Comments

  • Cal standard for RF probe
    I often make my own standards. If I make a patch antenna with a SMA socket on the back, for example, i have SMA as it is - open, SMA shorted and SMA with two 100ohm chips soldered. Doing the cal with the intended cable using these de-embeds the cable and the S-parameters are true at the antenna port. You can do a similar trick to measure the S-parameters of an i.c. right at the input pins using boards such as it will be put on.
  • Peak power in an LNA
    If made with deep-sub-micron CMOS then the first voltage peak would blow the gate oxide. You might get away with it with SiGe. The rule is the deeper the junction the more hit it can take. That's why E.S.D. diodes are NWELL to substrate.
  • YIG detection - DC Magnetic Field
    I'm using Hall-effect devices, very cheap, to detect the locomotives which have little magnets glued underneath on my model railway.
  • Transmission line maximum impedance
    The per-unit-length inductance can be raised with a spiral central conductor in a coax. Is that not used in some high impedance 'scope probes? Lumped-constant lines can be made whatever you want, such as distributed Y-amplifiers in old Tektronix valve oscilloscopes.

Richard

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