This article is part of our IMS 2023 coverage.
Visitors to Keysight Technologies’ Booth 835 at IMS 2023 can see the company’s demos (with Nokia Bell Labs) of component and RFIC characterization for 6G sub-THz RF applications in the D- and E-bands.
For 6G technology to deliver on its promised extreme data speeds, ultra-low latency, and near-infinite bandwidth, sub-THz spectrum will have to come into play. But sub-THZ frequencies haven't traditionally been used for cellular communications due to their propagation characteristics, which present signal-integrity and path-loss challenges that can negatively impact performance.
To help mitigate those challenges, Keysight and Nokia Bell Labs have been collaborating to develop characterization techniques to test active sub-THz components, such as amplifiers, mixers, and frequency converters. The goal is to ensure that the components don't introduce additional signal distortion into communications systems.
At IMS, the collaborators’ demo, built on Keysight’s PNA-X vector component analyzer, involves characterization of a Nokia power amplifier (PA) developed for use in 6G D-band wireless communications systems and designed to operate with a low error-vector magnitude (EVM).
Using Keysight’s N5290A PNA mmWave system, Nokia Bell Labs can accurately detect the PA's low EVM, which is a measure of the signal distortion introduced into the communications system by the component. With these measurements, Nokia Bell Labs can better understand the PA's performance to optimize its 6G transmission system design.
In a separate demo, Keysight and Nokia Bell Labs are showing an E-band test solution that features Keysight’s N9042B UXA signal analyzer used in combination with its V3050A signal analyzer frequency extender. It measures a Nokia transceiver RFIC designed for use in an E-band system for backhaul applications.
Finallly, to help network equipment manufacturers, semiconductor companies, and device makers address the bandwidth and performance demands of 6G, Keysight will display a 6G sub-THz R&D testbed. The wideband testbed features an arbitrary waveform generator (AWG) that generates a wideband intermediate frequency (IF), which is upconverted to H-band (220-330 GHz). The signal is downconverted to an IF, digitized with a UXR high-performance oscilloscope, then demodulated and analyzed using PathWave vector-signal-analysis (VSA) software.
For more information, visit the company's website.
For more IMS 2023 coverage, visit our digital magazine.