
REV. 0
AD8302
–19–
The comparator mode can be turned into a controller mode by
closing the loop around the V
MAG
and V
PHS
outputs. Figure 11
illustrates a closed loop controller that stabilizes the gain and phase
of a DUT with gain and phase adjustment elements. If V
MAG
and
V
PHS
are properly conditioned to drive gain and phase adjustment
blocks preceding the DUT, the actual gain and phase of the DUT
will be servoed toward the prescribed setpoint gain and phase given
in Equations 11 and 12. These are essentially AGC and APC
loops. Note that as with all control loops of this kind, loop dynam-
ics and appropriate interfaces all must be considered in more detail.
MAG
SETPOINT
PHASE
SETPOINT
VMAG
MSET
PSET
VPHS
INPA
INPB
MAG
AD8302
Figure 11. By applying overall feedback to a DUT via
external gain and phase adjusters, the AD8302 acts
as a controller.
APPLICATIONS
Measuring Amplifier Gain and Compression
The most fundamental application of AD8302 is the monitoring
of the gain and phase response of a functional circuit block such
as an amplifier or a mixer. As illustrated in Figure 12, direc-
tional couplers, DC
B
and DC
A
, sample the input and output
signals of the “Black Box” DUT. The attenuators ensure that
the signal levels presented to the AD8302 fall within its dynamic
range. From the discussion in the Dynamic Range section, the
optimal choice places both channels at P
OPT
= –30 dBm refer-
enced to 50
, which corresponds to –43 dBV. To achieve this,
the combination of coupling factor and attenuation are given by,
C
B
+
L
B
=
P
IN
–
P
OPT
C
A
+
L
A
=
P
IN
+
GAIN
NOM
–
P
OPT
where
C
B
and
C
A
are the coupling coefficients,
L
B
and
L
A
are the
attenuation factors and GAIN
NOM
is the nominal DUT gain. If
identical couplers are used for both ports, then the difference in
the two attenuators compensates for the nominal DUT gain. When
the actual gain is nominal, the V
MAG
output is 900 mV, corresponding
to 0 dB. Variations from nominal gain appear as a deviation from
900 mV or 0 dB with a 30 mV/dB scaling. Depending on the nominal
insertion phase associated with DUT, the phase measurement may
require a fixed phase shift in series with one of the channels to
bring the nominal phase difference presented to the AD8302
near the optimal 90
°
point.
(15)
(16)
When the insertion phase is nominal, the VPHS output is 900 mV.
Deviations from the nominal are reported with a 10 mV/degree
scaling. Table I gives suggested component values for the mea-
surement of an amplifier with a nominal gain of 10 dB and an
input power of –10 dBm.
ATTEN
A
DC
A
ATTEN
B
DC
B
R5
H
R6
H
“
BLACK BOX
”
O
I
1
COMM
MFLT
14
INPA
VMAG
2
13
OFSA
MSET
3
12
VPOS
VREF
4
11
OFSB
PSET
5
10
INPB
VPHS
6
9
COMM
PFLT
7
8
AD8302
C2
C8
C1
C4
C6
C5
R1
R2
VP
C7
R4
C3
Figure 12. Using the AD8302 to Measure the Gain and
Insertion Phase of an Amplifier or Mixer
Table I. Component Values for Measuring a 10 dB Amplifier
with an Input Power of –10 dBm
Component
Value
52.3
100
0.001
μ
F
Open
100 pF
0.1
μ
F
10 dB (See Text)
1 dB (See Text)
20 dB
Quantity
R1, R2
R5, R6
C1, C4, C5, C6
C2, C8
C3
C7
AttenA
AttenB
DC
A
, DC
B
2
2
4
1
1
1
1
2
The gain measurement application can also monitor gain and
phase distortion in the form of AM-AM (gain compression) and
AM-PM conversion. In this case, the nominal gain and phase
corresponds to those at low input signal levels. As the input level
is increased, output compression and excess phase shifts are
measured as deviations from the low level case. Note that the signal
levels over which the input is swept must remain within the dynamic
range of the AD8302 for proper operation.