Novel method for vector mixer characterization and mixer test system vector error correction

Abstract

This paper presents a novel method for characterizing RF mixers, yielding magnitude and phase response for input match, output match, and conversion loss, and works for mixers which have reciprocal conversion loss and for which the image response can be filtered out. The characterized mixer is used to accomplish a full vector correction of a mixer test system, which can measure other mixers that are not reciprocal. A key contribution is phase and absolute group delay measurements of the mixer-under-test.