Enhancements in mm‐wave antenna measurements: automatic alignment and achievable accuracy

Abstract

Due to various error sources, accurate integrated antenna measurements can be difficult to achieve. This study analyses the accuracy of a measurement set-up for radiation pattern (RP), directivity and gain measurements. The main sources of uncertainty are pointed out and the overall achievable accuracy is determined. The expanded uncertainty budgets for RP, directivity and gain measurements are 0.2, 0.2 and 1.7 dB, respectively. Furthermore, the phase centre of the antenna under test (AUT) is calculated for a more accurate and faster antenna alignment. The standard deviation of the calculated phase centre position is 50 μm on each axis.