MRI: Acquisition of a Millimeter-wave Vector Network Analyzer and a Probe Station Capable of a Single Sweep from 70 kHz to 220 GHz

The proposed instrumentation is a 220-GHz vector network analyzer (VNA). A VNA is usually the heart of a high-frequency test lab for measuring both the magnitude and phase of scattering parameters such as the reflection and transmission coefficients of materials, devices and circuits.

The proposed ultra-wideband VNA will enable the research on nanoelectronics materials and devices for future generation of wireless communication and Internet of Things above 110 GHz at Cornell and worldwide. The knowledge and experience gained in the research up to 220 GHz will serve as the foundation for research in the terahertz frequency range. Additionally, the proposed VNA will enhance the research on quantum-computing devices, microelectromechanical sensors, biosensors, high-speed integrated circuits, energy-efficient power devices, and sensors for cosmic radiation.

Among NSF’s 10 big ideas, the research enabled or enhanced by the proposed VNA will impact ideas for Future of Work, Quantum Leap, Understanding the Rules of Life, and Windows on the Universe. The proposed VNA will be part of the Cornell NanoScale Facility (CNF), which has a long and excellent history in providing efficient access to nanotechnology infrastructure and expertise, as well as operating and maintaining major research instrumentation.

CNF, in turn, is part of the NSF-supported National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure with national impact. Evidenced by the letters of collaboration, there is a world-wide interest in using the proposed VNA. The interested users include those from major research universities, historically black colleges and universities, minority serving institutions, major companies, and start-ups.

The proposed ultra-wideband VNA will be one of the firsts in the world. It was announced by the Anritsu Company last year and is uniquely based on the newly developed 0.6-mm-diameter coaxial components, making it possible for measurements with a single and continuous sweep of frequencies from 70 kHz to 220 GHz. This is fundamentally different from conventional VNAs that are based on waveguides with segmented bandwidths above 110 GHz.

As the result, the proposed broadband VNA will enable large-signal nonlinear measurements of gain-compression, amplitude-to-phase distortion, harmonic generation, intermodulation, time-domain reflectivity, noise, etc. The proposed VNA will enable pulsed measurements, which are critical to high-power devices. In the future, the proposed VNA can be retrofitted with frequency extenders to extend its bandwidth to 1.1 THz.

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This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.