Phase Noise Measuring Systems
341Phase Noise Measurement Solutions
• 50 kHz to 26.5 GHz with expand carrier frequencies to 110 GHz
• Quick and easy integration into your ATE system
E5503A
E5500 Series Phase Noise Measurement Solutions
The new Agilent E5500 A-series phase noise measurement solutions
have been designed to minimize production ATE test times for oneport VCOs, DROs, crystal oscillators, and synthesizers and to maximize the capability for R&D benchtop applications. In addition, with
a standard offset range capability from 0.01 Hz to 100 MHz, the
E5500 B-series provides the capability, flexibility, and versatility to
meet changing and demanding needs placed upon the R&D engineer.
By building upon 30 years of Agilent low phase noise, RF design and
measurement experience, the E5500 series solutions continue to
provide excellent measurement integrity, repeatability, and accuracy.
The E5500 phase noise measurement solutions use the power
of a flexible software program to automate phase noise carrier measurements. The E5500 A-series solutions include the 70420A phase
noise test set, which contains phase detectors and phase-lock loop
circuitry, a high speed VXI digitizer with mainframe and high speed
VXI-to-PC interface for base-band signal analysis, selected low-noise
frequency downconverters, and measurement software. When combined with a PC running Windows NT 4.0, this series provides fast
phase noise measurements of carrier frequencies from 50 kHz to 1.6
GHz, 6.0 GHz, 18 GHz, or 26.5 GHz over offset-from-carrier frequencies of 0.01 Hz to 4 MHz.
phase noise test set, a Pentium PC running Windows NT 4.0, a PC digitizer, and an RF spectrum analyzer, selected low-noise frequency
downconverters, and measurement software. This series of solutions
provides phase noise measurements of carrier frequencies from 50
kHz to 1.6 GHz, 6.0 GHz, 18 GHz, or 26.5 GHz over offset-from-carrier
frequencies from 0.01 Hz to 100 MHz. A variety of signal generators—
such as the 8662A, 8663A, 8643A, 8644B, 8664A/B, 8665A— can also be
added to provide a low-noise reference signal.
Phase Noise Measurement Software
A graphical user interface provides measurement menus allowing
the operator to specify the measurement process, including the calibration of the system. Several output formats are available to the
user, including plots of the single-sideband phase noise power of the
signal, integrated noise power, or the calculated Allan variance. A
real-time measure-ment mode is available to monitor the level of
phase noise and discrete spurs as changes are made to the deviceunder-test. The E5500 series phase noise measurement software
requires a Pentium PC with 32 MBytes of RAM, a 1 GByte hard drive,
and Windows NT 4.0.
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It can be extended to cover offset ranges up to 100 MHZ.
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The E5500 B-series includes the 70420A
• Ability to test a wide range of devices
• Measure AM noise directly
E5503B
Specifications
E5500 A-Series
E5501A: 50 kHz to 1.6 GHz
E5503A: 50 kHz to 18.0 GHz
E5504A: 50 kHz to 26.5 GHz
E5500 B-Series
E5501B: 50 kHz to 1.6 GHz
E5502B: 50 kHz to 6.0 GHz
E5503B: 50 kHz to 18.0 GHz
E5504B: 50 kHz to 26.5 GHz
Operating Characteristics
Offset Frequency Range
A Models: 0.01 Hz to 4 MHz
B Models: 0.01 Hz to 100 MHz
System Noise Response
System Spurious Response
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: –180 dBc/Hz typically (>10 kHz offsets)
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: –120 dBc typically
Phase Detector Input Power: (<1.6 GHz carrier frequency)
R input = 0 to +23 dBm
L input = +15 to +23 dBm
Downconverter Input Range: 1 GHz to 6 GHz;
1 GHz to 18 GHz; 1.5 GHz to 26.5 GHz
External Noise Input Port: 0.1 Hz to 100 MHz
Measurement Accuracy: ±2 dB (<1.0 MHz offsets);
±4 dB (<100 MHz offsets)
E5500 A-Series Optional Capabilities
Extend offset range to 8, 10, and 100 MHz
Add RF reference source
Add high power input capability (includes µW phase and
AM detectors)
Extend carrier frequency to 110 GHz
E5500 B-Series Optional Capabilities
Add RF reference source
Add high power input capability (includes µW phase and
AM detectors)
Add remote SCPI programming client
Extend carrier frequency to 110 GHz
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Without reference sources or downconverters
Key Literature
E5500 Series Phase Noise Measurement Solutions,
Product Overview, p/n 5965-7590E
E5500 Series Phase Noise Measurement Solutions
Configuration Guide, p/n 5965-7589E
Ordering Information
E5500A Series
E5500B Series
See configuration guide for detailed ordering information.
E5500 Series
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Internet URL www.agilent.com/find/tmc Product & Order Info See page 604