Characterizing Microwave Connectors Over Temperature: Thermal-Stable Standards and Characterization Method

In this article, an effective method to characterize microwave connectors over temperature is presented, which can be useful for accurate characterization of devices or materials under temperature stress. First, calibration standards made of thermal-stable RF laminate are used, allowing for assuming constant standard coefficients over temperatures and greatly simplifying the process. Second, all the standards are measured concurrently with a four-port VNA for each temperature of interest, avoiding additional errors due to temperature difference or uncertainties caused by connector reconnections in a sequential measurement. Finally, a linear characterization formulation is employed, enabling an error sensitivity analysis. From the analysis, one is able to identify error-resilient standard-equation combinations, to do the data sanity check, and more importantly to determine the optimal standard length toward a wide effective bandwidth. An end-launch connector is characterized at 0 °C–100 °C, showing the effectiveness and usefulness of the proposed method.