MPI Corp. is partnering with the T&M equipment manufacturer Rohde & Schwarz to provide customers with turnkey solutions for measurements on semiconductor components in the RF and millimeter-wave ranges. The two companies successfully achieved a seamless integration of Rohde & Schwarz vector network analyzers (VNA) and MPI engineering probe systems.
Due to the complex measurement tasks to be performed when characterizing modern RF semiconductor components, the proper integration of T&M equipment with a probe system is a time-consuming and costly task. To set up a measurement system delivering accurate and repeatable results can be very challenging since a number of factors play a role.
These include an intuitive user interface, the mechanical properties of the probe system, the electrical and mechanical properties of the RF probe tips, the mechanical connection and integration of the network analyzer with the probe system, as well as the functionality and usability of the software. The VNA must provide the RF performance and functionality required for complete and accurate characterization even of demanding DUTs such as amplifiers and converters over a wide frequency range.
Thanks to a profound understanding of the requirements and special aspects to be considered for on-wafer RF and millimeter-wave measurements, MPI successfully brings diverse innovative solutions to the market: the company’s engineering probe systems are characterized by excellent mechanical stability and offer unique solutions in terms of measurement repeatability and usability.
Also, MPI recently announced what it claims to be the industry‘s first probe system specifically designed for high-precision measurements in the millimeter-wave and submillimeter-wave (THz) ranges based on a seamless integration of Rohde & Schwarz millimeter-wave converters. The MPI TITAN™ RF probes are claimed to provide excellent, real-time visibility of the probe tip contacts for highly accurate positioning of the probes.
With regards to the MPI/ Rohde & Schwarz alliance MPI’s intuitive QAlibria™ calibration software with multi-touch functionality supports the R&S®ZVA and R&S®ZNB VNAs. These offer a wide output power range for the characterization of active components in the linear and non-linear regions. Featuring highly stable sources, the R&S®ZVA in conjunction with Rohde & Schwarz frequency converters is ideally suited for on-wafer component characterization in the millimeter-wave range. The company’s frequency converters have been optimized mechanically for on-wafer measurements.