Novel algorithms for the characterization of n-port networks by using a two-port network analyzer

[摘要] The measurement of the scattering matrices of n-port networks isan important task. For this purpose two ports of the n-port networkare connected with the network analyzer and the remaining ports areconnected to reflecting terminations. In order to specify thescattering matrix of a n-port network with the multi-port method(Rolfes et al., 2005), n reflecting terminations are requiredfrom which at least one reflection factor needs to be known.

There are some cases, in which the multi-port method shows weakconvergence properties. For example, a T-junction cannot beidentified if the reflecting terminations used are short circuitsand if the line length is equivalent to a multiple of a halfwavelength. This is due to the fact that the two ports connected tothenetwork analyzer become isolated.

Two new algorithms, named the sub-determinant method and thewave-identification method, respectively, which employ a second setof reflection terminations that have to differ from the first set,allow to identify every n-port network without the necessity todistinguish different cases. Both methods are based on least squarealgorithms and allow to determine all scattering parameters of an-port-network directly and uniquely.

[学科分类] 电子、光学、磁材料