Calibration

• Overview

• Performing Calibration

• Defining Calibration Kits

• Standard Definitions

• Reading/Writing Calibration Coefficient Alone

• Clearing Calibration Data and Calibration Coefficients

Other topics about Performing Calibration

Overview

You need to execute calibration to eliminate error elements related to measurement, thus allowing you to perform accurate measurement.

Performing Calibration (Obtaining calibration coefficients)

Selecting a Calibration Kit

To select a calibration kit, use the following command:

:SENS<ch>:CORR:COLL:CKIT

Selecting a Calibration Type

The calibration coefficients are calculated based on the selected calibration type. Therefore, before you can calculate the calibration coefficients, you must select the appropriate calibration type by using one of the following commands.

To check the currently selected calibration type, use the following command:

:SENS<ch>:CORR:COLL:METH:TYPE?

Measuring Calibration Data

To measure the calibration data, use one of the following commands:

• You cannot run more than one of the commands listed above at a time; if you issue another command before the currently running command completes successfully, the current command is aborted. Therefore, when you write a program that issues multiple calibration commands in series, you should use the *OPC? command or some other means to ensure that no command is executed before the preceding command completes itself.

As shown in the table below, the data required to calculate the calibration coefficients differ depending on the selected calibration type.

In the data section in the table, the letter m (for example, 1, a) represents the measurement data at port m; m-n (for example, 1-2, a-b) represents the measurement data between response port m and stimulus port n. You can omit data enclosed in brackets.

Calculating Calibration Coefficients

To calculate the calibration coefficients, use one of the following commands:

Before issuing the above commands, you must measure all required calibration data items according to your selected calibration type. Calculating the calibration coefficients clears all calibration data regardless of whether they are used for the calculation. The calibration type selection is also cleared, which results in a state where no calibration type is selected.

Turning ON/OFF Error Correction

To turn ON/OFF error correction, use the following command:

:SENS<ch>:CORR:STAT

Also, once you have calculated the calibration coefficient using the :SENS<ch>:CORR:COLL:SAVE command, error correction is automatically turned on.

Using ECal

An ECal (Electronic Calibration) module allows you to perform 1/2-port calibration and response (THRU) calibration without having to replace the standard device.

ECal works by using the calibration kit data contained in the ECal module instead of the calibration kit data selected for the E5063A. This means that you do not have to define or select a calibration kit when using ECal.

• When two or more ECal modules are connected through the USB port, the system uses the calibration kit data of the first ECal module.

To perform ECal, use one of the following commands:

Simply issuing one of the above commands completes all of the tasks necessary for error correction, including measuring the calibration data, calculating the calibration coefficients, and running the error correction feature.

• Once you have initiated ECal, you cannot cancel the operation.

• No command entered following the initiation of ECal is processed until ECal completes successfully. Accordingly, if you issue a command that queries some data, the system does not respond to the query until ECal is complete.

The below command is intended to turn ON/OFF the isolation measurement for performing ECal. However, as the isolation performance of ENA is better than ECal, this command no longer works.  ENA ignores this command.

:SENS<ch>:CORR:COLL:ECAL:ISOL

• This command takes no action and only exists to maintain backward compatibility.

To select the ECal characteristic for a user-characterized ECal, use the following command:

:SENS<ch>:CORR:COLL:ECAL:UCH

ECal Auto-detect Function

The ECal module can automatically detect which port of the ECal module is connected to the E5063A test port. Turn OFF the auto-detect function to specify a port manually.

To turn OFF the auto-detect function, use the following command.

:SENS:CORR:COLL:ECAL:ORI

To turn OFF the auto-detect function and set a port manually, use the following command.

:SENS:CORR:COLL:ECAL:PATH

Checking the Applied Calibration Type

When you turn on the error correction, you can check the calibration type actually applied to each trace. To check the calibration type, use the following command:

:SENS<ch>:CORR:TYPE{1-4}?

Defining Calibration kits

Selecting a Calibration Kit

To select a calibration kit, use the following command:

:SENS<ch>:CORR:COLL:CKIT

Setting the Calibration Kit Name

To set the name of a calibration kit, use the following command:

:SENS<ch>:CORR:COLL:CKIT:LAB

Standard Definitions

Selecting a Standard Type

To select a standard type, use the following command:

:SENS<ch>:CORR:COLL:CKIT:STAN<std>:TYPE

Setting the Standard Name

To set the standard name, use the following command:

:SENS<ch>:CORR:COLL:CKIT:STAN<std>:LAB

Setting the Standard Value

To set the standard value, use one of the following commands:

As shown in the table below, you need to set different items depending on the standard type.

You need to set the items identified by * marks in the table above.

Defining a Standard Class Assignment

To select the standard to be applied to the OPEN measurement for each port, use the following command:

:SENS<ch>:CORR:COLL:CKIT:ORD:OPEN

To select the standard to be applied to the SHORT measurement for each port, use the following command:

:SENS<ch>:CORR:COLL:CKIT:ORD:SHOR

To select the standard to be applied to the LOAD measurement for each port, use the following command:

:SENS<ch>:CORR:COLL:CKIT:ORD:LOAD

To select the standard to be applied to the THRU measurement between each pair of ports, use the following command:

:SENS<ch>:CORR:COLL:CKIT:ORD:THRU

Saving and loading calibration coefficients

You can save calibration coefficients to a file along with other instrument settings and then later load them from the file.

By default, the system does not save calibration coefficients when it saves instrument settings. Therefore, to save calibration coefficients, you must explicitly configure the system to save them by issuing the following command:

:MMEM:STOR:STYP

To save calibration coefficients to a file, use the following command:

:MMEM:STOR

To load calibration coefficients from a file, use the following command:

:MMEM:LOAD

For more information on how to save and load calibration coefficients, refer to Saving and recalling instrument status

Reading/Writing Calibration Coefficient Alone

The calibration coefficient alone can be read from and written to the E5063A by using the following command:

:SENS<ch>:CORR:COEF

To write a positive calibration coefficient, use one of the following commands to declare the calibration type:

:SENS<ch>:CORR:COEF:METH:ERES

:SENS<ch>:CORR:COEF:METH:GPR:OPEN

:SENS<ch>:CORR:COEF:METH:GPR:SHOR

:SENS<ch>:CORR:COEF:METH:GPR:THRU

:SENS<ch>:CORR:COEF:METH:GPS1

:SENS<ch>:CORR:COEF:METH:OPEN

:SENS<ch>:CORR:COEF:METH:SHOR

:SENS<ch>:CORR:COEF:METH:SOLT1

:SENS<ch>:CORR:COEF:METH:SOLT2

:SENS<ch>:CORR:COEF:METH:THRU

To validate the written calibration coefficient, use the following command:

:SENS<ch>:CORR:COEF:SAVE

About Calibration Types and Coefficients

The following table shows the required calibration coefficients for each calibration type.

• If either an invalid calibration coefficient is specified for the writing command or a nonexistent calibration coefficient is specified for its reading command, the following error occurs: 23, Specified error term does not exist.

Procedures for Writing Calibration Coefficient

You must follow the steps below to write the calibration coefficient.

1. Declare the calibration type to write.

Execute :SENS<ch>:CORR:COEF:METH:xxxx command

2. Write any calibration coefficient.

Execute :SENS<ch>:CORR:COEF command as needed for the written calibration coefficients

3. Validate the calibration coefficients.

Execute :SENS<ch>:CORR:COEF:SAVE command

• Do not execute any other command while writing the calibration coefficients. This may cause the system to function incorrectly.

Clearing Calibration Data and Calibration Coefficients

Clearing Calibration Data

You can use the following command to clear the measurement values of calibration data executed with :SENS<ch>:CORR:COLL:OPEN command, etc.

:SENS<ch>:CORR:COLL:CLE

These clear functions make the temporary settings during the calibration, such as trace number and measurement parameters, recover to the original state.

Clearing Calibration Coefficients

You can use the following command to clear the calibration coefficients used.

:SENS<ch>:CORR:CLE