CHARACTERIZING IMD Characterizing Intermodulation Distortion of High - Power Devices

Modern wireless communication systems demand for high power and broadband devices. There are different technologies emerging offering more and more power density, with single devices delivering power levels above 100 watts. These devices are targeted for broadband telecommunications like W-CDMA or Wi-Fi application. Intermodulation distortion is very critical in these applications because it generates crosstalk and requires costly linearization techniques. Therefore, it is necessary to characterize the devices for their linearity very accurately. A classical approach is to measure IP3. Because of the high power levels, however, this is not straightforward and requires a dedicated test setup. This is presented here, along with some tips and tricks to measure such devices.