Versatile 20 GHz wideband RF digitizer for test and measurement

Wireless device manufacturers are challenged with the test and measurement of ever-evolving complex signals while at the same time contending with shrinking test equipment budgets. For example, modern wireless signals can have bandwidths up to 80 MHz and can vary in operating frequency and amplitude over time. In contrast, affordable spectrum analyzers typically have narrow (up to 10 MHz) instantaneous bandwidth (IBW). This makes analyzing a time-varying wideband signal that is greater than 10 MHz in bandwidth with such narrowband instrumentation require a sweep over several frequency bands. This can yield erroneous measurement results.