A Generalized Unterminating Technique for Characterizing Reciprocal Three-Port Networks

A novel technique for characterizing reciprocal three-port networks is proposed. The approach is an extension of the conventional unterminating method for characterizing two-port networks: on the one hand, the latter extracts the parameters of a (reciprocal) two-port network from one-port measurements, and on the other hand, the presented generalization extracts the parameters of a (reciprocal) three-port network from two-port measurements. The technique is believed of interest particularly for those which occasionally need to perform three-port vector-corrected measurements of three-port test-bench components such as baluns and directional couplers but do not have access to multiport equipment and software.