The Vector Component Analyzer: A New Way to Characterize Distortions of Modulated Signals in High-Frequency Active Devices

Wireless telecommunication technology is evolving fast. Driven by an insatiable demand for higher data rates, the modulated signals that are being transmitted and received over the air and through space are growing in bandwidth and use ever higher carrier frequencies. The 6G visionaries are setting goals of 30 GHz of modulation bandwidth at a carrier frequency of 300 GHz and achieving a mind-boggling data rate of 11 Gb/s. At the heart of this technological evolution of the wireless telecommunications industry are billions of high-frequency active components: amplifiers, mixers, and frequency converters. These active components are necessary for the amplification and frequency conversion of the modulated signals. These components are not perfect, and the modulated signal deteriorates as it passes through the active component semiconductor core.