THE NOISE-TEE - A LIGHTWAVE DEVICE MICROWAVE NOISE MEASUREMENTS

An innovative lightwave method is proposed to insert noise in electron ic circuits in favor of microwave noise measurements. The proposed noi se-tee has attractive additional features compared to the use of 50 Om ega noise sources: 1) The inserted noise level and noise bandwidth is continuously variable over a wide dynamic range; 2) The wideband scali ng accuracy of this level, relative to a pre-calibrated level, equals the accuracy of simple dc-current measurements; 3) Level-induced imped ance variations are negligible, compared to the 20% impedance variatio n of a commonly used microwave noise source; and 4) Noise-tees enable the realization of 100% reflective noise sources, in favor of two-port noise-parameter measurements.