the inversion layer and by the anomalous generation of charge carriers at the semiconductor-insulator interface; as a result of the latter, the resistance of the induced p-n junction decreases.