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 [1] 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.