Non-Contact Characterization of Antenna Parameters via One-Port Open-Fixture Network Calibration

We present a new technique to simultaneously determine the pattern, impedance, and gain of an antenna using a one-port vector network analyzer. The test antenna is treated as part of an open fixture and a self-defined calibration procedure is used to determine antenna parameters. As such, the test antenna does not require a direct connection to the network analyzer port. This non-contact technique is particularly useful for high-frequency antenna characterization, as the test antenna is simply terminated with known loads such as offset-shorts, and thus the potential intrusion of feed-lines and measurement equipment is avoided. As an example, a diagonal horn antenna operating over 360-500 GHz is characterized with the proposed technique. Measured E- and H- plane patterns, input impedance and gain show good agreement with the simulated results.