Bit error rate measurement system for RF integrated circuits

This paper proposes a bit error rate (BER) measurement system utilizing vector signal analyzer (VSA) instrument built-in analog digital converter (ADC) and ideal digital baseband receiver of VSA software for RF integrated circuits (RFICs) such as RF amplifier, RF mixer and RF receiver. Usually, BER performance is estimated in transceiver with built-in digital baseband circuits. In the past, RF designers could not estimate RFICs effect to BER test without digital baseband circuits and vice versa for digital baseband designers. It is helpful to understand RFICs without digital baseband circuits to BER test can reduce certain risk before integrating RFICs with digital baseband circuits. Therefore, an implementation of output signal to noise ratio (SNR) calibration in a specified bandwidth and measurement method combined VSA instrument, VSA software and Advanced Design System (ADS) is used for BER measurement.