Load-pull characterization method using six-port techniques

The ability of the six-port technique to perform simultaneous measurements of microwave impedance and power flow at an arbitrary reference plane has been bound to be directly applicable to load-pull characterization. This technique avoids the use of additional directional couplers and power meters generally needed in microwave power flow measurements. An experimental six-port network analyzer has been used as a load-pull system in an active load tuning configuration. Experimental results for a microwave transistor characterization confirm the validity of this method. This technique uses less hardware than conventional methods and provides a comparable accuracy.<>