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WinCalXE Version 4.5 User Guide PN 135-555, Revision F, Revised 10/20/09 Copyright© 2011 by Cascade Microtech, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this manual may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from Cascade Microtech, Inc. Data subject to change without notice. The following are trademarks or registered trademarks of Cascade Microtech, Inc.: 1MX™ Technology ENA Wafer Cal™ Mongoose® ShieldEnclosure™ AccuraCV™ eVue™ MultiDie Testing™ SIGMA™ Integration Air Coplanar Probe® Eye-Pass® NanoTraq™ SPECTRUM™ Vision System Alessi® EZ-Probe® Nucleus™ Summit™ Attoguard® Femtoguard® Precision Points™ Surrogate Chip® Automated Thermal Management™ Femtoprobe® ProbeHead™ SussCal® BlueRay™ Grypper™ ProbeHorizon™ SussView™ Cascade Microtech® Infinity Probe® ProberBench™ TopHat™ CeramPlate™ Innovating Test Technologies® ProbeShield® TopShield™ Vacuchannel™ IntelliControl™ ProbeWedge™ ContactView™ iVista™ ProtecDrive™ VideoTracker™ CorePackage™ LRM+™ ProtecPlate™ VisionModule™ DirecDock™ LRRM™ PureLine™ WinCal 2006™ DisCharge™ MicroAlign™ Pyramid Probe® WinCal XE™ ELITE300™ MicroChamber® QuietMode™ WinCal™ ELRRM™ Microport™ ReAlign™ |Z| Probe® EMC2 Guard™ MicroScrub® RRMT+™ CommonRing™ † All other trademarks, registered trademarks, service marks, and trade names are the property of their respective owners. Contents Welcome ........................................................................................................................................................xi Notational Conventions ............................................................................................................... xi For More Information .................................................................................................................. xi Chapter 1: Getting Started.............................................................................................................................. 1 System Requirements .................................................................................................................. 1 Configuration .......................................................................................................................... 1 Minimum Requirements ......................................................................................................... 2 Semi-Automatic Probe Station .....................................................................................................2 GPIB Connected VNA and/or Probe Station .................................................................................2 Network Connected VNA DCOM (PNA only) or VNA VXI-11 Over LAN .........................................2 Tutorials and Documentation .......................................................................................................3 Recommended Requirements ................................................................................................ 3 License Keys ................................................................................................................................. 3 License Key Field Upgrades ................................................................................................... 4 Installing WinCal XE ..................................................................................................................... 5 Starting WinCal............................................................................................................................. 5 Registering Your Product ............................................................................................................. 5 WinCal Resources......................................................................................................................... 5 Event Window ............................................................................................................................... 8 Chapter 2: Setting User Options ..................................................................................................................... 9 General Options ............................................................................................................................ 9 Calibration Options ..................................................................................................................... 11 RF Data View Options.................................................................................................................. 12 Post-Processing Options ............................................................................................................ 13 Sequences Options ..................................................................................................................... 14 Error Sets Options ...................................................................................................................... 15 Folders Options .......................................................................................................................... 16 Remoting Options ....................................................................................................................... 17 Restoring Factory Defaults......................................................................................................... 17 Chapter 3: QUICKSTART: Tutorials & Wizards ...............................................................................................19 Tutorials ..................................................................................................................................... 19 Wizards ....................................................................................................................................... 20 Navigating Wizards ............................................................................................................... 22 Wizard Window Preferences ................................................................................................ 22 Wizard Script List .................................................................................................................. 23 Chapter 4: Configuring the System ................................................................................................................25 Setting Up the VNA ..................................................................................................................... 25 Setting Up VNA Communications ......................................................................................... 27 VNA GPIB Communication Setup ...............................................................................................28 Contents • i PNA (Network) Communication Setup ....................................................................................... 29 VNA (VISA) Communication Setup ............................................................................................. 30 Confirming VNA Communication ..........................................................................................31 Configuring VNA Settings ......................................................................................................31 8510C VNA Setup ........................................................................................................................ 31 8719/8720/8722/8753 VNA Setup ............................................................................................... 35 Anritsu GPIB (Lightning/Scorpion) VNA Setup .......................................................................... 37 Anritsu VectorStar VNA Setup .................................................................................................... 39 ENA Setup ................................................................................................................................... 41 PNA Setup ................................................................................................................................... 43 ZVA/ZVB Setup ............................................................................................................................ 45 Virtual VNA Setup ....................................................................................................................... 47 Setting VNA Stimulus ............................................................................................................49 General VNA Stimulus Actions ................................................................................................... 49 8510C Stimulus Setup ................................................................................................................ 52 8719/8720/8722/8753 Stimulus Setup ....................................................................................... 54 Anritsu GPIB (Lightning/Scorpion) Stimulus Setup ................................................................... 56 Anritsu VectorStar Stimulus Setup ............................................................................................ 57 ENA Stimulus Setup ................................................................................................................... 59 PNA Stimulus Setup ................................................................................................................... 62 ZVA/ZVB Stimulus Setup ............................................................................................................ 65 Virtual VNA Stimulus Setup ....................................................................................................... 67 Setting System Z0 ..................................................................................................................69 Setting Up the Station ................................................................................................................ 69 Setting up Nucleus (GPIB) Station Communication .............................................................71 Setting up Nucleus (This Computer) Station Communication .............................................72 Setting Up ProberBench, VISA-GPIB Communication .........................................................73 Setting Up ProberBench, Control Interface Communication ...............................................74 Setting Up Programmable Positioners ...................................................................................... 74 Aligning the Positioner ..........................................................................................................75 Step 1: Move to Fixed Location ................................................................................................... 77 Step 2: Move Stage and Positioner ............................................................................................ 77 Step 3: Adjust Second Location .................................................................................................. 77 Setting Up Probes ...................................................................................................................... 78 Selecting Probes and Probe Properties ...............................................................................79 Setting Up Standards ................................................................................................................. 82 Step 1: Selecting/Adding a Substrate ...................................................................................82 Adding/Removing Substrates ..................................................................................................... 83 Disabling a Substrate ................................................................................................................. 83 Rotating a Substrate ................................................................................................................... 84 Moving a Substrate to a Chuck Location .................................................................................... 84 Step 2: Defining the Stage Position of the Reference Alignment Mark ...............................84 Selecting a Reference Structure ................................................................................................ 84 Aligning Probes to the Reference Structure .............................................................................. 85 Recording Current Location as Reference Structure ................................................................ 86 ii • WinCal XE Returning to Reference Location ................................................................................................86 Step 3: Setting the Alignment (Theta) Angle ........................................................................ 86 Recording Structures ..................................................................................................................87 Computing Alignment Angle .......................................................................................................88 Move to Reference (optional) ......................................................................................................88 Port Mapping .............................................................................................................................. 88 Chapter 5: Using the System Tools ................................................................................................................91 Confirming Probe Contact .......................................................................................................... 92 Step 1: Selecting Port/Probe to Qualify ................................................................................ 93 Step 2: Selecting Criteria for Test ........................................................................................ 93 Step 3: Performing the Test and Viewing Results ............................................................... 93 Testing System Repeatability ..................................................................................................... 96 Step 1: Moving to ISS Location (optional) ............................................................................. 97 Step 2: Selecting Port and Data Type ................................................................................... 98 Step 3: Measuring Repeatability and Viewing Results ......................................................... 98 Managing Error Sets................................................................................................................. 100 Applying Measurement Corrections .................................................................................. 103 Augmenting Error Sets............................................................................................................. 103 Step 1: Select Method and Parameters ............................................................................. 104 Probe properties .......................................................................................................................105 Step 2: Set Up Recommended Stimulus Settings (optional) ............................................. 106 Step 3: Perform Calibration (optional) ............................................................................... 106 Step 4: Perform Selected Action ........................................................................................ 106 Comparing Error Sets............................................................................................................... 107 Step 1: Select Error Sets to Compare ................................................................................ 107 Step 2: Select a Comparison Mode .................................................................................... 108 Step 3: Compare Error Sets ............................................................................................... 108 Advanced Augmentation ........................................................................................................... 109 Location Manager ..................................................................................................................... 110 Location Properties ............................................................................................................ 111 Prober Coordinates ...................................................................................................................112 Positioner(s) Coordinates .........................................................................................................112 Relative Locations .....................................................................................................................113 Example: Creating a Relative Move .................................................................................... 114 Recording an Absolute Location ...............................................................................................114 Recording Locations Relative to X ............................................................................................114 Chapter 6: Performing a Calibration............................................................................................................117 Configuring for Calibration....................................................................................................... 118 Selecting a Calibration Type ............................................................................................... 118 1-Port SOL .................................................................................................................................119 2-Port SOLT ...............................................................................................................................119 2-Port SOLR ..............................................................................................................................119 2-Port TRL .................................................................................................................................119 2-Port SOLT (with switching terms) .........................................................................................123 Contents • iii 2-Port LRM ............................................................................................................................... 123 2-Port LRM+ ............................................................................................................................. 124 2-Port 16-Term SVD-Based ..................................................................................................... 125 2-Port Multi-Line TRL .............................................................................................................. 125 2-Port LRRM ............................................................................................................................. 126 3-Port SOLT (2-3 thru) .............................................................................................................. 126 3-Port SOLR (2-3 thru) ............................................................................................................. 126 4-Port SOLR (4-6 thru) ............................................................................................................. 126 4-Port SOLT (short-open-load-thru) (4-6 thru) ....................................................................... 126 4-Port Hybrid SOLT-SOLR (4 thru, without switching terms) ................................................. 126 4-Port Hybrid LRRM-SOLR (4 thru) ......................................................................................... 126 4-Port Hybrid SOLT-SOLR (4 thru) ........................................................................................... 127 Managing Alignment ...........................................................................................................127 Managing the ISS .................................................................................................................127 Managing the VNA ...............................................................................................................128 Monitoring ...........................................................................................................................128 Computing Error Terms ......................................................................................................128 Performing All Validation Testing .......................................................................................128 Selecting the Active Error Term Set ...................................................................................129 Sending Error Terms to the Instrument .............................................................................129 First and Second Tier Calibration ............................................................................................ 129 12-term vs.16-term .................................................................................................................. 130 Running AutoCal ...................................................................................................................... 130 Managing Measurements and Structures................................................................................ 130 Selecting a Calibration Test Type .......................................................................................131 Changing Measurement/Structure Sequence ....................................................................131 Auto Assigning an ISS Location ...........................................................................................132 Choosing an ISS Location ....................................................................................................133 Marking a Location as Bad ..................................................................................................135 Moving Probes to the Reference Structure ........................................................................136 Measuring the Selected Structure ......................................................................................136 Moving to and Measuring the Selected Structure ..............................................................137 Moving to and Measuring All Structures ............................................................................137 Loading a Measurement from a File ...................................................................................138 Saving a Measurement to a File ..........................................................................................138 Erasing Raw Data ................................................................................................................139 Editing a Measurement .......................................................................................................140 Second Tier Calibrations .....................................................................................................142 Example: Performing a Second Tier Calibration ..................................................................... 142 Advanced Augment/De-augment ............................................................................................. 143 Comparing Calibrations ......................................................................................................143 Showing Thrus .....................................................................................................................144 Configuring Calibration Settings.............................................................................................. 146 Repeatability Measurement Plan ........................................................................................147 iv • WinCal XE Setting the Number of Repeatability Tests ..............................................................................148 Selecting Trace Type .................................................................................................................149 Setting the Delay Between Repeatability Measurements ........................................................149 Setting Comparison Details ......................................................................................................150 Selecting an ISS Structure ........................................................................................................152 Setting Actions Upon Result .....................................................................................................154 Calibration Measurement Plan .......................................................................................... 155 Selecting Standards ..................................................................................................................156 Setting Standard Definitions .....................................................................................................157 Setting Cal Options ....................................................................................................................159 Validation Measurement Plan ............................................................................................ 160 Setting the Number of Validation Tests ....................................................................................161 Selecting Trace Type .................................................................................................................162 Selecting Auto Configure ..........................................................................................................162 Selecting Post Correct Reflect .................................................................................................162 Setting Comparison Details ......................................................................................................163 Setting Standard Behavior ........................................................................................................164 Selecting an ISS Structure ........................................................................................................165 Setting Actions Upon Result .....................................................................................................165 Monitoring Measurement Plan ........................................................................................... 165 Setting the Number of Monitoring Tests ..................................................................................167 Selecting Trace Type .................................................................................................................168 Setting Comparison Details ......................................................................................................168 Selecting an ISS Structure ........................................................................................................169 Setting Actions Upon Result .....................................................................................................169 Chapter 7: Measuring and Viewing Data ......................................................................................................171 RF Data Viewer Components .................................................................................................... 171 Setting Up the Measurement.................................................................................................... 172 Instrument Measurement Window ..................................................................................... 173 Step 1: Output Data Name ........................................................................................................173 Step 2: Setting Up the Data Type ..............................................................................................173 Step 3: Selecting a Calibration Set ...........................................................................................174 Step 4: Selecting a Measurement Type ....................................................................................174 Step 5: Configuring Measurement Ports ..................................................................................174 Managing Data Items ................................................................................................................ 174 Data Items List .................................................................................................................... 174 Deleting Data Items ............................................................................................................ 175 Exporting Data Items .......................................................................................................... 175 Adding Data Items .............................................................................................................. 175 Integer Data Item ......................................................................................................................176 Real Data Item ..........................................................................................................................176 Complex Data Item ...................................................................................................................177 String Data Item ........................................................................................................................177 Boolean Data Item ....................................................................................................................177 Datapoint Data Item ..................................................................................................................178 Contents • v Data Item Properties ...........................................................................................................179 Loading Data Items From File ............................................................................................180 Saving Data Items ................................................................................................................180 Loading Error Sets ..............................................................................................................180 Saving Error Sets ................................................................................................................180 Managing Report Appearance.................................................................................................. 180 Appearance Tab ...................................................................................................................181 Graphing Pane .....................................................................................................................182 Reports ................................................................................................................................183 Adding a New Report ................................................................................................................ 183 Opening an Existing Report ...................................................................................................... 183 Saving a Report ......................................................................................................................... 184 Saving a Report As... ................................................................................................................. 184 Loading Data from an Existing Report ..................................................................................... 184 Printing Reports ....................................................................................................................... 184 Adding a Page to a Report ........................................................................................................ 184 Pasting a Page Into a Report .................................................................................................... 184 Report Properties ..................................................................................................................... 184 Pages ...................................................................................................................................185 Adding Pages ............................................................................................................................ 186 Duplicating a Page .................................................................................................................... 186 Moving Pages ............................................................................................................................ 186 Copying a Page ......................................................................................................................... 186 Pasting a Graph Into a Page ..................................................................................................... 186 Exporting a Page to a Graphics File ......................................................................................... 187 Deleting Pages ......................................................................................................................... 187 Printing Pages .......................................................................................................................... 187 Page Properties ........................................................................................................................ 187 Printing All ................................................................................................................................ 188 Graphs .................................................................................................................................189 Zooming In ................................................................................................................................ 189 Adding Trace Groups ................................................................................................................ 190 Copying a Graph ....................................................................................................................... 190 Pasting a Copy of a Trace or a Trace Group Into a Graph ....................................................... 190 Deleting the Selected Graph .................................................................................................... 190 Deleting Other Graphs .............................................................................................................. 190 Maximizing Graphs ................................................................................................................... 191 Restore Graph Layout .............................................................................................................. 191 Exporting a Graph to a Graphics File ....................................................................................... 191 Selecting Graph Styles ............................................................................................................. 191 Printing Graphs ........................................................................................................................ 192 Graph Properties ...................................................................................................................... 192 Trace Groups .......................................................................................................................196 Hiding a Trace Group ................................................................................................................ 196 Refreshing Trace Group Children ............................................................................................ 196 vi • WinCal XE Copying a Trace or Trace Group ...............................................................................................197 Pasting a Copy of a Marker Into a Trace or Trace Group .........................................................197 Deleting a Trace Group .............................................................................................................197 Trace Group Properties ............................................................................................................197 Traces ................................................................................................................................. 205 Copying a Trace .........................................................................................................................205 Adding Markers .........................................................................................................................205 Refreshing Markers ..................................................................................................................205 Copying a Trace to a New Group ...............................................................................................206 Pasting a Copy of a Marker Into a Trace or Trace Group .........................................................206 Deleting Traces .........................................................................................................................206 Trace Properties .......................................................................................................................206 Markers ............................................................................................................................... 207 Adding a Copy of an Existing Marker ........................................................................................207 Copying a Marker ......................................................................................................................207 Refreshing Markers ..................................................................................................................207 Deleting Markers ......................................................................................................................208 Marker Properties .....................................................................................................................208 Chapter 8: Advanced Features ....................................................................................................................213 Creating and Editing Wizards ................................................................................................... 213 Wizard Script Editor ............................................................................................................ 216 Step Type ...................................................................................................................................218 Step Name .................................................................................................................................221 Wizard Step Text .......................................................................................................................221 Target ........................................................................................................................................222 Open Sequence .........................................................................................................................222 Example: Creating a Wizard Step ....................................................................................... 224 Post Processing ........................................................................................................................ 227 Basic Concepts ................................................................................................................... 227 Managing Functions ........................................................................................................... 228 Creating and Editing Functions .......................................................................................... 229 Function Editor Scratch Pad .....................................................................................................230 Editing Expressions ............................................................................................................ 232 Step 1: Select Category and Function .......................................................................................232 Step 2: Select Input Parameters ..............................................................................................233 Step 3: Select Output ................................................................................................................234 Function Properties ............................................................................................................ 234 Vectorization ....................................................................................................................... 236 Regular Expressions ........................................................................................................... 239 Examples ...................................................................................................................................240 Example: Post Processing .................................................................................................. 240 Step 1: Perform Measurements ...............................................................................................241 Step 2: Create the Scratch Pad Function .................................................................................242 Step 3: Get All Measurements Into a Dataset List ...................................................................244 Step 4: Actual Subtraction ........................................................................................................245 Contents • vii Step 5: Save the Differences to the Report .............................................................................. 247 Step 6: Check for Correctness ................................................................................................. 249 Sequences ................................................................................................................................ 251 Managing Sequences ..........................................................................................................252 Viewing Options ........................................................................................................................ 253 Sequence Context ..................................................................................................................... 253 Creating Sequences ............................................................................................................253 Editing Sequences ...............................................................................................................254 Adding Actions .......................................................................................................................... 254 Cloning Actions ......................................................................................................................... 255 Edit Called Sequence ............................................................................................................... 255 Reordering Actions ................................................................................................................... 255 Copying and Pasting Actions .................................................................................................... 255 Enabling/Disabling Actions ...................................................................................................... 255 Deleting Actions ....................................................................................................................... 256 Adding Variables ....................................................................................................................... 256 Managing Categories ..........................................................................................................257 Testing the Sequence ..........................................................................................................257 Toolbar Editor .......................................................................................................................... 257 Step 1: Select Items to Add to the Toolbar List ..................................................................259 Step 2: Select Toolbar Items and Edit Properties ..............................................................259 Step 3: Edit Toolbar Item Properties ..................................................................................260 Combo Box ................................................................................................................................ 260 Label ......................................................................................................................................... 261 Separator .................................................................................................................................. 261 Text Box .................................................................................................................................... 261 Appendix A: Agilent GPIB Setup.................................................................................................................. 263 Appendix B: WinCal Remoting .................................................................................................................... 267 WinCal Remoting Architecture................................................................................................. 268 Local Versus Remote ..........................................................................................................269 WinCal Remoting Installation .................................................................................................. 269 Windows Firewall ................................................................................................................269 Sample WinCal Remoting Programs ....................................................................................... 271 Sample: WinCal Measurements from .Net .........................................................................271 Further Examples .................................................................................................................... 272 Monitor Calibration Drift .....................................................................................................273 Automatic Calibration .........................................................................................................274 Manual Probe Placement ......................................................................................................... 274 Programmable Positioners ...................................................................................................... 274 WinCal as VNA Measurement Server .................................................................................275 Load WinCal Setup Files .....................................................................................................275 WinCal Remoting Methods ....................................................................................................... 276 Alphabetical List ..................................................................................................................277 viii • WinCal XE General WinCal Methods .................................................................................................... 280 VNA Methods ....................................................................................................................... 285 Calibration Methods ........................................................................................................... 286 Event Window Methods ....................................................................................................... 289 Station Methods .................................................................................................................. 289 S-Parameter Access ........................................................................................................... 290 Data Viewer ......................................................................................................................... 294 Error Set Manager .............................................................................................................. 298 Message Boxes and Remote Method Calls ........................................................................ 304 Debugging WinCal Remoting .................................................................................................... 305 Installation .......................................................................................................................... 305 Connecting to WinCal ......................................................................................................... 305 Event Windows .................................................................................................................... 306 Connection Confirmation .................................................................................................... 307 Windows Firewall ................................................................................................................ 307 Appendix C: Pluggable Architecture............................................................................................................309 Adding Items to User Folders................................................................................................... 309 Appendix D: Virtual VNA ..............................................................................................................................311 Workflow .................................................................................................................................. 311 Operation .................................................................................................................................. 311 Index ...........................................................................................................................................................313 Contents • ix x • WinCal XE Welcome Welcome to the WinCal XE User Guide. WinCal XE is an easy-to-use tool that optimizes and speeds VNA calibration and measurement. By reducing the complexity of VNA calibration and through its other powerful features, Wincal ensures the most accurate and repeatable DUT measurements. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced user, the following WinCal XE resources are available to you: • WinCal XE User Guide – available in PDF format on the WinCal XE CD • WinCal Online Help – available from within the WinCal main window • WinCal Wizards – available from within the WinCal main window • WinCal Tutorials – available from within the WinCal main window Notational Conventions This manual uses the following conventions:. NOTE i ! Note is used to indicate important information about the product that is not hazard related. CAUTION Caution is used to indicate the presence of a hazard which will or can cause minor personal injury or property damage if the warning is ignored. WARNING ! Warning is used to indicate the presence of a hazard which can cause severe personal injury, death or substantial property damage if the warning is ignored. DANGER STOP Danger is used to indicate the presence of a hazard which will cause severe personal injury, death or substantial property damage if the warning is ignored. For More Information More information may be available from these sources: • For more information about calibrations, measurement practices, and design layout, refer to your WinCal XE CD. • Online Help: Describes WinCal concepts and explains how to use system tools. • Readme file: Lists features and issues that arose too late to include in other documentation. Welcome • xi • World Wide Web: Cascade Microtech maintains an active site on the World Wide Web at www.cascademicrotech.com. The site contains current information about the company and locations of sales offices, new and existing products, contacts for sales, service, and technical support information. You can also send e-mail to Cascade Microtech using the web site. Requests for sales, service, and technical support information will receive a prompt response. i xii • WinCal XE NOTE When sending e-mail for technical support, please include information about both the hardware and software, with a detailed description of the problem, including how to reproduce it. Chapter 1 Getting Started Cascade Microtech’s WinCal XE software is a comprehensive and intuitive on-wafer measurement calibration tool to achieve accurate and repeatable S-parameter measurement, which is crucial for precision device modeling/characterization and engineering RFIC test. The WinCal XE features a guided system setup complete with customizable wizards to ensure fast and easy access to reliable VNA calibration and repeatable data. Automated and intelligent functions minimize operator errors and troubleshooting time, resulting in accurate results and higher productivity. WinCal XE features include exclusive 1-, 2-, 3-, and 4-Port calibration algorithms, immediate and live data reduction and viewing, LRRM, LRM+, SOLT-LRRM hybrid and NIST style multi-line TRL calibrations, as well as an Error Set Management capability for data comparison and augmentation. WinCal features include: • Automatic calibration setup, result data conversion and report creation • Accurate and advanced multi-port calibrations • Compatibility with a wide variety of probes and probe stations • Compatibility with most industry standard network analyzers System Requirements Configuration, Minimum Requirements and Recommended Requirements are discussed here. Configuration WinCal XE can be used with these system configurations: • Local semi-automatic probe station (WinCal XE installed on the station) • Remote semi-automatic probe station via: — Nucleus-based operation (GPIB only) — ProberBench-based operation (GPBI or LAN) • Manual probe station • VNA via GPIB • VNA over LAN and USB (depending on VNA model) • VNA Virtual Mode with VNA simulator Components of the larger system with which WinCal operates may include: • VNA • Wafer probing system • Power supplies Getting Started • 1 • Probes, cables and other measurement accessories • Calibration substrates, contact substrates, bias tees • Measurement software • Model extraction, manipulation and evaluation software Minimum Requirements Minimum requirements include: • 1 GHz CPU • 1 GB memory • 5 GB Hard Disk space available • 1024x768 display resolution and medium color quality (16-bit) • Windows® XP operating system with Service Pack 3, or Windows Vista™ operating system (32-bit versions only), or Windows 7 (32- or 64-bit). See the readme file included with your WinCal documentation for further details. Semi-Automatic Probe Station Semi-automatic probe station control requires: • Nucleus 4.0 or later • ProberBench 7 or later GPIB Connected VNA and/or Probe Station i NOTE The latest version of GPIB drivers and VISA runtime modules are available for download on the manufacturer's web sites. Windows Vista and Windows 7 require later versions of these GPIB drivers. Please see the respective product web sites for details and downloads. A warning is displayed at runtime if an older driver is found, but WinCal will still attempt to use the driver. Older driver versions are not supported, as free upgrades are available from the vendor. GPIB connected VNA and/or probe station requires one of the following. Choose the software from the same vendor as your GPIB interface hardware. • National Instruments driver 2.3 or later. The VISA library is also required (default). • Agilent driver M1.0 or later. The VISA version must be installed (default). Network Connected VNA DCOM (PNA only) or VNA VXI-11 Over LAN Set up LAN communication according to the VNA vendor’s instructions. • Network connected VNA VXI-11 over LAN requires: — Standard Ethernet connection — VISA library from National Instruments or Agilent • Network connected VNA DCOM over LAN (PNA only) requires: — Standard Ethernet connection — A known VNA network address and an existing VNA user account that uses the same name and password as your PC. Note that the VNA does not have to be on any domain. 2 • WinCal XE Tutorials and Documentation Tutorials and documentation require: • Internet Explorer 7.0 or later • Windows Media Player 9.0 or later • Flash Player add-on to Internet explorer • Sound card and speakers • Adobe Reader (for PDF files, free download from www.adobe.com) Recommended Requirements In addition to the minimum requirements, Cascade recommends the following for optimal performance with WinCal XE: • A modern, high performance CPU. Clock speed is no longer the only measure, but a single-core CPU typically has a rating close to 3 GHz and a multi-core CPU about 1.5 to 3 GHz • 4 GB of RAM or more • 1280x1024 display resolution or better. High color quality (32-bit) • Windows 7 • Three-button or scroll-wheel mouse to enable panning in the RF Data Viewer Smith and Polar graphs License Keys A license key (USB or parallel port) is required to enable the full use of WinCal XE. Install WinCal before inserting the key, as the WinCal drivers are required to recognize the key. If the key is present during installation, you may need to remove it, re-insert it, and restart WinCal in order to load the correct driver. Be sure the key is installed on your local machine when running WinCal XE. i NOTE The license key is required to enable WinCal to recognize any VNA other than the virtual VNA. If the key is removed while WinCal XE is running, replace it and restart WinCal. Getting Started • 3 To verify the recognition of your license, select Help>About from the WinCal main menu. License Key Field Upgrades To upgrade to the full version of WinCal XE from a demo version, select Programs>Cascade Microtech>WinCal XE 4.5> License Field Upgrade Utility from your Start menu. 4 • WinCal XE Select the Help button in this window for help on obtaining new locking and license codes to upgrade your existing version. i NOTE The key to be upgraded must be the only key in use on the system when using this tool. Contact Cascade Microtech Sales to proceed with purchasing the upgrade. Installing WinCal XE 1. Insert the WinCal CD and follow the online instructions. 2. If the Installation wizard does not open automatically, click Run from the Windows Start menu and run Setup.exe from the root of the CD folder. WinCal will be installed in C:\\Program Files\Cascade\WinCal XE 4.5. The default folder can be changed during installation, but Cascade recommends installing WinCal in the default folder. Starting WinCal To start WinCal XE: • Double-click on the WinCal XE icon . – or – • Click on the Windows Start button and select Programs>Cascade Microtech>WinCal XE 4.5>WinCal XE 4.5. If you are new to WinCal, try starting with the WinCal Wizards. On the WinCal main window, click the Wizards tab and select the Wizard you would like to open. The Tour WinCal and See What’s New wizard will walk you through the most important windows in WinCal, and the Set Up the Measurement System wizard will show you how to configure WinCal for a one button calibration. Refer to Wizards for further details. Registering Your Product To receive benefits such as e-mail notifications about available updates, examples and related application notes, register your version of WinCal at: www.cmicro.com/ support/wincal-support/wincal-support. Registration is strongly recommended. WinCal Resources The following resources are available for further information on your WinCal software. • WinCal XE User Guide – from the Windows Start menu, select Programs>Cascade Microtech>WinCal XE 4.5>WinCal XE User Guide. • Online Help – from the Help menu in the main WinCal window, select Contents..., Index..., or Search... to access online Help. Getting Started • 5 • WinCal Updates – from the Help menu in the main WinCal window, select Check For Updates to access any updates available over the internet. Note that this function requires an internet connection. • Web Resources – in the main WinCal window, select Help>Web and choose from the options listed there to access a variety of pertinent Cascade and Wincal Web pages. Also see Registering Your Product. • Support – if technical support is required, select Help>Support in the main WinCal window to access the WinCal Support Request window. Select e-mail or Folder as a method for packaging your current System Setup to send to a Cascade Microtech representative. Enter a full description of your issue, including the exact steps to reproduce it. . If you are sending your settings by e-mail, the SMTP Server field defaults to <Use currently-active server> setting. If Windows is unable to locate the active server, contact your IT support department to obtain the name of the mail server to enter in this field. The information entered will remain until changed by the user. • Examples – from the Help menu WinCal, select Copy Examples to My Documents to copy a variety of sample files to a folder: “WinCal XE 4.5\Examples” in My Documents. 6 • WinCal XE • About – in the main WinCal window, select Help>About to display current WinCal system information. Click to display a list of loaded data and code assembly files. This list can be helpful in troubleshooting any problems with your WinCal software. Click to save a copy of the data in the list to the clipboard for use in another document. Getting Started • 7 Event Window The Event window is a troubleshooting tool. If an error occurs, a description will appear listed in red text in this window. Select View>Event Log from the WinCal main menu to manually open the Event window. The following options are available in the Event window: • – closes the Event Window • – clears the Event Window • – allows you to save the listed events as a *.txt file • – opens online Help • 8 • WinCal XE – turns off tooltips that appear as your cursor passes over events in the Event window. Chapter 2 Setting User Options User options are individual preferences regarding how WinCal XE will behave. For example, font settings in a graph, or if the tree control in the calibration form will be expanded by default. There are several tabs, one for each area of the program. All selections are specific to individual user login. Click or choose Tools>Options from the main WinCal menu to access the Options window. The settings in this window allow you to set user preferences for the function and appearance of WinCal. Click to reset all settings in the Options tabs to their default values. General Options Select from the settings shown in the General tab. Setting User Options • 9 Setting ISS location startup mode Explanation • Query user – WinCal queries the user before restoring previously set ISS locations. This setting is recommended, since probe damage could occur if the physical locations of probes, ISS, etc. have changed and a move is attempted. • Always restore previous locations at startup – previously set ISS locations are automatically restored at startup • Always discard previous locations at startup – previously set ISS locations are automatically discarded at startup Minimize windows mode • Minimize all forms with main – all open windows will minimize/restore along with the main WinCal window • Minimize independently – all open windows can be minimized/restored independently Event window mode • Open on any message – the Event window appears when any message occurs • Open on any error message – the Event window appears only when error messages occur • Never open automatically – the Event window never opens automatically 10 • WinCal XE Query VNA selection at startup If selected, WinCal will use the <not selected> VNA setting at each startup rather than automatically reconnecting the last selected VNA. This option is useful if you switch VNA models between WinCal sessions and want to avoid the startup errors of trying to talk using the wrong VNA driver. Check for Examples in User Folder If selected, WinCal confirms that the Example files is copied to the My Documents\WinCal XE folder upon startup. Calibration Options Select from the settings shown in the Calibration tab: • Select to change the appearance of the measurement trees in the Calibration window. See Configuring Calibration Settings. Collapsed Expanded • Select to skip the repeatability portion of the AutoCal function once the original test has been performed. • Select to be prompted before each single measurement. If this box is not selected, you will receive a prompt only when there is a need to perform a move on the manual station. • Select to disable optimization and measure all switching terms. Deselecting enables optimization and enables the use of inferred values for previously measured switching terms. Setting User Options • 11 RF Data View Options Select from the settings shown in the RF Data View tab: • Select to change the Smith chart view in the Measurement window to show or hide number values. Numbers visible • Click Numbers hidden to set the font type, style and size in the measurement window. • Select to change the view of the legends in the Measurement window to show or hide physical port numbers. WinCal’s port mapping feature allows for treating the physical VNA ports as different logical ports (e.g., swapping port 1 and 2, and then reading S22 from port 1 without changing any cabling). i NOTE This setting only affects the displayed port numbers on new reports created after changing the check box. To change the display of physical/logical ports on an existing report, open the Trace Group Properties window for the trace. See Configuring Trace Group Properties for details. • Select graphs of most reports. to ensure that new data items appear in the • Select to set the default to save reports as archives when saving to include user and group post-processing functions. 12 • WinCal XE • Enter values in the Advanced Report File Format fields to change the number length and style when saving report files. Using either “E” for scientific exponentshowing numbers or “F” for normal floating point format followed by a reasonable number is recommended. The default settings are normally acceptable, but it is possible to reduce file size by decreasing the amount of preserved accuracy. Extremely precise calculations may fail if accuracy is not preserved. In some cases, it may be necessary to increase the number of digits. • Select from the Frequency Units options to change the type of unit used to store the frequency values in S1P, S2P, S3P, S4P, and MDF files. This is useful for reducing file size or for making the data files more easily readable, although some degree of accuracy may be sacrificed. Post-Processing Options Select from the settings shown in the Post-Processing tab: • Select to list debug details in the Event Window for functions executed in post-processing. This list can be useful in debugging Post Processing operation. • Select to cause a new message for each iteration in vectorization. Vectorization of Post Processing expressions amounts to nested “For Loops” that can cause many messages to be generated. • Select to stop the post-processing function on the first error encountered. If unselected, post processing will attempt to proceed after errors, which may result in further errors. For example, if a variable is not correctly created when the first error is reported. Setting User Options • 13 Sequences Options Select from the settings shown in the Sequences tab: • Select to show line numbers while editing sequences. Line numbers visible Line numbers hidden • Click the up/down errors or enter a number in the set the maximum number of stack frames. field to When one sequence calls another, WinCal remembers the first sequence location so that it may continue execution after the second sequence is complete. This location (along with some other housekeeping information) is called a stack frame. Complicated scenarios might cause many layers of sequences to execute, although the default of fifty layers (stack frames) should be more than enough for most users. Infinite recursion errors happen when a sequence mistakenly calls itself (perhaps indirectly) and keeps doing so. For example, sequence one calls sequence two which calls sequence one. In that case, the sequence will repeat until it runs out of memory. 14 • WinCal XE Change the maximum number of stack frames if a correctly operating sequence receives a “stack overflow” error message. Increase this only if necessary, as a lower number will more quickly catch unintended infinite recursion errors. Error Sets Options Select from the settings shown in the Error Sets tab: The Folder Name Template is a string that describes how to create a folder name when a new Error Set is created and is ready to be stored to disk. The underlying routine performs string replacement using these strings: • %U – insert the current Windows user name. • %C – insert the name of the calibration algorithm. • %D – insert a string for the current date and time. • %N – insert a unique number. Numbers are decimal and start at 1. The default string is “%C%U” which will create a folder name similar to: 2-Port SOLT JohnsonL Click to browse to the Folder Parent Path where new error set folders are created. Select Select to save new error sets into an existing folder. to save new error sets into a new folder. Setting User Options • 15 Folders Options Select from the settings shown in the Folders tab: The Folders tab allows you to select the directory location of your WinCal User and Group folders. These folders are used when creating new files such as Wizard scripts. User files are intended to be unique to the individual user login. Group folders are intended for sharing data and setup between members in a work group. A Group folder can be used by multiple users on the same PC, or it can be a network folder where users share files between different computers. The system default templates are loaded when measuring 1, 2, 3, or 4-Port data (or loading a measurement from file). However, it is possible to add your own user-created custom templates or reports that are specific to your activity. For example, a report template could exist that helps calculate and use the terms for pad parasitic removal. Another example might be finding the Fmax (maximum frequency) for a measured transistor. Custom templates, reports and data can be created and shared between computers and users in the same group. These items can be saved in the default User or Group location, or elsewhere, as long as the correct location is specified in the Folders option. Click to navigate to a new location. WinCal looks for files that can be replaced by files with the same name in this order, where the last file found is the one used: 1. Installed default 2. Group 3. User If previous version of WinCal XE is installed on your system, the folder preferences from that version will be preserved. If you want separate data areas for the two versions, browse to the current version, or any other folder you wish. 16 • WinCal XE Remoting Options Select from the settings shown in the Remoting tab: The Remoting tab allows you to set the value for the port connecting WinCal to another controlling program when using the Remoting feature. See WinCal Remoting for details on remote function. Restoring Factory Defaults Select File>New System Setup from the main WinCal window to open an entirely new System Setup. To reset User Options to the default factory settings, click window. in the Options Setting User Options • 17 18 • WinCal XE Chapter 3 QUICKSTART: Tutorials & Wizards The Tutorials in WinCal XE provide video demonstrations of some of the main hardware setup methods and techniques used in conjunction with WinCal, while the Wizards will guide and teach you about some of WinCal’s main functions. These tools are meant to help both new and experienced users to quickly begin making successful measurements with WinCal XE. Tutorials The Tutorials in WinCal XE provide video demonstrations of some of the main hardware setup methods and techniques used in conjunction with WinCal. 1. Select the Tutorials tab in the main WinCal window and click on the Tutorial you would like to view. QUICKSTART: Tutorials & Wizards • 19 2. From the list of Tutorials, select the one you would like to view and click . Wizards The Wizards in WinCal XE are meant to guide you through and teach you about the major steps involved in using WinCal to make successful calibrations and measurements. 1. Select the Wizards tab in the main WinCal window and click on the Wizard you would like to view, or select from the items listed under Wizards in the main WinCal menu. 20 • WinCal XE 2. Click on any step listed in the Wizard tab to jump straight to that step in the Wizard script, OR start from beginning of the Wizard by reading the text and completing the steps described in the Wizard window. QUICKSTART: Tutorials & Wizards • 21 Navigating Wizards The Wizards will step you through some of the basic WinCal functions. The Wizard arrow indicates the location of buttons described in the Wizard text. Click in the Wizard Running window or continue on to the next step. in the Wizard script window to Click in the Wizard Running window or return to the previous step. in the Wizard script window to Click in the Wizard Running window or when you have reached the end of a Wizard script to return to the main Wizard tab. Wizard Window Preferences Click to change the transparency of the Wizard window, making information behind it visible. Click 22 • WinCal XE to lock the location of the Wizard window on the desktop. Click to drag the Wizard window to a new location on the desktop. The window will be automatically pinned to the location where it is dropped on the desktop. Wizard Script List Click in the Wizards tab or select Wizards>More Wizards from the main WinCal menu to see an expanded list of available Wizards. To run any wizard script in this list, select the Wizard and click . Click or select Wizards>First Wizards from the main WinCal menu to return to the main Wizards tab. Wizard scripts in WinCal are stored as files grouped into three folders to facilitate easy user access: • Permanent – contains Wizard scripts that are distributed with WinCal. This folder is part of the WinCal installation tree inside C:\Program Files. These scripts cannot not be changed. QUICKSTART: Tutorials & Wizards • 23 • Group – contains Wizard scripts that can be shared between multiple WinCal users on a single system. The default location for this folder is: C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Documents\WinCal XE\WizardScripts. See Folders Options for details on changing default folder locations. • User – contains Wizard scripts for use by a single user. By default, all users are assigned a unique folder for wizard scripts. The default location for this folder is: C:\Documents and Settings\<user name>\My Documents\WinCal XE\WizardScripts. See Folders Options for details on changing default folder locations. For details on creating your own customized Wizards, see Creating and Editing Wizards. 24 • WinCal XE Chapter 4 Configuring the System The System Setup window contains the settings for the equipment you will use to perform your calibration and measurement task. Click window to access the System Setup window. in the main WinCal Each tab in this window refers to an equipment component required for your configuration and contains the settings and options for the setup of that component. The settings discussed here must be configured prior to performing calibrations and measurements. If these items are not yet configured, review this section or see Wizards for help with setup. i NOTE You must click or Setup windows before moving on. to apply the settings configured in the System Setting Up the VNA Use the VNA tab to select the type of VNA and the settings you will use to perform your measurement. Information regarding your current setup is displayed in this window. i NOTE See Agilent GPIB Setup for information on configuring the Agilent HP-IB interface with WinCal. Configuring the System • 25 1. Select the VNA tab. 26 • WinCal XE 2. From the drop-down list, select the VNA you are using: • 8510C – select if your drivers will access an Agilent 8510C or an 8510XF VNA through a GPIB cable. • 8719/8720/8722/8753 – select if your drivers will access an Agilent 87xx VNA through a GPIB cable. • Anritsu (GPIB) – select if your drivers will access an Anritsu Lighting or Scorpion VNA through a GPIB cable. • Anritsu VectorStar (VISA) - select if your drivers will access an Anritsu VectorStar VNA through a VISA connection. Both LAN and GPIB connections are supported. USB can also be used by copying the connection string to the custom field. • Anritsu VectorStar (GPIB) - select if your drivers will access an Anritsu VectorStar VNA through a GPIB cable. Cascade recommends using the Anritsu VectorStar (VISA) connection setup in place of Anritsu VectorStar (GPIB). • ENA (VISA) - select if your drivers will access an Agilent ENA through a VISA connection. Both LAN and GPIB connections are supported. USB can also be used by copying the connection string to the custom field. • ENA (GPIB) – select if your drivers will access an Agilent ENA through a GPIB cable. The ENA (VISA) driver is recommended. • PNA (GPIB) – select PNA (GPIB) if your drivers will access an Agilent PNA through a GPIB cable. The PNA (VISA) driver is recommended. • PNA (Network) – select if your drivers will access an Agilent PNA through a network connection. The PNA (VISA) driver is recommended. • PNA (GPIB) - legacy support for firmware 4.x - select only if your drivers will access an Agilent PNA with firmware versions 4.x (GPIB only). For any 5.x or newer, use the non-legacy PNA (VISA). • PNA (VISA) – select if your drivers will access an Agilent PNA through a VISA connection. Both LAN and GPIB connections are supported. USB can also be used by copying the connection string to the custom field. • ZVA/ZVB (VISA) – select if your drivers will access a Rohde & Schwarz ZVA/ZVB through a VISA connection. Both LAN and GPIB connections are supported. • ZVA/ZVB (GPIB) – select if your drivers will access a Rohde & Schwarz ZVA/ZVB through a GPIB cable. The ZVA/ZVB (VISA) driver is recommended. • Virtual VNA – select to create a simulated VNA setup for use in demonstration and/or instruction. See Virtual VNA for details on operation of the Virtual VNA. i NOTE Some VNA instruments have more than one driver depending on the type of communication used. Drivers other than those listed may appear in the available driver list. The readme file contains further details regarding VNA driver specifics and firmware requirements. Cascade strongly urges users to read this file before proceeding. From the Windows Start menu, select All Programs>Cascade Microtech>WinCal XE 4.5 group to access the file. Setting Up VNA Communications Click or (depending on VNA selected) to configure communication settings for the selected VNA. Configuring the System • 27 VNA GPIB Communication Setup i NOTE This setup uses the low level NI-GPIB interface. The VISA version of this driver is recommended, if available. Determine the settings in the VNA GPIB setup window according to your system setup. These settings apply to any VNA that uses a GPIB connection. See Table 1 for details. Table 1. VNA GPIB communication settings. Setting 28 • WinCal XE Explanation Available GPIB Drivers Select the GPIB card your system is using: • National Instruments – use an interface card from National Instruments. • VISA (GPIB) – use an interface card that has a compatible VISA driver. This can be either the National Instruments card or an Agilent HPIB card. GPIB Board Index Set the GPIB board index for your system. In most situations, the board address is 0. Occasionally, if more than one interface card is used, the board address may be either 0, 1, 2 or 3. GPIB Address Set the GPIB address for your systemVNA.The GPIB address of your VNA can be set on the front panel of the VNA. Cmd Timeout (sec) Set the amount of time the system will wait for the VNA to complete a command (except trace) Trace Timeout Set the amount of time the system will wait for the VNA to complete a full sweep of the measurement at hand. The time depends on the speed of the VNA, number of traces in the sweep, number of points, and averaging and/or IF bandwidth. Normally, the default setting is appropriate, but for extremely slow measurements you will have to increase the time. PNA (Network) Communication Setup i NOTE The VISA interface to the PNA (rather than DCOM LAN interface) is recommended for LAN connections. A list of connected VNA’s will appear in the PNA Com Setup window. Select the network PNA from the list, or enter a computer name or IP address. Selecting displays a list of all the computers available on the same domain as the controlling PC. By default, only names that contain “AGILENT” are listed. This is the default setting for the PNA node name when shipped from the factory. Your PNA may display different network names. To find the network name of the PNA follow these steps: 1. On the PNA, minimize the Network Analyzer application so the Windows Desktop is visible. 2. Right-click on the “My Computer” icon on the Windows desktop and select Properties. 3. Click on the Computer Name tab. The computer name is shown near the middle of the window. Selecting regenerates the entire list of computers available on the same domain as the controlling PC. i NOTE If you are connecting to a PNA located on a different domain than the controlling PC, Cascade recommends adding a PNA login that matches the current login (username and password) on the controlling PC. For further information on connecting to an instrument, refer to: http://na.tm.agilent.com/pna/DCOMSecurity.html. Network Connection Tips: • It is possible to make the network connection using a switch and regular cables. For a direct connection without a switch, a cross-over Ethernet cable is likely required. • Set up the PNA and PC with IP addresses and the same mask (e.g. 255.255.255.0) manually. • Login name and passwords must match on the PNA and the PC (use the same on both). • When selecting the VNA, use its IP address, or add an entry to the PC’s hosts file to use the PNA’s network name. Configuring the System • 29 VNA (VISA) Communication Setup This settings in this dialog apply to the following VNA communication setups: • Anritsu VectorStar (VISA) • ENA (VISA) • PNA (VISA) • ZVA/ZVB (VISA) This settings in this dialog also apply to this probe station setup: • ProberBench (VISA) Select a connection type in the VISA setup window according to your hardware configuration. For GPIB connections, select board number or connection on your PC and the address of the instrument on that bus. For Custom connections, you can enter any valid VISA connection string. For instance, set up a VISA USB connection to the VNA in National Instruments’ Measurement & Automation Explorer© or Agilent’s IO library and then copy the string into the custom connection string field. Instrument Type 30 • WinCal XE Instrument Specific Information Anritsu VectorStar (VISA) • USB can be used • Do not use Socket TCP/IP option ENA (VISA) • USB can be used • For socket TCP/IP connection, use port number 5025 PNA (VISA) • For A and B model PNAs, for VXI-11 TCP/IP use “hpib7,16” in the device field. For C and X models, use “inst0”. • For all PNAs, use the IP address of the instrument on your network. On the PNA, enable SICL. • For socket TCP/IP connection, use port number 5025. ZVA/ZVB (VISA) • USB cannot be used • For socket TCP/IP connection, use port number 5025 ProberBench (VISA) • Only GPIB is supported by ProberBench (VISA). For LAN or “same PC” connection, use the ProberBench (Control Interface) driver instead. Confirming VNA Communication Click with your VNA. to confirm that the system has located and is communicating Configuring VNA Settings Click to access settings for the selected VNA. 8510C VNA Setup The 8510C VNA settings window contains two tabs: • User Options Settings • System Wide Options Settings User Options Settings Configure the settings in the User Options tab to determine the way in which WinCal controls the VNA. Configuring the System • 31 Table 2. 8510C VNA User Options settings. Setting Channels Explanation • Channel Number – set which channel is selected on the 8510. The 8510 allows each channel to have separate values for such items as frequency range, sweep time and source power. WinCal selects the channel on the 8510 when performing the following actions: – Read and write stimulus settings. – Reading measurement values (raw or corrected). – Reading and writing calibration error sets. – Checking calibration set status. • Set Coupled Channels (recommended) – coupling on the 8510 is set whenever the channel is selected. All operations on the 8510 will force coupled channels, including reading stimulus settings. • Do Not Change Coupling – coupling on the 8510 is not changed by WinCal. Select this option to turn off the calibration from frequency domain when going into time domain mode when taking time domain measurements. Cal Set Control Instrument State • Save Instrument State After Sending Error Terms – select to save the instrument state after error terms are sent to the 8510. • Instrument State – the instrument state (1 - 8) that is saved after sending error terms, if Save Instrument State After Sending Error Terms is checked. • Cal Set Number – the Calibration Set location (1 - 8) in the 8510 to store the error terms. • Prompt Before Sending Cal Set– determines whether or not a prompt appears before WinCal sends error terms to the 8510. The dialog allows the user to select the instrument state and Calibration Set number to which the error set will be directed. 32 • WinCal XE Setting Switching Terms Explanation Switching terms are used during advanced calibrations such as SOLR and LRRM. These settings determine where the switching terms are taken from. • Read from 8510 – switching terms are read from the 8510. WinCal calibration routines automatically position the probes on the appropriate structure for collecting the switching terms. • Extract from Error Set – switching terms are extracted from an error set in the directory given. Select from the error sets in the drop down list or click to open the Error Set Manager where you can select the error set you wish to use. See Managing Error Sets. • Read From S1P Files – switching terms are read directly from stored S1P files. Click use for each port. and then to select the file(s) you wish to The S1P files contain switching terms that were measured or derived for the VNA. The files represent ‘device independent’ switching terms for each port. Note that the frequency list in the S1P files must match the frequency list on the instrument. Configuring the System • 33 System Wide Options Settings The System Wide Options tab contains settings for the 8510 that are shared by all users of the 8510 on this system. Typically, a system administrator will set these values when the software is installed and the values are not changed again. Table 3. 8510C VNA System Wide Options Settings. Setting Min/Max Frequency 34 • WinCal XE Explanation Min/Max frequencies are set at default values and used in various other forms throughout WinCal. When the 'Set to Recommended' button is clicked on the 8510 Stimulus Settings window, the values of the start and stop frequency of the sweep will be copied from the values on this dialog. These values represent the physical hardware limits of the particular 8510 in use. Frequency range settings for a particular calibration or measurement are set in the Stimulus Settings dialog. These values are generally meant to be left at default values or set once to the correct value by a system administrator. 8719/8720/8722/8753 VNA Setup Configure the settings to determine the way in which WinCal interacts with the 8719/ 8720/8722/8753 VNA. See Table 4 for details. Table 4. 8719/8720/8722/8753 settings. Setting Channels Cal Set Control Explanation • Channel Number – the channel number on the 87xx that is used for operations. • Set Coupled Channels (recommended) – coupling on the 87xx is set whenever the channel is selected. All operations on the 87xx will force coupled channels, including reading stimulus settings. • Do Not Change Coupling – coupling on the 8510 is not changed by WinCal. It will remain either coupled or not coupled, depending on the front panel setting. Instrument State • Save Instrument State After Sending Error Terms – select to save the instrument state after error terms are sent to the 87xx. The instrument state can then be recalled on the front panel. • Prompt Before Sending Cal Set – determines whether or not a prompt appears before WinCal sends error terms to the 87xx. The dialog allows the user to select the instrument state and Calibration Set number to which the error set will be directed. Configuring the System • 35 Setting Switching Terms Explanation Switching terms are used during advanced calibrations such as SOLR and LRRM. These settings determine where the switching terms are taken from. • Read from 87xx – switching terms are read from the 87xx. WinCal calibration routines automatically position the probes on the appropriate structure for collecting the switching terms. This is the most common setting. • Extract from Error Set – switching terms required for an advanced cal are mathematically extracted from an error set in the directory given. Select from the error sets in the drop down list or click to open the Error Set Manager where you can select the error set you wish to use. See Managing Error Sets. • Read From S1P Files – switching terms are read directly from stored S1P files. This means one S1P file is read per port. For a two port advanced cal, two S1P files are required. Click use for each port. and then to select the file(s) you wish to The S1P files contain switching terms that were measured or derived for the VNA. The files represent ‘device independent’ switching terms for each port. Note that the frequency list in the S1P files must match the frequency list on the instrument. 36 • WinCal XE Anritsu GPIB (Lightning/Scorpion) VNA Setup Configure the settings to determine the way in which WinCal interacts with the Anritsu (Lightning/Scorpion) VNA. See Table 5 for details. Table 5. Anritsu (Lightning/Scorpion) settings. Setting Cal Set Control Explanation • Prompt Before Sending Cal Set – determines whether or not a prompt appears before WinCal sends error terms to the VNA. The dialog allows the user to save the VNA Front Panel and Calibration state to a file on the VNA after the error terms are sent. Instrument State • Save Front Panel and Cal Setups... – determines whether the current VNA state and error terms will be saved to a file on the VNA after the error terms are sent (i.e., after a calibration is finished). The file name displayed in the dialog is used as the file name on the VNA. The file name can have up to 8 characters; valid characters are A to Z, 0 to 9 and ‘_’. Front Panel Control • Keep Front Panel Settings – determines how WinCal takes measurements on the VNA. WinCal automatically changes the selected channel and measurement settings on the VNA when making measurements. Selecting this check box restores these settings after the measurement is finished. Configuring the System • 37 Setting Switching Terms Explanation Switching terms are used during advanced calibrations such as SOLR and LRRM. These settings determine where the switching terms are taken from. • Read from Instrument – this is the most common setting. The receivers on the instrument are used to directly read the switching terms. • Extract from Error Set – switching terms are extracted from an error set in the directory given. Select from the error sets in the drop down list or click to open the Error Set Manager where you can select the error set you wish to use. See Managing Error Sets. • Read From Discrete S1P Files – switching terms are read directly from stored S1P files. Click wish to use for each port. and then to select the file(s) you The S1P files contain switching terms that were measured or derived for the VNA. The files represent ‘device independent’ switching terms for each port. Note that the frequency list in the S1P files must match the frequency list on the instrument. 38 • WinCal XE Anritsu VectorStar VNA Setup Configure the settings to determine the way in which WinCal interacts with the Anritsu VectorStar VNA. See Table 6 for details. Table 6. Anritsu VectorStar settings. Setting Cal Set Control Explanation • Prompt Before Sending Cal Set – determines whether or not a prompt appears before WinCal sends error terms to the VNA. The dialog allows the user to save the VNA Front Panel and Calibration state to a file on the VNA after the error terms are sent. Instrument State • Save Front Panel and Cal Setups... – determines whether the current VNA state and error terms will be saved to a file on the VNA after the error terms are sent (i.e., after a calibration is finished). The file name displayed in the dialog is used as the file name on the VNA. The file name can have up to 8 characters; valid characters are A to Z, 0 to 9 and ‘_’. Front Panel Control • Keep Front Panel Settings – determines how WinCal takes measurements on the VNA. WinCal automatically changes the selected channel and measurement settings on the VNA when making measurements. Selecting this check box restores these settings after the measurement is finished. Configuring the System • 39 Setting Switching Terms Explanation Switching terms are used during advanced calibrations such as SOLR and LRRM. These settings determine where the switching terms are taken from. • Read from Instrument – this is the most common setting. The receivers on the instrument are used to directly read the switching terms. • Extract from Error Set – switching terms are extracted from an error set in the directory given. Select from the error sets in the drop down list or click to open the Error Set Manager where you can select the error set you wish to use. See Managing Error Sets. • Read From Discrete S1P Files – switching terms are read directly from stored S1P files. Click wish to use for each port. and then to select the file(s) you The S1P files contain switching terms that were measured or derived for the VNA. The files represent ‘device independent’ switching terms for each port. Note that the frequency list in the S1P files must match the frequency list on the instrument. 40 • WinCal XE ENA Setup Configure the settings to determine the way in which WinCal interacts with the ENA. See Table 7 for details. Table 7. ENA settings. Setting Cal Set Control Explanation • Prompt Before Sending Cal Set – determines whether or not a prompt appears before WinCal sends error terms to the ENA. • Save Calibration and Setup to file on the ENA – determines whether ENA settings and error terms will be saved to a file on the ENA after the error terms are sent (i.e., after a calibration is finished). The text box contains the name of the file used. The file extension is always “.STA”. If the file already exists on the ENA, the old file is discarded and the new file is put it its place. Note that there is no warning that the old file is discarded. Configuring the System • 41 Setting Explanation Measurem ent Trace Mode When WinCal takes measurements on the ENA, more than one trace per measurement is required. If an inadequate number of traces are available on the ENA window, then this setting determines how WinCal responds. • Non Simultaneous Measurements (default) – traces for the measurement are taken on separate sweeps of the instrument. Some of the traces will be set up on the ENA, it will be triggered for a sweep, and the data for those measurements will be read from the instrument. Additional sweeps will then be set up on the ENA and the process will continue. • Simultaneous Measurements – If there are inadequate traces available on the ENA for the measurement, WinCal will display an error message and abort the measurement. • Override Traces – if all available traces (including traces that are currently defined on the front panel) make up an adequate number, windows on the front panel are discarded in order to make room for the measurement. The number of available traces on an ENA window is limited to 4, 9 or 16 depending on the Channel/Trace setup on the ENA front panel. Once the value is changed on the ENA, the ENA software must be restarted for that change to take effect. Switching Terms Switching terms are used during advanced calibrations such as SOLR and LRRM. These settings determine where the switching terms are taken from. • Read from Instrument – receivers on the instrument are used to directly read the switching terms. • Extract from Error Set – switching terms are extracted from an error set in the directory given. Select from the error sets in the drop down list or click to open the Error Set Manager where you can select the error set you wish to use. See Managing Error Sets. • Read From Discrete S1P Files – switching terms are read directly from stored S1P files. Click use for each port. and then to select the file(s) you wish to The S1P files contain switching terms that were measured or derived for the VNA. The files represent ‘device independent’ switching terms for each port. Note that the frequency list in the S1P files must match the frequency list on the instrument. • Disable C Model ranging – disables a ranging function that is internal to the ENA C model. This check box is selected by default and must be selected for switching terms to work correctly if you calibrate with WinCal. This check box should normally be left selected. 42 • WinCal XE PNA Setup Configure the settings to determine the way in which WinCal interacts with the PNA. Note that these settings apply to PNA setup using either a GPIB or a network connection. See Table 8 for details. Configuring the System • 43 Table 8. PNA settings. Setting Cal Set Control Switching Terms Explanation • Cal Set Description – fills the description field in the PNA when an error set is sent to the PNA. Just before sending the string down, WinCal will perform sub-string replacement within the string in order to put dynamic data into the string. %S will be replaced with the name of the calibration algorithm used to create the error set (e.g., “2-Port SOLT”). %U will be replaced with the user name of the currently logged in Windows user. For example, using the default Calibration Set Description string of “%S %U”, the string sent to the PNA will be similar to: “2-Port SOLT JoeUser”. • Prompt Before Sending Cal Set – determines whether or not a prompt appears before WinCal sends error terms to the PNA. • Save VNA State After Sending – if selected, the internal state of the PNA will be saved to a file on the PNA after the calibration error set is sent to the PNA. That file can then be retrieved using the PNA front panel. The file name is the name of the file used for saving the PNA internal state. The file extension *.CST is always used. See the documentation on your PNA for further details on the file content. Switching terms are used during advanced calibrations such as SOLR and LRRM. These settings determine where the switching terms are taken from. • Read from Instrument – switching terms are read from the PNA if the PNA supports it. Some PNA models do not support reading switching terms from the hardware (not enough receivers). In this case, the switching terms must be derived from another error set. • Extract from Error Set – switching terms are extracted from an error set in the directory given. Select from the error sets in the drop down list or click to open the Error Set Manager where you can select the error set you wish to use. See Managing Error Sets. • Read From S1P Files – switching terms are read directly from stored S1P files. Click use for each port. and then to select the file(s) you wish to The S1P files contain switching terms that were measured or derived for the VNA. The files represent ‘device independent’ switching terms for each port. The frequency list in the S1P files must match the frequency list on the instrument. 44 • WinCal XE Setting Channels Explanation • PNA User Channel – used when WinCal performs such actions as taking measurements and sending calibration error sets. This channel must exist on the PNA before WinCal performs these actions. • PNA Phantom Channel – a separate channel on the PNA that is used as a temporary space for measurements. This channel should not exist on the PNA before WinCal performs actions. The channel will be discarded after WinCal is finished with its actions. The User Channel is copied to the Phantom Channel when WinCal is performing measurements. The Phantom Channel and User Channel must be different values. • PNA Window for Trace – the window number to use for displaying traces on the PNA front panel as they are being measured. If the window already exists on the PNA, WinCal will display the traces in it and leave the window when it is finished. If the window does not have room for all the traces, some pre-existing traces in the window may be discarded when WinCal is finished with its actions. If the window does not exist, WinCal will create the window on the PNA front panel while the measurements are occurring, and then close the window when it is finished. ZVA/ZVB Setup Configure the settings to determine the way in which WinCal interacts with the ZVA/ ZVB. See Table 9 for details. Configuring the System • 45 Table 9. ZVA/ZVB settings. Setting Cal Set Control Explanation • Prompt Before Sending Cal Set – determines whether or not a prompt appears before WinCal sends error terms to the ZVA/ZVB. • Save Instrument State to a File on the Instrument After Sending Error Terms – if selected, the internal state of the ZVA/ZVB will be saved to a file on the ZVA/ZVB after the calibration error set is sent to the ZVA/ZVB. The file can then be retrieved using the ZVA/ZVB front panel. The file name is taken from the text box. A file extension of ‘.ZVX’ is always used. The default directory for this action is C:\Rohde&Schwarz\Nwa on the ZVA/ZVB. Switching Terms Switching terms are used during advanced calibrations such as SOLR and LRRM. These settings determine where the switching terms are taken from. • Read from Instrument – switching terms required for an advanced cal are read from the ZVA/ZVB. • Extract from Error Set – switching terms are extracted from an error set in the directory given. Select from the error sets in the drop down list or click to open the Error Set Manager where you can select the error set you wish to use. See Managing Error Sets. • Read From S1P Files – switching terms are read directly from stored S1P files. This means one S1P file is read per port. For a two port advanced cal, two S1P files are required. Click use for each port. and then to select the file(s) you wish to The S1P files contain switching terms that were measured or derived for the VNA. The files represent ‘device independent’ switching terms for each port. The frequency list in the S1P files must match the frequency list on the instrument. 46 • WinCal XE Setting Channels Explanation • ZVx User Channel – used to select a channel on the ZVA/ZVB. When measurements are read from the ZVA/ZVB, this channel is used as a prototype for the phantom channel where actual measurements are made. • ZVx Phantom Channel – indicates a channel to use temporarily on the ZVA/ZVB. The User Channel is copied to the phantom channel, measurements are taken, and then the phantom channel is removed from the ZVA/ZVB. This method of taking measurements on the ZVA/ZVB improves overall throughput of measurements. The Phantom channel must be different from the User Channel. • ZVx Window for Trace – a window number to use for displaying measurements on the ZVA/ZVB. If the window already exists on the ZVA/ ZVB, it will be used by adding traces. If the window does not exist, it will be created on the ZVA/ZVB each time a measurement sequence begins. Virtual VNA Setup Configure the settings to determine the way in which WinCal interacts with the Virtual VNA. See Table 10 for details on settings. See Virtual VNA for further details on operation of the Virtual VNA. Configuring the System • 47 Table 10. Virtual VNA settings. Setting Cal Set Control Switching Terms Explanation • Prompt user before sending Cal Set – determines whether or not a prompt appears before WinCal sends error terms to the virtual VNA. The dialog allows the user to select the instrument state and Calibration Set number to which the error set will be directed. Switching terms are used during advanced calibrations such as SOLR and LRRM. These settings determine where the switching terms are taken from. • Simulate ideal switching terms – allows performance of advanced calibrations by the generation of mathematically ideal switching terms, eliminating the need to supply data. • Extract from Error Set – switching terms are extracted from an error set in the directory given. • Read From S1P Files – switching terms are read directly from stored S1P files. Click use for each port. and then to select the file(s) you wish to The S1P files contain switching terms that were measured or derived for the VNA. The files represent ‘device independent’ switching terms for each port. The frequency list in the S1P files must match the frequency list on the instrument. Measurem ent Delay 48 • WinCal XE Sets a delay after each virtual measurement occurs. For example, when an SOLT calibration is performed, the amount of the delay will be inserted after each of the Short, Open, Load and Thru measurements. This feature is used primarily for development. Setting VNA Stimulus Click to open the Stimulus Settings window. Available options will differ depending on the VNA in use. Grayed out items are not available with the selected settings. General VNA Stimulus Actions The buttons at the bottom of the Stimulus Settings window provide options that are available across VNA types: • Information • Send to VNA • Get from VNA • Compare with VNA • Set to Recommended Configuring the System • 49 • Perform VNA Preset General stimulus setting buttons Information Click for information on settings sent to or received by the VNA. Send to VNA Click to send the current stimulus settings to the VNA. Get from VNA Click 50 • WinCal XE to read the stimulus settings from the VNA. Compare with VNA Click to compare settings on the VNA with settings in WinCal. The table portion of the window shows the differing values between the VNA and WinCal. The displayed items will change depending on these values; for example, if only one of the fields is different, only one field will be displayed on the table. The columns on the right side of the table show the values in WinCal (From File) and on the VNA (From Vna). The check boxes in the list are used to select the values to send back to WinCal and the VNA. • Click to automatically select all the check boxes under ‘From File’. WinCal and VNA settings are not directly affected. • Click to automatically select all the check boxes under ‘From Vna’, WinCal and VNA settings are not directly affected. • Click to send all selected values to both the VNA and the Stimulus Settings window. All unselected values will be discarded. Note that any identical values are also sent to the VNA. • Click to close the form without sending values to either the Stimulus Settings window or to the VNA. • Select to preset the VNA before sending the selected settings from the window. Note that this option is used here only in combination with the To VNA and Form button. Set to Recommended Click to set the contents of the window to Cascade Microtech recommended values. VNA settings will not change until the been selected. button has Configuring the System • 51 Perform VNA Preset Select the selected settings from the window. to preset the VNA before sending the 8510C Stimulus Setup Configure the stimulus settings appropriate for your system setup. See Table 11 for details. Table 11. 8510C stimulus settings. Field Name Range of Values Default Value Explanation Description Description Enter a user specific description of this set of stimulus settings. The string is not used anywhere in WinCal or sent to the PNA. Frequency List and Sweep Sweep Mode 52 • WinCal XE Step Ramp Frequency List Step The 8510 mode of ‘Single Point’ is not supported. Field Name Num Segments Range of Values Default Value Explanation 1 to 31 1 The number of segments when the Sweep Mode is Frequency List. Set min. and max values in the 8510 VNA Settings System Wide Options tab. Max entry is 1.0 THz. 45 MHz The start frequency for the sweep, or for a segment if Sweep Mode is Frequency List. 20 GHz The stop frequency for the sweep, or for a segment if Sweep Mode is Frequency List. 51 to 801 101 The number of measurement points taken for a segment. Averaging On or Off On Enables averaging of data for each data point. Num Average 1 to 4096 128 The number of sweeps to average for a reading. Only used if Averaging is On. Port Extensions On or Off Off Enable port extension math when reading or displaying corrected data. Offset Port 1 -1.0 sec to 1.0 sec. 0 sec Time offset for measurements from port 1. Offset Port 2 -1.0 sec to 1.0 sec. 0 sec Time offset for measurements from port 2. Velocity 0.001 to 500 1 Velocity factor that 8510 uses in port extension computation. Power 1 -20 to 25 dBm -10 dBm Power setting for RF source. Power 2 -20 to 25 dBm -10 dBm Power setting for LO source. Power Slope 1 On or Off Off Enable power slope for RF source. Slope 1 -2.5 to 2.5 dB/GHz 0 dB/GHz Slope of the RF source. Power Slope 2 On or Off Off Enable power slope for LO source. Slope 2 -2.5 to 2.5 dB/GHz 0 dB/GHz Slope of the LO source. System z0 0.001 to 500 ohms 50 ohms The characteristic impedance of the system. The 8510 uses the system z0 as the center point of Smith and Inverted Smith formats. Sweep Segment Fields: • Segment Start Freq • Segment Stop Freq • Num Points Port Extensions Power Configuring the System • 53 8719/8720/8722/8753 Stimulus Setup Configure the stimulus settings appropriate for your system setup. See Table 12 for details. Table 12. 8719/8720/8722/8753 stimulus settings. Field Name Range of Values Default Value Explanation Description Description Enter a user specific description of this set of stimulus settings. The string is not used anywhere in WinCal or sent to the PNA. Frequency List and Sweep Sweep Mode Lin Log List Lin Linear, Log Scale (X axis), List mode for the frequency list. Num Segments 1 to 30 1 The number of segments when the Sweep Mode is Frequency List. Depends on model 50 MHz The start frequency for the sweep, or for a segment if Sweep Mode is Frequency List. Valid frequency range and default value is based on the 87xx model connected. Sweep Segment Fields: • Start Freq 54 • WinCal XE Field Name Range of Values Default Value Explanation • Stop Freq Depends on model. 8 MHz The stop frequency for the sweep, or for a segment if Sweep Mode is Frequency List. Valid frequency range and default value is based on the 87xx model connected. • Num Points 3 to 1601 101 The number of measurement points taken for a segment or sweep. Valid values are 3, 11, 26, 51, 101, 201, 401 or 1601. IF Bandwidth 10, 30, 100, 300, 1000, 3000, 3700, 6000 Hz 300 Hz The IF bandwidth used for the sweep. Averaging On or Off Off Enables averaging of data for each data point. Num Average 1 to 4096 1 The number of sweeps to average for a reading. Only used if Averaging is On. Step Sweep True or False True Sets the 87xx to use stepped frequency mode as opposed to swept frequency mode. Older models do not support stepped frequency, in which case this field is grayed out. If it is not grayed out, then Step Sweep “True” is preferred. Port Power -70 to 5 dBm 0 dBm Power setting for port 1 when it is sourcing. Port Power Coupled On or Off On Uses the same power setting for both ports. Port 2 Power -70 to 5 dBm 0 dBm Power setting for port 2 when it is sourcing. System z0 .001 to 1000 ohms 50 ohms Impedance value 87xx uses for trace conversions. Port Power -70 to 5 dBm 0 dBm Power setting for port 1 when it is sourcing. Port Power Coupled On or Off On Uses the same power setting for both ports. Port 2 Power -70 to 5 dBm 0 dBm Power setting for port 2 when it is sourcing. Power Configuring the System • 55 Anritsu GPIB (Lightning/Scorpion) Stimulus Setup Configure the stimulus settings appropriate for your system setup. See Table 13 for details. Table 13. Anritsu (Lightning/Scorpion) stimulus settings. Field Name Range of Values Default Value Explanation Description Description Enter a user specific description of this set of stimulus settings. The string is not used anywhere in WinCal or sent to the PNA. Frequency List Num Segments 1 to 32 1 The number of segments when the Sweep Mode is Frequency List. • Segment Start Freq 40 MHz to 65 GHz Read from instrument (or 45 MHz) The start frequency for the sweep, or for a segment. • Segment Stop Freq 45 MHz to 65 GHz Read from Instrument (or 65 GHz) The stop frequency for the sweep, or for a segment. • Num Points 1 to 1601 101 The number of measurement points taken for a segment. Maximum of 1601 points in all segments. Off, Point, Sweep Point Selects form of averaging, Point by Point or Sweep by Sweep, or none. Sweep Segment Fields: Averaging Mode 56 • WinCal XE Field Name Range of Values Default Value Explanation Num Average 1 to 4096 1 The number of sweeps to average for a reading. Only used if Averaging is On. IF Bandwidth 10, 30, 100, 300, 1K, 3K, 10K, 30K Hz. 1K IF Bandwidth setting. Some models accept only a subset of these values. Port 1 Power -20 to 0 dBm 0 dB Internal fine tune source power control. Together with Port 1 Attenuation control, fine tunes the output power at Port 1. Source 2 Power -20 to 0 dBm 0 dB Internal fine tune source power for port 2. Only applies to Scorpion models (MX46xx). Port 1 Attenuation 0 to 70 dB 0 dB Attenuation on port 1 Port 2 Attenuation 0 to 70 dB 0 dB Attenuation on port 2 Power and Attenuation Anritsu VectorStar Stimulus Setup Configure the stimulus settings appropriate for your system setup. See Table 14 for details. Configuring the System • 57 Table 14. Anritsu VectorStar stimulus settings. Field Name Range of Values Default Value Explanation Description Description Enter a user specific description of this set of stimulus settings. The string is not used anywhere in WinCal or sent to the PNA. Frequency List and Sweep Num Segments 1 to 1024 1 The number of segments when the Sweep Mode is Frequency List. • State On or Off On When in segment mode, individual segments can be enabled or disabled with this value. • Start Freq Read from instrument Read from instrument (or 40 MHz) The start frequency for the sweep, or for a segment. • Stop Freq Read from instrument Read from instrument (or 65 GHz) The stop frequency for the sweep, or for a segment. • Num Points 1 to 16001 (WinCal max) 101 The number of measurement points taken for a segment. Maximum of 16001 points in all segments. Averaging Mode Off, Point, Sweep Point Selects form of averaging, Point by Point or Sweep by Sweep, or none. Num Average 1 to 1024 1 The number of sweeps to average for a reading. Only used if Averaging is On. IF Bandwidth 1 Hz to 1 MHz 1K IF Bandwidth setting. The VNA will select acceptable values in the range. Coupled Power On or Off Off Applies the same power setting to all ports when ON. Port 1 Power Control Read from instrument -10 dBm Sets the power level of internal port 1, or both port 1 and 2 if an external 4-Port test set is used. Port 2 Power Control Read from instrument -10 dBm Sets the power level of internal port 2, or both port 3 and 4 if an external 4-Port test set is used. Enable Power Slope Enable Disable Disable Enables varying the output power over frequency. Port 1 Power Slope -1000 to +1000 B/GHz 0 dB/GHz Ramps the Port 1 power setting as the frequency increases. Port 2 Power Slope -1000 to +1000 B/GHz 0 dB/GHz Ramps the Port 2 power setting as the frequency increases. Sweep Segment Fields: Power 58 • WinCal XE Field Name Range of Values Default Value Explanation Source & Test Attenuation Port 1 Source Attenuator 0 to 60 dB 0 dB Source attenuator setting for port 1 Port 1 Test Attenuator 0 to 60 dB 0 dB Source attenuator setting for port 1 Port 2 Source Attenuator 0 to 60 dB 0 dB Source attenuator setting for port 2 Port 2 Test Attenuator 0 to 60 dB 0 dB Source attenuator setting for port 2 ENA Stimulus Setup Configure the stimulus settings appropriate for your system setup. See Table 15 for details. Configuring the System • 59 Table 15. ENA stimulus settings. Field Name Range of Values Default Value Explanation Description Description Enter a user specific description of this set of stimulus settings. The string is not used anywhere in WinCal or sent to the PNA. Frequency List and Sweep Sweep Type Lin Log Segm Lin Selects how the ENA assigns frequency point spacing for the sweep. Num Segments 1 to 201 1 The number of segments when the Sweep Type is Segm. If Sweep Type is Lin or Log, then this value must be 1. Sweep Segment Fields: NOTE For ENA-B, FW 8.01 or later and ENA-C, FW 7.01 or later the min.-max frequency range is read from the instrument. • Start Freq 300 KHz to 3 GHz 300 KHz The start frequency for the sweep, or for a segment if Sweep Type is segment. Valid frequency range and default value is based on the ENA model connected. • Stop Freq 300 KHz to 3 GHz 3 GHz The stop frequency for the sweep, or for a segment if Sweep Type is segment. Valid frequency range and default value is based on the ENA model connected. • Num Points 1 to 1601 201 The number of measurement points taken for a segment or sweep. IF Bandwidth 1Hz to 70 KHz 1 KHz The IF bandwidth used for this segment of the measurement. This field is only available if ‘List IFBW’ is On. Port Power -50 dBm to 10 dBm 0 dBm The port power for this segment of the measurement. This field is only available if ‘List Power’ is On. IF Bandwidth 1Hz to 70 KHz 1 KHz The IF bandwidth used for the entire sweep (if LIST IFBW is Off). Averaging On or Off Off Enables averaging of data for each data point. Num Average 1 to 999 1 The number of sweeps to average for a reading. Only used if Averaging is On. List IFBW On or Off Off When Off, all frequency segments use the same IF Bandwidth. When On, all frequency segments have their own assigned IF Bandwidth. 60 • WinCal XE Field Name Range of Values Default Value Explanation Misc Channel 1 to 9 1 The ENA channel used for measurements. The channel holds stimulus settings that affect the measurement. The range of this value on the ENA is affected by the Channel/Trace setup on the front panel of the ENA. Port Extensions On or Off On or Off Enable port extension math when displaying corrected data. Offset Port 1 -10 sec to 10 sec 0 Time offset for measurements from port 1. Offset Port 2 -10 sec to 10 sec 0 Time offset for measurements from port 2. Offset Port 3 -10 sec to 10 sec 0 Time offset for measurements from port 3. Offset Port 4 -10 sec to 10 sec 0 Time offset for measurements from port 4. Velocity 0 to 10 1 Velocity factor that ENA uses in port extension computation. Port Power Coupled On or Off On When on, all ports use the same power setting. When off, all ports have their own power settings. Port 1 Power -50 to 10 dBm 0 dBm Power setting for port 1 (or for all ports if Port Power Coupling is On). Port 2 Power -50 to 10 dBm 0 dBm Power setting for port 2 (if Port Power Coupling is off). Port 3 Power -50 to 10 dBm 0 dBm Power setting for port 3 (if Port Power Coupling is off). Port 4 Power -50 to 10 dBm 0 dBm Power setting for port 4 (if Port Power Coupling is off). Enable Power Slope On or Off Off Enable power slope for all port power settings. Power Slope -2 dB/GHz to 2 dB/GHz 0 dB/GHz Power slope for all port power settings (if enabled). System z0 0 to 1000 ohms 50 ohms Impedance value ENA uses for trace conversions. Port Extensions Power Configuring the System • 61 PNA Stimulus Setup Configure the stimulus settings appropriate for your system setup. See Table 16 for details. 62 • WinCal XE Table 16. PNA stimulus settings. Field Name Range of Values Default Value Explanation Description Description Enter a user specific description of this set of stimulus settings. The string is not used anywhere in WinCal or sent to the PNA. Frequency List and Sweep Sweep Mode Lin Log Segm Lin Linear, Log Scale (X axis), Segment. Num Segments 1 to 201 1 The number of segments when the Sweep Mode is Segm. • State On or Off On When in segment mode, individual segments can be enabled or disabled with this value. • Start Freq Read from instrument 45 MHz The start frequency for the sweep, or for a segment if Sweep Mode is Frequency List. Valid frequency range and default value is based on the PNA model connected. • Stop Freq Read from instrument 110 GHz or top frequency from VNA The stop frequency for the sweep, or for a segment if Sweep Mode is Frequency List. Valid frequency range and default value is based on the PNA model connected. • Num Points 1 to 16001 (WinCal max) 51 The number of measurement points taken for a segment or sweep. IF Bandwidth 1Hz to 40 KHz 1 KHz The IF bandwidth used for this segment of the measurement. This field is only available if Independent IF Bandwidth is Enabled. Port Power -90 dB to 20 dBm -17 dBm The port power for this segment of the measurement. Each port can have its own power setting if ‘Port Power Coupled’ is Off. IF Bandwidth 1Hz to 40 KHz 1 KHz The IF bandwidth used for the entire sweep (if Independent IF Bandwidth is Disabled). Averaging On or Off Off Enables averaging of data for each data point. Num Average 1 to 1024 1 The number of sweeps to average for a reading. Only used if Averaging is On. Independent IF Bandwidth Disable or Enable Disable When disabled, all frequency segments use the same IF Bandwidth. When enabled, all frequency segments have their own assigned IF Bandwidth. Sweep Segment Fields: Configuring the System • 63 Field Name Independent Power Range of Values Default Value Explanation Disable or Enable Disable When disabled, all frequency segments use the same power settings. When enabled, all frequency segments have their own assigned Power settings. Alternate Sweeps On or Off Off When On, measurements are taken one receiver per sweep. This can reduce crosstalk. When off, all designated receivers are measured on each sweep. Cascade Microtech recommends leaving this setting off. Channel 1 to 32 1 The PNA channel used for measurements. The channel holds stimulus settings that affect the measurement. Interpolation On or Off Off Window For Trace 1 to 16 1 The window on the PNA used for temporary traces that are created for WinCal measurements. The window must have room for one trace to be added. Port Extensions Enable or Disable Disable Enable port extension math when reading or displaying corrected data. Offset Port 1 -1000 ps to 1000 ps 0 ps Time offset for measurements from port 1. Offset Port 2 -1000 ps to 1000 ps 0 ps Time offset for measurements from port 2. Velocity 0 to 10 1 Velocity factor that PNA uses in port extension computation. Port Power Coupled On or Off On When on, all ports use the same power setting. When off, all ports have their own power settings. When Independent Power is Enabled, then each segment has separate power settings. Port 1 Power -90 to 20 dBm -12 dBm Power setting for port 1 (or for all ports if Port Power Coupling is on). Port 2 Power -90 to 20 dBm -12 dBm Power setting for port 2 (if Port Power Coupling is off). Port 3 Power -90 to 20 dBm -12 dBm Power setting for port 3 (if Port Power Coupling is off). Port 4 Power -90 to 20 dBm -12 dBm Power setting for port 4 (if Port Power Coupling is off). Enable Power Slope Disable or Enabled Disable Enable power slope for all port power settings. Misc Port Extensions Power and Attenuation 64 • WinCal XE Field Name Range of Values Default Value Explanation Power Slope -2 dB/GHz to 2 dB/GHz 0 dB/GHz Power slope for all port power settings (if enabled). Auto Attenuation On or Off On The instrument will automatically select the attenuation, or you can enter attenuation values manually for port 1 and port 2. (Not all PNA models support separate attenuation settings). Port 1 Attenuation 0 to 70 dB 0 dB If AutoAttenuation is set to Off, this field will set the amount of attenuation on port 1. Port 2 Attenuation 0 to 70 dB 0 dB If AutoAttenuation is set to Off, this field will set the amount of attenuation on port 2. (Not all PNA models support separate attenuation settings). System z0 0 to 1000 Ohms 50 Ohm The characteristic impedance of the system. The PNA uses the system z0 as the center point of Smith and Inverted Smith formats. ZVA/ZVB Stimulus Setup Configure the stimulus settings appropriate for your system setup. See Table 17 for details. Configuring the System • 65 Table 17. ZVA/ZVB stimulus settings. Field Name Range of Values Default Value Explanation Description Description Enter a user specific description of this set of stimulus settings. The string is not used anywhere in WinCal Frequency List and Sweep Sweep Type Lin Log Segm Lin Linear, Log Scale (X axis), Segment. Num Segments 1 to 201 1 The number of segments when the Sweep Mode is Segm. • State On or Off On When in segment mode, individual segments can be enabled or disabled with this value. • Start Freq Read from instrument 10 MHz The start frequency for the sweep, or for a segment if Sweep Mode is Frequency List. Valid frequency range and default value is based on the ZVA/ZVB model connected. • Stop Freq Read from instrument 8 GHz or max frequency from instrument The stop frequency for the sweep, or for a segment if Sweep Mode is Frequency List. Valid frequency range and default value is based on the ZVA/ZVB model connected. • Num Points 1 to 16001 201 The number of measurement points taken for a segment or sweep. Port Power -90 dB to 20 dBm 0 dBm The port power for this segment of the measurement. Each port can have its own power setting if ‘Port Power Coupled’ is Off. IF Bandwidth Read from instrument 1 KHz The IF bandwidth used for this segment of the measurement. Actual minimum and Sweep Segment Fields: maximum values are read from the instrument. Averaging On or Off Off Enables averaging of data for each data point. Num Average 1 to 1024 1 The number of sweeps to average for a reading. Only used if Averaging is On. List Power On or Off Off When off, all frequency segments use the same power setting. When enabled, all frequency segments have their own assigned Power setting. Port Power -90 dB to 20 dBm 0 dBm Power setting for ports when they are sourcing. Enable Power Slope On or Off Off Enable power slope for the port power setting. 66 • WinCal XE Field Name Range of Values Default Value Explanation Power Slope -2 dB/GHz to 2 dB/GHz 0 dB/GHz Power slope for the port power setting (if enabled). System z0 0 to 1000 Ohms 50 Ohm The characteristic impedance of the system. The PNA uses the system z0 as the center point of Smith and Inverted Smith formats. Virtual VNA Stimulus Setup Configure the stimulus settings appropriate for your system setup. See Table 18 for details. See Virtual VNA for further details on operation of the Virtual VNA. Configuring the System • 67 Table 18. Virtual VNA stimulus settings. Field Name Range of Values Default Value Explanation Description Description N/A Num Ports Enter a user specific description of this set of stimulus settings. The string is not used anywhere in WinCal. Displays the number of ports in use. Drift & Noise Enable Noise True Enables the addition of random noise to the data that is “measured” from the Virtual VNA, and then allows simulation of a non-perfect system, so that monitoring can show some differences and successive measurements don't perfectly overlap in a report. Noise Level 0.4% The amount of noise as a percentage of the magnitude of the Virtual VNA data. This noise is distributed evenly over the frequency range. Noise Level (F) 0.05% The amount of noise as a percentage of the magnitude of the Virtual VNA data, multiplied by the frequency (in GHz). Enable Drift False Measured data drifts over time instead of being anchored to original data. Drift Level (t) 0.01% Percentage drift per hour since the last reset of the virtual VNA. Drift Level (t*f) 1% Percentage drift per hour per GHz. Each hour compounds the drift, and higher frequencies have correspondingly higher drift rates Frequency List Sweep Mode Lin Log Segm Lin Linear, Log Scale (x-axis), Segment. Num Segments 1 to 201 1 The number of segments when the Sweep Mode is Segm. • Start Freq 300 KHz The start frequency for the sweep, or for a segment if Sweep Mode is Frequency List. Valid frequency range and default value is based on the PNA model connected. • Stop Freq 20 GHz The stop frequency for the sweep, or for a segment if Sweep Mode is Frequency List. Valid frequency range and default value is based on the PNA model connected. • Num Points 201 Sweep Segment Fields: Source Files Num Source Files: 68 • WinCal XE Field Name Range of Values Default Value Explanation • File Name • File Sweep Mode DirectFromFil e • Cal Symbolic Name Setting System Z0 The System Z0 setting determines the default S-parameter normalizing impedance and the target measurement normalizing impedance when calibrating. Z0 is commonly set to 50 ohms. Some TRL calibrations normalize to an unknown line impedance and System Z0 is then set to 1 to reflect this. Note that System Z0 can also be changed in TRL- Algorithm Settings (see Z0 Settings). Setting Up the Station Use the Station tab to select the type of station and the settings you will use to perform your measurement. Information regarding your current setup is displayed in this window. The following sections describe how to select and set up your station. 1. Select the Station tab. Configuring the System • 69 2. From the drop-down list, select the station you are using: • Manual Station – the station is not using Nucleus software and is operated manually. • Nucleus GPIB – the computer is using Nucleus software and is controlled from a remote location over an IEEE-488 general purpose instrument bus (GPIB). See Setting up Nucleus (GPIB) Station Communication. • Nucleus (this computer) – Nucleus and WinCal are installed on the same station and WinCal communicates with Nucleus locally. See Setting up Nucleus (This Computer) Station Communication. • ProberBench, VISA-GPIB – the station is using ProberBench 7 software and is controlled from a remote location over an IEEE-488 general purpose instrument bus (GPIB). • ProberBench, Control Interface – there are two available configurations when using this selection: – WinCal is installed on the station PC and communicates with the ProberBench message server on that station. 70 • WinCal XE – ProberBench is installed in demo mode on the same external PC as WinCal. WinCal communicates with the ProberBench message server on the external PC. The message server on the external PC is configured to communicate with the message server on the station using a LAN connection. See your ProberBench documentation for further details. 3. Click to confirm that the system has been located and is communicating with your station. Setting up Nucleus (GPIB) Station Communication Click and configure the settings described in Table 19 according to your system setup. NOTE i The low level NI-GPIB interface is used here. The VISA version of this driver is recommended, if available Table 19. Nucleus GPIB settings. Setting Explanation Available GPIB Drivers Select GPIB card your system is using: • National Instruments • Agilent GPIB Board Index Set the GPIB board index for your system. GPIB Address Set the GPIB address for your system. Timeout (sec) Set the amount of time the system will wait for Nucleus to complete a command. Configuring the System • 71 Setting Share Nucleus Interpreter Explanation This check box is used when alternate software is being used in conjunction with WinCal to control Nucleus (station software). When this check box is selected, WinCal XE will save and restore settings that it may have changed in Nucleus to avoid adverse effects on the interaction of the alternate software with Nucleus. These Nucleus settings are saved and restored by WinCal XE: • Interpreter mode - “:SET:MODE” • Device ID mode - “:Set:UseDeviceID” • Response mode - “:Set:Response” For additional information on these Nucleus commands, see the Nucleus Communications Guide. Note that selecting this option causes additional commands to be sent to WinCal XE and Nucleus, resulting in a longer function time. Example: Nucleus offers an “interpreter mode” that can be set to 'Summit' or 'EG'. This setting affects which command set Nucleus is expecting when listening for commands. WinCal always sends Summit commands to Nucleus, so WinCal will set this mode to Summit. However if the alternate software is using EG mode, then when WinCal sets the mode to Summit, the alternate software won't be able to communicate correctly with Nucleus anymore. In order to get around this problem, WinCal will perform these steps for each command that it sends: • Query mode from Nucleus. • If the mode is not Summit, then set the mode to Summit. • Execute the command (such as a move). • If the mode was something else, then restore the previous value. Setting up Nucleus (This Computer) Station Communication Click and configure the settings described in Table 20 according to your system setup. 72 • WinCal XE Table 20. Nucleus (this computer) COM settings. Setting Explanation Command Timeout (sec) Set the amount of time the system will wait for Nucleus to finish a move Activate GPIB Switchbox The GPIB switchbox is used in system configurations where WinCal XE and Nucleus are running on one computer and additional software that accesses the VNA is running on a separate computer. Select this check box to allow WinCal to manage the VNA connection by disconnecting the second computer while WinCal is actively using the VNA, and then restoring the connection when not active. This check box is only used when a separate computer is used to communicate with the VNA and Nucleus (station software) is running on the same computer as WinCal XE. Share Nucleus Interpreter This check box is used when alternate software is being used in conjunction with WinCal to control Nucleus (station software). When this check box is selected, WinCal XE will save and restore settings that it may have changed in Nucleus to avoid affecting the interaction of the alternate software with Nucleus. These Nucleus settings are saved and restored by WinCal XE: • Interpreter mode - “:SET:MODE” • Device ID mode - “:Set:UseDeviceID” • Response mode - “:Set:Response” For additional information on these Nucleus commands, see the Nucleus Communications Guide. Note that selecting this option causes additional commands to be sent between WinCal XE and Nucleus, resulting in a longer function time. Example: Nucleus offers an “interpreter mode” that can be set to 'Summit' or 'EG'. This setting affects which command set Nucleus is expecting when listening for commands. WinCal always sends Summit commands to Nucleus, so WinCal will set this mode to Summit. However if the alternate software is using EG mode, then when WinCal sets the mode to Summit, the alternate software won't be able to communicate correctly with Nucleus anymore. In order to get around this problem, WinCal will perform these steps for each command that it sends: • Query mode from Nucleus. • If the mode is not Summit, then set the mode to Summit. • Execute the command (such as a move). • If the mode was something else, then restore the previous value. Setting Up ProberBench, VISA-GPIB Communication • Click and configure the settings described in VNA (VISA) Communication Setup according to your system setup. Configuring the System • 73 Setting Up ProberBench, Control Interface Communication Click and enter a timeout value in the ProberBench Setup dialog. For more information on using ProberBench with WinCal XE, refer to the tutorial WinCal for SussCal Users, available under Hardware Setup and Calibration on the Tutorials tab in the WinCal main window. See Tutorials for further details on working with Tutorials. Then open the WinCal for SussCal Users wizard from the Wizards tab under More Wizards. See Wizard Script List for further details on working with Wizards. Setting Up Programmable Positioners WinCal XE supports either one or two programmable positioners in the east-west configuration (only one east positioner is available for ProberBench configurations). Positioners must be set up and initialized in Nucleus/ProberBench before using with WinCal. All direct hands-on motion control of positioners is performed in Nucleus/ ProberBench. WinCal supports moves in terms of remote commands sent to Nucleus/ ProberBench in the same manner that the stage is handled. ! CAUTION Using Nucleus to set a new Zero for a programmable positioner creates a risk of crashing probes into each other, as all recorded coordinates for the Positioner become invalid since they no longer refer to the same physical location. If you must use Nucleus to set a new Zero for a programmable positioner, be sure to re-record all positions in WinCal afterwards. There are two main reasons to use programmable positioners: • To change the spacing between probes – for example, when using line standards, as in TRL calibrations, or to automatically go from a DUT spacing to ISS standard spacing and vice versa. The east-west configured positioners would then also move in the east-west orientation (x-axis). • To enable north-west (y-axis), or “sideways”, positioner movement required for certain combinations of ISS and probes – for example, sideways movement is required to create contact between both signal fingers of a a GSGSG probe and a GSG ISS (single-signal) standard. Sideways movement may also be necessary to make different signal fingers face each other on a straight THRU to complete all THRU-path connections. 74 • WinCal XE Aligning the Positioner NOTE i ProberBench supports internal align of the Positioner. If you are using ProberBench itself (or other remote programs) to move the positioner, then it is recommended to use the ProberBench built in alignment procedure so that the align applies to all programs, not just WinCal. An alignment procedure must be performed in order to place the respective positioner and stage x- and y-axes in agreement for the programmable positioners. The procedure is similar to the software align for an ISS, in that it calculates an angle between positioner and stage axis. To align the positioners, use either east-west (xaxis) or north-south (y-axis) align moves, depending on the direction of expected positioner use. Once the alignment is performed, that positioner is corrected. Positioner alignment determines the accuracy of an x- or y-axis move of the positioner in relation to a corresponding move of the stage. Positioners are aligned one at a time. To begin the alignment process, the positioner and/or stage is moved to place the probe tip on a familiar mark, often the alignment mark on an ISS. The stage is moved a known straight distance in x or y (depending on expected use), and then the positioner is commanded to make a matching move that, ideally, follows the stage and positions the probe tip at the same starting point. The actual probe tip location is then checked using the microscope. ! CAUTION Be sure that the microscope lens is clear of any probes or cables when repositioning. Generally, the location will be a slight distance from the original starting point. Nucleus/ProberBench controls are then used to move the positioner to correct the probe tip location so it lands exactly on the original starting point. The Align feature prompts WinCal to measure the amount of correction required. This calculation is used for all moves for this Positioner until a new alignment procedure is performed or the alignment angle is reset to zero. i NOTE The starting points (positioner and stage locations) for positioner align are saved by WinCal so it is easy to re-align after leaving the form or restarting WinCal. To avoid the risk of probe damage, be sure to re-record coordinates if your hardware setup has been changed. Configuring the System • 75 Use the options in the Positioners tab to calculate the software alignment angle for your programmable positioner(s). NOTE i On a ProberBench based station, the Align feature is used to calculate the software alignment angle in place of the following steps. The ProberBench align feature can also be used to make positioner moves outside of WinCal. Click to reset the alignment angle to zero. The positioner state will be changed to Not Aligned. Click to open the Align Positioner windows where you will be able to specify locations for your positioners and microscope. Complete these steps in the Align Positioner windows to complete your positioner setup: • Step 1: Move to Fixed Location • Step 2: Move Stage and Positioner 76 • WinCal XE • Step 3: Adjust Second Location Step 1: Move to Fixed Location 1. Click to record fixed stage and positioner locations for starting the alignment process. Click to move the stage and applicable positioner to a previously recorded location. Step 2: Move Stage and Positioner 1. Select the direction in which you would like to move your positioner and the distance in microns you would like it to move. Note that this step can be repeated as many times as you wish. 2. Make any necessary manual adjustments to correctly position your probe tips. Step 3: Adjust Second Location 1. Move the microscope so that the fixed location recorded in Step 1: Move to Fixed Location is in view. 2. Move the positioner to the fixed location recorded in Step 1: Move to Fixed Location. Configuring the System • 77 3. Click to compute the software alignment angle for the applicable positioner. To reset a previously computed angle, click , and then repeat Step 2: Move Stage and Positioner and Step 3: Adjust Second Location to calculate a new angle. Setting Up Probes Use the Probes tab to select the probe settings you want to use for your measurement. Complete the setup details for each port in the port sub-tabs. Information regarding your current setup is displayed in this window. Port sub-tabs 78 • WinCal XE Selecting Probes and Probe Properties 1. Select the Probes tab. 2. Click and select a probe configuration to perform a quick probe setup using standard Cascade Microtech default values, OR manually set up your probe characteristics by specifying values for your probes in the VNA Port sub-tabs. • Base Probe – from the Base Probe drop-down list, select the family type of the probe you are using. • Signal Config – from the Signal Config drop-down list, select the signal configuration of the probe you are using. • Options – from the Options drop-down list, select the body style of the probe you are using. • Probe Pitch – from the Probe Pitch drop-down list, select the pitch of the probe you are using. • Probe Orientation – select the direction in which the probe contacts the measurement device. • Dual Probe Signal – set the signals for the probes you are using. Select the signal that is connected to the port on the VNA. To set up two signals on the same probe, you must select the same base probe, signal configuration, options and pitch, and different probe signals for each port. If any of these items differ or the probe signals are set to the same value, the system assumes that two probes are present. Configuring the System • 79 • i Click on to enter the probe details described in Table 21. Part of the information listed in this window is required to complete probe setup, while other parts are optional. NOTE Equal reflect measurements are only possible when the probes and standards use the same setup parameters. Table 21. Probe properties. Setting 80 • WinCal XE Explanation Serial Number Enter the serial number of the probe you are using. Part number (optional) Enter the part number of the probe you are using. Comment (optional) Enter any comments applicable to the probe you are using. Probe Name (optional) Enter the name of the probe you are using. Setting Probe S-Parameters (optional) Explanation From Simple Model (delay) – Enter the delay value in ps for the probe. This value is automatically populated with a default value when a specific probe or body style is selected. The probe S-Parameters are used by some of the system qualification tools to translate between the reference coaxial calibration reference plane and the probe tip reference plane. WinCal XE provides a default simple delay based model for various probe body styles. Alternatively, the specific S-Parameters of a probe may be supplied in an *.S2P file. From File – To use data from an existing file, click and select an existing *.S2P file containing a model of the probe. Click on the VNA Port 1, 2, 3 and 4 sub-tabs, repeating these steps for each port as required for your system setup. Configuring the System • 81 Setting Up Standards Use the Standards tab to configure substrates currently on the chuck. Complete these steps to set up your standards: • Step 1: Selecting/Adding a Substrate • Step 2: Defining the Stage Position of the Reference Alignment Mark • Step 3: Setting the Alignment (Theta) Angle Step 1: Selecting/Adding a Substrate Select the ISS you are using from the list shown. If the correct ISS does not appear in the list, see Adding/Removing Substrates. Click to load previously saved substrate information from a file. Click to save the currently selected substrate information to a file for later use. 82 • WinCal XE Adding/Removing Substrates To add a new substrate, click and select the ISS you wish to add from the list of available substrates. Enter serial number for that substrate. To remove an existing substrate from the list, select it from ISS list in the Standards window and click . Disabling a Substrate A check mark in the box next to the ISS in the substrate list indicates that the selected ISS is enabled. To exclude a particular substrate from use in your calibration, deselect the check box next to that ISS. A disabled ISS will not be used by the Calibration logic, but will remain in the list so it can easily be enabled again. Disabling an ISS provides a convenient method of choosing between multiple ISS’s, especially when more than one ISS can be used for a particular probe type. Configuring the System • 83 Rotating a Substrate Click to configure the orientation of the ISS on your system. The ISS axes graphic rotates to provide a visual representation of the orientation. Original ISS position Rotated ISS position Moving a Substrate to a Chuck Location The ISS graphic can be dragged to create a visual representation of actual location on the platen. Click and hold on the ISS graphic until the red arrows appear. Then drag the graphic to the approximate location on the chuck. i NOTE This feature is optional and meant only to convey a visual representation of the ISS position. Physically manipulating the ISS position still requires the use of Nucleus or ProberBench software or a manual move. Step 2: Defining the Stage Position of the Reference Alignment Mark In this step, you will select a reference structure for use in aligning your probes to the ISS. Selecting a Reference Structure 1. Click 84 • WinCal XE to open the Select Reference Structure window. 2. Select a reference structure for use in aligning your probes to the ISS. i NOTE The reference structure is usually an alignment mark, but any structure with suitable probe spacing can be used. The selected substrate is shown in the Substrate field along with a graphic representation of location. A graphic representation of the ISS is shown in the lower portion of the window. You can select an ISS Group by clicking on a location in the graphic, or by selecting from the drop-down Group and SubGroup lists. The selected group will be highlighted. The alignment mark structure you wish to reference can be selected from the dropdown list in the Current Group Structures field, or by clicking on the graphic representation of that structure. Aligning Probes to the Reference Structure Detailed instructions on probe alignment are available in the WinCal Tutorials. See Tutorials. Configuring the System • 85 Recording Current Location as Reference Structure Click to set the station location you have selected and aligned for use as a reference structure. i NOTE Before recording the current location, ensure that the probe station is at “contact”, with the platen lift fully lowered. Note that this function records the hardware theta angle and stores it with the selected ISS (Nucleus only). Returning to Reference Location Click selected. to return the station location to the reference point you Step 3: Setting the Alignment (Theta) Angle Setting the Alignment angle allows WinCal to calculate the angle of rotation for the ISS and then adjust for all subsequent moves to different locations on the ISS. A twopoint alignment process is used to calculate the angle. Any two structures may be used in this process. Select Click 86 • WinCal XE if you intend to use the theta settings on your probe station. to reset the alignment angle to zero. 1. Click to open the Alignment window. Recording Structures 1. Select Structure A by using the Structure A drop-down Group and SubGroup lists. A highlighted letter “A” will appear on the ISS image. 2. Click to roughly align the probes with structure A. You may need to adjust your alignment manually. 3. Click to record the location of the alignment structure. 4. Repeat for Structure B. Configuring the System • 87 Computing Alignment Angle 1. Click Structure B. 2. Clicking to calculate the alignment angle between Structure A and resets the alignment angle to zero. Move to Reference (optional) Click to return the probe to the selected reference point. Port Mapping Use the Port Map tab to map your logical ports to any of the ports in use. The port mapping settings are available for situations in which you need to change the parameters of your measurement, but don’t want to remove cables or change your system configuration. For example, port mapping could be used to perform 2-port calibration and measurements on ports 3 and 4 of a 4 port VNA. Ports in use are shown listed under Connected Ports. Logical ports show the assumed VNA port connection (i.e., logical port 1 connects to VNA port 1, etc.). Clicking on the VNA port field will allow you to map your logical ports to any of the ports in use. i 88 • WinCal XE NOTE Multiple logical ports cannot be mapped to the same VNA port. Click numerical order. to reset the logical ports to the default setting with ports listed in Configuring the System • 89 90 • WinCal XE Chapter 5 Using the System Tools The System Tools window contains utilities that can be used to diagnose measurement and calibration problems, and manage Error Sets. Click window to access the System Tools window. in the main WinCal Select to restore the VNA stimulus settings to the previous values. This option is available across all the tabs in the System Qualification Tools window. Using the System Tools • 91 Confirming Probe Contact The options in the Confirm Probe Contact tool allow you to confirm that all probe tips are making good contact with a load and to give an indication of the correct value of the load. The test computes the deviation of impedance of the measured load. The probe properties configured in System Setup are used to generate the Estimated System Error Terms (ESET). The ESET is then applied to the raw measurements taken for each of the probes to compute an estimate of the corrected load and the deviation from the determined system impedance. Complete these steps to confirm probe contact: • Step 1: Selecting Port/Probe to Qualify • Step 2: Selecting Criteria for Test • Step 3: Performing the Test and Viewing Results 92 • WinCal XE Step 1: Selecting Port/Probe to Qualify Select the port(s) you wish to test from the drop-down list. You can test individual ports separately, or all ports that have probes configured. The parameters listed are obtained from the probe properties settings in the active system setup. See Setting Up Probes. Step 2: Selecting Criteria for Test 1. Select the frequency range for the probe contact test. 2. Select an Error set for ESET from the drop down list or click expandable list of error sets. to select from an 3. Select the system impedance that will be used for the probe contact test. The Delta R value sets the maximum impedance deviation (from the system impedance), below which the actual measurement must fall to qualify as a pass. NOTE i System impedance is almost always set to 50 Ohms. Be sure to select a load on the ISS that matches the system impedance. 4. Click to open the Manage ISS window and move to another location on the ISS. See Managing the ISS for more information. 5. To send the Cascade Microtech recommended stimulus settings to the VNA, select . Step 3: Performing the Test and Viewing Results 1. Click to read the contacts on the load. Results show impedance deviation between the measured impedance value and expected contact values. The results for each port are marked as green (pass) or red (fail). 2. Click to display the reading taken during Measure and Compare. Two viewing tabs are available: • Impedance Deviation - displays the impedance deviation set in Step 2: Selecting Criteria for Test. Using the System Tools • 93 • 94 • WinCal XE Estimated Load S-Parameters - displays the corrected measurement after ESET has been applied. Using the System Tools • 95 Testing System Repeatability The options in the System Repeatability tool can help to determine the cause of measurement error. This tool allows you to take the same measurement multiple times, adding a time lapse between each measurement. Diagnosing a measurement repeatability problem should be done in terms of successive layers of potential sources of errors. For example, the VNA, cables, biastees, and probes are all components that could introduce error into measurements. The most thorough way to find the source of error in measurements is to start by removing all cables from the VNA front panel and performing the repeatability test, normally by using a a coaxial short or open termination. After verifying that the VNA itself is capable of repeatable measurements, reconnect the cables and repeat the measurement. Bias-tees and probes can similarly be tested by adding them incrementally and performing a repeatability measurement for each new component. When testing the repeatability of probes, they should be tested “in-air” first. Attach the probes to the cables, but do not set them down on an ISS or other device. After the probes have been validated in air, they should be validated on a short. Successive measurements on the short can be performed without moving the probe, and then 96 • WinCal XE by lifting the probe and setting it down on the same short again. This technique of measuring the probe before and after lifting it off of the short validates that the probe is making a clean contact each time it touches down. For additional diagnostic capability, the probe repeatability can also be tested on a load. Thus, any of the three types of reflection standards (Open, Short, Load) can be used for the repeatability test. Using a thru standard may be less useful with the repeatability test, as the repeatability test only compares reflection measurements. Since thru standards provide very little reflection, comparing such measurements will, by nature, produce variation. This limitation also applies to loads. An ideal setup will return identical measurements each time. However, this tool allows you to isolate potential causes of errors by testing separate elements of your setup. For example, the appearance of a measurement deviation when testing at the VNA front panel might lead to the conclusion that the error actually lies in the VNA or its settings. Complete these steps to test measurement repeatability: • Step 1: Moving to ISS Location (optional) • Step 2: Selecting Port and Data Type • Step 3: Measuring Repeatability and Viewing Results Step 1: Moving to ISS Location (optional) 1. Click to open the Manage ISS window where you can move to another location on the ISS. See Managing the ISS for more information. Using the System Tools • 97 2. Select a structure to measure, usually an open or a short. Step 2: Selecting Port and Data Type Select the port you wish to test and the type of measurement you wish to view. • Compare Raw Data - data will appear without error correction applied • Compare Corrected Data - correction is applied to the measurements by the VNA before they are displayed Step 3: Measuring Repeatability and Viewing Results Multiple measurements from the selected port are taken and compared in this step. i 98 • WinCal XE NOTE Measurements can be taken on any available port in any order. WinCal will keep the measurement results as long as WinCal is open. 1. Click to take the first measurement on the selected port. The port number and time that the measurement was taken will appear next to the First Measurement button. 2. Click to take the second measurement on the selected port. The port number and time that the measurement was taken will appear next to the Second Measurement button. 3. Click measurements. to open a graph of the difference between the two Two viewing tabs are available: • Page Difference - displays a representation of the Error Vector Magnitude Difference between the two measurements. Using the System Tools • 99 • Page S-Parameters - displays a representation of the two separate measurement traces Managing Error Sets The Error Set Manager allows you to control the use of Error Sets created as part of a calibration. Error Sets contain the information that is ‘applied’ to raw measurements to turn them into corrected measurements. i NOTE Select an Error Set List You can access the Select and Error Set List window from various location in WinCal when you need to select an error set. The functionality of this window is identical to the Error Set Manager tool. 100 • WinCal XE A list of available Error Sets is displayed in the Error Set Manager tab. Every time WinCal performs a calibration, for example with an AutoCal, the resulting error set is added to this list. The last used (active) Error Set will be used when WinCal applies the correction. Bold text indicates that WinCal has been selected in the Correction Applied By field. Italic text indicates that VNA is selected. See Applying Measurement Corrections for further detail. The entries can be expanded by clicking to display detailed information including: • A unique, user assigned name for the error set. The name of the Error Set is also used for the folder. • The name of the calibration algorithm used to compute the Error Set. This may alternatively be text describing the action that created the Error Set (e.g., “Read from VNA”). • The error set type: • Extended 12-Term – from the traditional 2-port error model that is used in most VNA designs. In this form, each port is assigned three reflection terms, and each port-pair is assigned three forward transmission and three reverse transmission terms. Using the System Tools • 101 • Extended 16-Term – defines a matrix that is split into quadrants. A 2-port error set is a 4x4 matrix, hence the name “16-term”. Also shown here is 16-term to 12term Error Set compatibility (i.e., the 16-term error set could be reduced to 12term with no loss of information). Those 16-term error sets that can be converted to 12-term without loss are listed as “Extended 16-Term Error Set compatible with 12-Term”. See “VNA Error Model Conversion for N-port Calibration Comparison”, 69th ARFTG Conference Digest, Honolulu, Spring 2007 for further details on 12-term and 16-term error sets. • The date and time the Error Set was created • The Windows user name in effect at the time the Error Set was created • The physical VNA port list to which the Error Set applies • The number of points in the Error Set • The frequency range and number of points in the Error Set • VNA Model and Serial that was used to create the error set • The full OS path of the folder containing the Error Set files • An arbitrary user assigned comment assigned to the Error Set Right-clicking on an error set in the list displays a contest menu with the following options: • Sort by – sort details in the error set by Name, Path, Cal Method, Cal Date, Freq Range, Num Points, Num Ports, or User Name. • Expand All, Collapse All – all items are expanded or collapsed • Remove from list – remove the item from the list, but leave the Error Set in the disk folder • Delete from list and disk – remove the item from the list and also from the disk folder • Rename – rename the error set and change the name of the folder that contains it • Edit Comment – edit the comment for the selected error set • Use for WinCal Apply – mark the given error set to be applied by WinCal (see “Applying corrections with WinCal”). Whenever a new error set is added to the list, it becomes the designated error set for WinCal to apply. • Convert to Extended 16-Term – make a copy of the selected error set and convert it to the alternate form. A 16-term error set will be converted to 12-term, and a 12term error set will be converted to 16-term. Click to the list. to browse for a folder containing an existing Error Set to add Click folder to read the current Error Set from the VNA and create a new Click to send the selected error set to the VNA. Select VNA. 102 • WinCal XE send the stimulus settings associated with the Error Set to the Click to view the stimulus settings for the selected error set in the Stimulus Settings window. The settings can then be sent to the VNA or to compared to the existing VNA settings. Applying Measurement Corrections Select from the correction application options to determine how corrected measurements are applied. In the Data Viewer window, when a corrected measurement is requested, the settings here determine how the correction is applied. In the Calibration window, when a second tier calibration is performed, the settings here determine how the correction is applied for the measurements used as input to the calibration. • VNA – causes measurement corrections to be computed directly by the VNA. This selection cannot be used to compute corrections from a 16-term error set because the VNA instruments only support computing corrections using a 12-term error set. • WinCal – causes measurement corrections to be computed by WinCal. This can be used to apply error sets of either Extended 12 or Extended 16 forms. Augmenting Error Sets The Error Set Augment tab is used to modify an existing error set and then store the modified result as a new error set. Augmentation or de-augmentation means changing or moving the measurement plane. The process of augmentation or de-augmentation mathematically combines SParameters with the error set to produce a new modified error set. If the same probe S-Parameters are used in both the augment and deaugment processes, they are the inverse of each other. For example, you can augment the measurement plane by moving it from the connector on the probe body to the probe tip. De-augmenting reverses the process by changing the measurement plane from the probe tip back to the cable connector on the probe. For details on Advanced Augmentation, see Advanced Augmentation. Using the System Tools • 103 Complete these steps to augment an error set. Note that the step options change according to your selection in Step 1: Select Method and Parameters. • Step 1: Select Method and Parameters • Step 2: Set Up Recommended Stimulus Settings (optional) • Step 3: Perform Calibration (optional) • Step 4: Perform Selected Action Step 1: Select Method and Parameters Select the source of the error set to be augmented or de-augmented: • Read Coax Error Set From VNA – the current error set is read from the VNA and stored in the error set manager list. No probe extraction will occur when using this as the calibration is read directly from the VNA. The error set is not modified, i.e., it is not augmented or de-augmented. • Read Probe Tip Error Set from VNA – the current error set is read from the VNA and de-augmented. The measurement plane is moved from the probe tip to the cable connector on the probe. The probe S-Parameters used for this operation can be modified by clicking the edit-probe properties button. 104 • WinCal XE • Augment Error Set on Disk – an existing error set from the error set manager list is augmented using the probe S-Parameters, and the results are stored as a new error set on the error set manager list. With this operation, the measurement plane is moved from the connector on the probe body to the probe tip. Select an error set from the drop down list or click Error Set Manager. to open a list of available error sets in the • De-Augment Error Set on Disk – this selection is the inverse of Augment Error Set on Disk selection. A new error set is created by moving the measurement plane from the probe tip to the connector on the probe body. Select an error set from the drop down list or click Manager. to open a list of available error sets in the Error Set Probe properties Click to open the Probe Properties for Augment or DeAugment window. The probe properties in this window are used to create the mathematical models of the probes that are then used for the augment or deaugment process. Select Delay to use a simple delay for the probe. Select File to use a S2P file that represents the probe. Click to copy the probe properties from the active system setup. Using the System Tools • 105 Step 2: Set Up Recommended Stimulus Settings (optional) Click to send the (default) Cascade Microtech recommended stimulus settings to the VNA and override the current VNA settings. Step 3: Perform Calibration (optional) The calibration can be performed either by using probe tips (for example, by performing an AutoCal in WinCal), or by performing a front panel coax calibration. Use of a coax calibration is preferred since it is not dependent on proper probe contact. For detailed instructions on performing a front panel coax calibration, please refer to the manufacturer’s instructions for your VNA. Click to open the Calibration window where you can run the calibration. The probe S-Parameters (or estimates of S-Parameters from the delay only model) will be used to extract the cable measurement plane from the probe tip calibration. Step 4: Perform Selected Action After performing the calibration, click to apply the settings from Step 1: Select Method and Parameters to the calibration results. i 106 • WinCal XE NOTE Note that the button in Step 4: Perform Selected Action changes according to the selection in Step 1: Select Method and Parameters. Comparing Error Sets The options in the Compare Error Sets tab allow you to select two error sets for comparison. Complete these steps to compare error sets: • Step 1: Select Error Sets to Compare • Step 2: Select a Comparison Mode • Step 3: Compare Error Sets Step 1: Select Error Sets to Compare Select the two error sets for comparison. Available error sets are shown in the drop down lists. Clicking displays the Error Set Manager where you can select from available error sets or add error sets from a file or from the VNA. See Managing Error Sets for details on the Error Set Manager window. Using the System Tools • 107 Step 2: Select a Comparison Mode Select the way in which you would like the error sets to be compared. • Show Vector Magnitude Difference - a term by term comparison of the error sets. A vector difference is generated for each term, and the magnitude is a measure of how closely the two error sets agree. • EVMterm = |errorset1term – errorset2term|. • Compare using Worst Case SnP - a worst-case, passive DUT (|Sij| = 1 all i, j) is assumed when calculating the error bound. This is useful for general comparison of error sets for any passive device measurement. • Compare Using SnP from File - estimates of the device S-Parameters are used to refine the specific error bounds associated with a particular device-under-test. The string in the Difference Data Item Name field is sent to the report that will display the comparison results for identification purposes. Step 3: Compare Error Sets Click 108 • WinCal XE to perform the comparison and view the results. Advanced Augmentation Click to open the Advanced Augment or De-augment Error Set window where you can select settings for second tier error sets. 1. Select a source Error Set from the drop down list (see Managing Error Sets). 2. Select a second tier error term from the drop down list displaying the current error sets in the Error Set Manager or select to browse to an existing Snp file. 3. Select Augment or Deaugment. 4. Specify in the Map Error Terms table how the second tier error terms will be mapped to the existing source error term set when the augmentation or deaugmentation occurs. Using the System Tools • 109 Click to determine the resultant error set using the augmentation or deaugmentation process. Computed error terms are automatically stored to SnP files based on Error Set Manager settings. Location Manager The Location Manager stores absolute and relative (to a specific reference point) stage locations, enabling you to record a reference position and then move to other structures without further intervention. The Location Manager names these stored locations which can be used in your calibration setup for User-Defined Location, allowing you to record user-identified locations that are, for example, on your wafer or on a custom ISS. By using the relative moves function, you can use a given starting point for the calibration sequence, align the probes to it and then relate all other locations to that location. If WinCal doesn't find a matching ISS structure for your selected calibration, it will assign it as a User-Defined Location. It is also possible to create a User-Defined Location for a particular structure in Calibration Setup by right-clicking on any User-Defined Location line in the Calibration window and selecting a location name in the Location Manager. Simply re-record the physical location to use it next time. Note, however, that you must retain the location name. If the name is missing, the Calibration move will fail. This data is saved in a Calibration Setup file (select File>Save in the Calibration window). To restore defaults and remove all User-Defined Location, select File>New in the Calibration window. Locations are stored in the Location Manger as buttons. You can provide names and Tooltips for each location. Select Tools>Location Manager from the Calibration menu or the WinCal menu to open the Location Manager. 110 • WinCal XE Click or right-click in the Location Manager field and select Add... to display the Location Properties window. Set the values in the Location Properties window and click to add a new location. Clicking on a location button commands a move to that stored location. Click or right-click on a location and select Edit... to display the Location Properties window where you can change the location values. See Location Properties for details. Click or right-click on a location and select Remove to delete the currently selected location from the list. Click existing locations. or select Remove All to delete all Click or right-click and select >>Less to display only the location buttons. Rightclick on the button array and select More>> or double-click the window title bar to restore the previous view. Click or right-click and select Import... to browse to a “.wcloc” file for import. Locations contained in the file will automatically be added to the list of current locations. Click or right-click and select Export... to export the entire list of loaded locations to a “.wcloc” file. Location Properties Location values are set in the Location Properties window when adding a new location or editing an existing location. Positioner entry fields are only enabled for applicable stations and positioners that are enabled in WinCal's system setup. Each Using the System Tools • 111 location must be assigned a unique label. Tooltips can also be applied to each location. Enter label Enter Tooltip Prober Coordinates Enter coordinates for the selected prober location. Click to load coordinates from the current location. Click specified location. to move to the Positioner(s) Coordinates Enter coordinates for the selected positioner location. Click Click 112 • WinCal XE to load coordinates from the current location. to move to the specified location. Relative Locations Select to store location coordinates relative to another previously-recorded absolute location. Selecting this check box enables the list of stored absolute locations and changes the Prober Coordinate options. Enter the known offset coordinates for a relative location and click .Then click to calculate the software alignment angle using the newly entered coordinates and stage position. i NOTE If a software alignment angle has been computed for the chosen stored location (see Computing Alignment Angle), the displayed coordinates will be relative to the previously-recorded location. Click to update the relative location coordinates using the previously computed software alignment angle and the current stage location. If is selected and the stored absolute location does not have a coordinate stored for Z, will be unavailable. If XY or Theta had not been recorded by the stored absolute location, a relative move would not be possible (because it would not be possible to compute a software alignment angle without a previously recorded coordinate). Using the System Tools • 113 Example: Creating a Relative Move The steps listed here describe how to use the Location Manager to perform these actions: • Recording an Absolute Location • Recording Locations Relative to X Recording an Absolute Location 1. Select Tools>Location Manager from the main WinCal menu or the Calibration menu. 2. Click or right-click and select Add… in the Location Manager to open Location Properties window. 3. Move the stage to the desired location and click or enter the desired coordinates manually. If the stage was at the desired location when Location Properties window was opened, that location will be applied. 4. Click in the Location Properties window. Recording Locations Relative to X Record the First Relative Location 1. Click or right-click and select Add… in the Location Manager to open Location Properties window. 2. Select and select the location you recorded in Recording an Absolute Location from the list. 3. Enter the known offset coordinates in the Prober Coordinates field. 114 • WinCal XE 4. Move the stage to the relative location. 5. Click to compute the software alignment angle (which will be associated with the stored absolute location). 6. Click in the Location Properties window. Record a Second Relative Location 1. Click or right-click and select Add… in the Location Manager to open Location Properties window. 2. Select and select the location you recorded in Recording an Absolute Location from the list. 3. Move the stage to the relative location. 4. Click 5. Click . in the Location Properties window. Recording More Relative Locations Repeat the steps listed under Record a Second Relative Location for each new relative location. Using the System Tools • 115 116 • WinCal XE Chapter 6 Performing a Calibration The Calibration window is used to calculate the calibration error set for your measurement. For most calibrations, the default settings are adequate. Click in the main WinCal window to access the Calibration window. Click to perform the calibration by automatically moving to and measuring each standard according to the calibration type you have selected. The settings discussed in Chapter 4, Configuring the System must be configured prior to performing calibrations and measurements. i NOTE Note that you must click Calibration windows. or to apply the settings configured in the Performing a Calibration • 117 Configuring for Calibration Along with allowing you to you to create new files, open existing files and save your work, the main Calibration toolbars provide several options that allow you to select calibration type and make quick changes to your alignment, ISS and VNA stimulus setup . Advanced toolbar Further calibration and measurement options appear in the Advanced toolbar, which is activated by selecting View>Advanced Toolbar. Note that all of these options can also be accessed from the menu items in the Calibration window. Selecting a Calibration Type From the drop-down list, select the algorithm you wish to use to calculate the calibration error set. The selections compatible with your system setup will be listed. For example, advanced calibrations (LRRM, LRM, SOLR) may not be shown in the list, as they require switching terms. Some VNAs do not support switching terms directly from the 118 • WinCal XE hardware because they do not have enough receivers. For these instruments, WinCal can provide switching terms by extracting them from an existing error term set. Setting Up the VNA for more information on configuring the VNA driver to extract switching terms from an existing error term set. Once an existing error term set has been provided to extract switching terms from, the advanced calibrations will appear in the drop-down list. 1-Port SOL One-port SOL measurements compute calibration factors using defined reference planes, parasitic inductance, and capacitance for the short and open. At higher frequencies, inaccuracies in the parasitic descriptions greatly impact the accuracy of subsequent measurements. 2-Port SOLT Two-port SOLT measurements compute calibration factors using defined reference planes, parasitic inductance, and capacitance for the short, open, and thru. At higher frequencies, inaccuracies in the parasitic descriptions greatly impact the accuracy of subsequent measurements. The reference impedance in SOLT on-wafer calibrations is a physically small, trimmed, 50-ohm coplanar resistor. This resistor is best modeled as a constant resistance in series with a small, lumped reactance. 2-Port SOLR Two-port SOLR measurements compute calibration factors using a custom thru line between ports. The SOLR calculation allows for an inadequate knowledge of this thru element as long as its delay is approximately known. 2-Port TRL Two-port TRL measurements compute calibration factors using transmission line standards, normally fabricated in the technology of the DUT (so-called “on-wafer” standards). Measurement of the short “Thru” and longer “Line” determine the propagation constant of the transmission line structure very accurately, without requiring known definition. The line length difference must not have electrical length of zero degrees or any multiple of 180 degrees where degeneracy occurs. Normally multiple choices of lines are used in different frequency bands, with band limits specified in the calibration setup. The addition of a reflect standard (unknown, but equal at the two ports) allows complete determination of error boxes, providing a measurement reference at the center of the thru standard and normalized to the characteristic impedance of the line. The reference planes may be moved to the probe-tips using either the computed propagation constant or simple delay offset. Additional options allow various methods for renormalizing the measurement characteristic impedance when additional line information is known. Note that you can use the Location Manager to give your on-wafer thru and line standards unique names (even with a manual prober). Performing a Calibration • 119 Select Setup>Algorithm Settings... from the Calibration menu, or click in the Cal Options table in the Calibration 120 • WinCal XE Setup window to open the TRL settings window. Performing a Calibration • 121 • Select to display a custom report after error terms are computed. This report will show a number of parameters computed by the TRL algorithms. • Select leave the reference plane at the center of the thru when calibration completes. • Select to use the computed Gamma to move the reference plane. Unselected, WinCal will use the Thru Delay (computed from the product of the length and velocity estimate) divided by two. Z0 Settings Settings in the Z0 field determine how the algorithm treats line and system impedance. In TRL the native calibration uses the characteristic impedance of the TRL lines as the normalizing impedance of the calibration reference plane. In this situation, the system Z0 is set to 1, to indicate the normalized case. In some situations, the line impedance as a function of frequency is known or can be calculated. When a known Z0(f) of the lines is provided, either as an entered constant or as a provided file, WinCal will modify the calibration to account for the line impedance, and provide error terms such that 122 • WinCal XE the reference plane normalizing impedance is the same as the current system impedance. A third way to provide the Z0(f) is used for low-loss substrates exhibiting very low substrate conductivity loss (g of the r-l-g-c model) and constant c with frequency. This assumption is normally true for thin-film lines on high resistivity substrates like Alumina, Indium Phosphide, or Semi-insulation Gallium Arsenide wafers, but not for most Silicon wafers. When the low substrate loss constant c assumption is true, only the per-unitlength capacitance of the lines needs to be provided. This value, along with the propagation constant extracted by the TRL algorithm, is enough to compute the frequency dependent characteristic impedance of the lines. For additional information on multi-line TRL see: DeGroot, D.C.; Jargon, J.A.; Marks, R.B., “Multiline TRL revealed,” ARFTG Conference Digest, Fall 2002. 60th, vol., no.pp. 131- 155, 5-6 Dec. 2002, or go to: http://www.boulder.nist.gov/div818/81801/dylan/ to access further publications on this topic. Line Frequency Limits Settings in the Line Frequency Limits table must be provided for the conventional TRL algorithm only. 2-Port SOLT (with switching terms) Two-port SOLT measurements are standard SOLT measurements that also measure switching terms, allowing the raw data to be used later by SOLR or LRM or LRRM. SOLT will not use the switching term data when computing error terms. 2-Port LRM LRM/LRRM measurements compute calibration factors using three calibration standards: a line (or thru) standard, a single (either short or open) reflect standard (which does not require characterization), and two identical match (load) standards. In an LRM calibration, the match (load) determines the reference impedance. WinCal also determines the inductance of the match standard during the calibration process. Therefore, you only need to know the resistance of the match at dc. It is possible to measure both the open and the short, allowing the raw measurement data to be used by LRRM or SOLR or SOLR at a later time. If both the short and open are measured, a calibration option will determine which data is used by the algorithm. Performing a Calibration • 123 LRM Cal Options Click and select from the Cal Options to customize the LRM algorithm. Cal Options • Enhanced auto load inductance search - select to use Cascade Microtech's proprietary Enhanced LRRM algorithm. • Automatically calculate load inductance - select to use the LRM algorithm to automatically calculate the load inductance value. If deselected, the LRM algorithm will use the user-supplied load inductance value. • Update standard parameter values after compute - select to update the parameter values table with the automatically-calculated load inductance value. • Auto load inductance minimum freq - select to use the lowest frequency by the auto load inductance algorithm. • Auto load inductance maximum freq - select to use the highest frequency by the auto load inductance algorithm. • Use open reflect if both reflects are measured - if both reflects have been measured, use the open reflect if option is checked. 2-Port LRM+ Line is a fully known transmission structure. It is defined by a model since both full and half-length behavior need to be calculated. Reflect is equal terminations of the two ports with unknown or zero transmission behavior. The terminations are normally of high reflection to help distinguish them from the match terminations. They must also have known sign. Choose either an ideal open or short, but with a lossless delay offset available for the case where the reflection is not located at the measurement reference plane set by the Line definition. Match(es) - known loads that are fully known, independent terminations at each port. We offer R-L models with lossless or lossy offset, or file-based (S1P) one-port definitions. Each port has a unique model. 124 • WinCal XE LRM+ Cal Options Click and select from the Cal Options to customize the LRM algorithm. Cal Options • Use open reflect if both reflects are measured - select to choose the open reflects over the short reflects if both are available. It is possible to configure to measure both reflect types for gathering extra data for purposes of, for example, comparing an LRM+ calibration with an SOLT calibration. 2-Port 16-Term SVD-Based The 16-term calibration uses Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) to determine error terms from an over-determined set of measurement data. All standards are 2-port networks with fully known electrical behavior. This is an implementation of the algorithm described in: J.V. Butler, et al., “16-term error model and calibration procedure for on-wafer network analysis measurements,” IEEE Trans. Microwave Theory and Techniques, vol. 39, p. 2211-2217, 1991. Usage of this algorithm for de-embedding of a transistor measurement is described in: X. Wei, et al., “Singular-value-decomposition based four port de-embedding and single step error calibration for on-chip measurement,” to be published 2007 International Microwave Symposium Proceedings, Honolulu, HI, June 2007. Cascade Microtech would like to acknowledge Xiaoyun Wei and Prof. Guofu Niu of Auburn University for their assistance in the implementation and testing of this algorithm. 2-Port Multi-Line TRL The multi-line TRL algorithm was developed by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) as a benchmark method with minimal requirements on the standards. It is similar to the 2-Port TRL algorithm, but uses a robust optimal weighting method to use all standards data at all frequencies. It is not necessary to assign lines to specific frequency ranges, since all lines are used at all frequencies. This means that Performing a Calibration • 125 no bands are specified and there are no discontinuous band-edges, since the optimal weights continuously vary with frequency. This is an implementation of the algorithm described in the following publications: R. B. Marks, “A multiline method of network analyzer calibration,” IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques, vol. 39, no. 7, pp. 1205-1215, July, 1991. D. C. DeGroot, J. A. Jargon, and R. B. Marks, “Multiline TRL Revealed,” 60th ARFTG Conference Digest, pp. 131-155, Washington, D.C., Dec., 2002. 2-Port LRRM LRM/LRRM measurements compute calibration factors from unknown reflects, which are undefined shorts and undefined opens. You must measure the match on only one of the two ports. The match need not be exactly 50 ohms. The LRRM method requires use of a line (or thru) standard, two different reflect standards that do not require characterization, and a match (or load) standard. It is possible to measure two match standards, allowing the raw data to be used by SOLT or SOLR or LRM at a later time. LRRM Cal Options Select from the Cal Options to customize the LRRM algorithm. The Cal Options for LRRM and LRM are identical. LRM Cal Options for details. 3-Port SOLT (2-3 thru) Three-port SOLT measurements are conceptually similar to 2-port SOLT, although it is possible to measure two to three thru paths. If two thru paths are used, the other thru paths will be inferred. 3-Port SOLR (2-3 thru) Three-port SOLR measurements are essentially the same as 2-Port SOLR measurements, with the exception that multiple reciprocal thrus may be used. 4-Port SOLR (4-6 thru) Four-port SOLR measurements are essentially the same as 2-Port SOLR measurements, with the exception that multiple reciprocal thrus may be used. 4-Port SOLT (short-open-load-thru) (4-6 thru) Four-port SOLT measurements are conceptually similar to 2-port SOLT, although it is possible to measure four to six thru paths. If less than all six thru paths are used, the other thru paths will be inferred. 4-Port Hybrid SOLT-SOLR (4 thru, without switching terms) This hybrid method uses a pair of 2-port SOLT calibrations to cover all four ports determining many of the calibration error terms including the switching terms. Two additional port pair connections using unknown but reciprocal thru connections are used to complete the calibration. 4-Port Hybrid LRRM-SOLR (4 thru) This hybrid method uses a pair of 2-port LRRM calibrations to cover all four ports determining many of the calibration error terms. Two additional port pair connections 126 • WinCal XE using unknown but reciprocal thru connections are used to complete the calibration. This method requires minimal knowledge of calibration standards, is more tolerant of standard variation due to small errors in probe placement, and can tolerant highly non-ideal reciprocal thru connections. 4-Port Hybrid SOLT-SOLR (4 thru) This hybrid method uses a pair of 2-port SOLT calibrations to cover all four ports determining many of the calibration error terms. Two additional port pair connections using unknown but reciprocal thru connections are used to complete the calibration. Managing Alignment Click to open the Alignment window where you can select the substrate you wish to align. See Step 3: Setting the Alignment (Theta) Angle for further information. Managing the ISS Click to open the Manage ISS window and make changes to your ISS setup. Performing a Calibration • 127 Options in this window allow you to: • Select an ISS – select an ISS from the ISS drop down list. Note that only the ISSs added during system setup will be available here. See Step 1: Selecting/Adding a Substrate. • Set ISS structure state – mark ISS locations as “GOOD” or “BAD” by clicking on a row or group in the ISS representation and selecting from the buttons in the Manage ISS window ISS pane. Right-clicking on the ISS or Group representation allows you to mark individual groups and structures. i NOTE Cascade Microtech ISS’s come with maps indicating which loads are suitable for use in calibration (trimmed). • Select ISS structures and groups – select from the items in drop down lists in the ISS Group and Group Structure panes to change locations on the ISS. • Move to current structure – select the selected structure location. to move your probes to Managing the VNA Click or select Tools> VNA Stimulus to open the Stimulus Settings window and make changes to your VNA stimulus settings. See Setting VNA Stimulus for more information. Monitoring Click or select Calibration>Monitor from the Calibration menu to run the measurement plan set up in the Monitoring tab. See Monitoring Measurement Plan for details. Computing Error Terms In the Advanced toolbar, click or select Calibration>Error Terms>Compute from the Calibration menu to compute the error terms for your calibration. This function computes error terms using the current raw measurement data, standard definitions, and calibration options. Performing All Validation Testing In the Advanced toolbar, click or select Calibration>Validate All from the Calibration menu to perform the validation tests configured in the Calibration Setup window. See Validation Measurement Plan for details. 128 • WinCal XE Selecting the Active Error Term Set From the drop-down list, select the error set you wish to work with. Sending Error Terms to the Instrument In the toolbar, click to send the active error term set to the VNA, or select Error Terms>Send to VNA from the Calibration menu. If the required raw measurements are not available, selected, will be grayed out. If an active error term set is not will be grayed out. First and Second Tier Calibration A first tier calibration reads uncorrected (raw) data from the VNA for each standard, computes the error set (correction) and then sends the error correction terms back to the VNA. A second tier calibration reads and calculates error correction coefficients from already corrected data received from the VNA. If the same standards were used and the first tier calibration was correct, the second tier correction should be extremely small. If the second tier calibration is made with another object inserted in the signal path used for the first tier calibration, the correction in the second tier will result in a characterization of this unknown object. The probe test function works in this manner. By making a first tier cable calibration with regular screw-on standards or an electronic calibration module, and then a second tier calibration with a probe on an ISS, the S-parameters of the probe can be derived from the second tier error set (correction). A first tier calibration can be augmented by making a second tier cal with another condition. The error set from a second tier calibration is not sent to a VNA by default because it is meant to be applied to data coming from the calibrated VNA. It refines the calibration already in place. This two-step error correction process is called postcorrection because WinCal applies correction after an initial correction is applied. Alternatively, the two error sets can be combined into an augmented error set. When calculating a second tier calibration, both the post correction error set and an augmented error set are created and stored in the Error Set Manager. Clicking sends the augmented error set to the VNA so that the correction is applied all at once on the VNA. For example, if the first tier calibration is a 4-Port coaxial calibration, and the second tier calibration is a 2-port probe tip SOLR calibration on ports 3 and 4 (with ports 3 and 4 mapped to logical ports 1 and 2 respectively), sending the computed second tier calibration it to the VNA will result in Performing a Calibration • 129 a mixed reference plane 4-Port calibration. Ports 1 and 2 will have coaxial reference planes and ports 3 and 4 will be at the probe tip. However, sending an error set to the VNA limits the type of error set to 12-term. 12-term vs.16-term All currently supported VNAs use only 12-term calibration models. The total number of terms for a 4-Port calibration is higher, but they are simply multiples of the 12-term model between more than 2 ports. The 16-term model is implemented in WinCal, and by setting the crosstalk terms to zero, a 12-term calibration can be converted to a 16-term and back. If the crosstalk is not zero, a 16-term model cannot be converted to 12-term model without some loss of information. Currently, the only true 16-term model is the SVD Calibration type, and WinCal applied correction is needed to properly implement the 16-term error model. All others may be calculated as 16-term, but can be converted to 12-term and sent to the VNA without any loss. The error set list in the Error Set Manager displays 12-term compatible calibrations. Any calibration sent to the VNA is converted to the 12-term model first. Running AutoCal Click or select AutoCal from the Calibration menu to perform the calibration by automatically moving to and measuring each standard according to the type of calibration you have selected. Raw data is measured, error terms are computed and sent to the VNA. Click to interrupt the calibration sequence. Managing Measurements and Structures The tabs in the Calibration window contain measurement plans which display the structures you’ve selected for measurement and the status of each of those measurements. 130 • WinCal XE The first level in the file tree represents structures, while the second level represents measurements. Right-click on a structure or measurement to open the context menu options for managing these items. Selecting a Calibration Test Type Measurements and structures used in the measurement are shown in the Calibration window tabs. Each tab contains information specific to the test type. Click in the Advanced Toolbar or select Calibration>Setup from the menu to open the Calibration Setup window. Select the tab corresponding to the test you wish to configure. See Configuring Calibration Settings or details on test setup. Changing Measurement/Structure Sequence Use one of these methods to move measurements up or down in the measurement plan: • In the Advanced toolbar, click measurement down. to move a measurement up or to move a • Right-click on a structure or measurement in the Calibration window and select Move Up or Move Down from the Sequence options in the context menu. • Select Move Up or Move Down from the Measurements menu in the Calibration window. Performing a Calibration • 131 Auto Assigning an ISS Location Use one of these methods to automatically locate and assign the first good location on the ISS to begin calibration: • Right-click on a structure or measurement and select Location>Auto Assign. • Select Locations>Selected Location>Auto Assign from the Calibration menu. 132 • WinCal XE Choosing an ISS Location Use one of these methods to select a specific ISS structure on which to begin your measurement: • Right-click on a structure or measurement and select Location>Choose Location. • Select Locations>Selected Location>Choose Location from the Calibration menu. Performing a Calibration • 133 Choose a structure in the Select Structure window. 134 • WinCal XE Marking a Location as Bad Use one of these methods to mark the selected location as “Bad/Untrimmed” on your ISS map so that it will not be assigned for use in the calibration. • Right-click on a structure or measurement and select Location>Mark Location as Bad. The structure will be marked as “Bad” in the Calibration window and in the Manage ISS window. Performing a Calibration • 135 To change the location back to “Good“, click Manage ISS window. and use the buttons in the Moving Probes to the Reference Structure Use one of these methods to move the probes to the Reference structure you have selected: • In the Advanced toolbar, click . • Select Locations>Move to Reference from the Calibration menu. Measuring the Selected Structure Use one of these methods to take a measurement for the selected structure only: • Right-click on a structure or measurement and select Measure Only. 136 • WinCal XE • Select View>Measure Buttons from the Calibration window menu. Select the standard you wish to measure and click . Moving to and Measuring the Selected Structure Use one of these methods to move to and take a measurement for a selected structure: • In the Advanced toolbar, click . • Right-click on a structure or measurement and select Move To and Measure. • Select Measurements>Move To and Measure Current from the Calibration menu. Moving to and Measuring All Structures Select Measurements>Move To and Measure All from the Calibration menu to move to and measure all the structures in the plan. Performing a Calibration • 137 Loading a Measurement from a File Right-click on a structure or measurement and select Load Measurement From File to load information from a stored measurement into WinCal. If a measurement is selected, WinCal will prompt you to select a Touchstone file (*.SnP). If a structure is selected, WinCal will request files for each of the measurements on that structure. Note that error terms and raw data files can be loaded into the software separately using the Calibration menu. Saving a Measurement to a File Right-click on a structure or measurement and select Save Measurement to File to save your measurement out to a file. Note that error terms and raw data files can be saved separately by selecting the from the Error Terms or Raw Data options in the Calibration menu. 138 • WinCal XE Erasing Raw Data Right-click on a structure or measurement and select Erase Raw Data to clear the measurement data for either an entire measurement or a selected structure, depending on which is selected. Select Measurements>Clear All from the Calibration menu to clear all the existing data. Performing a Calibration • 139 Editing a Measurement Use one of these methods to set the measurement options: • In the Advanced toolbar, click . • Right-click on a structure or measurement and select Edit. • Select Measurements>Edit from the Calibration menu. This dialog determines the way that measurements are acquired for calibration. It is divided into three main sections: activity before the measurement is acquired or calculated, the actual acquisition or calculation of the measurement data, and then activity after the 140 • WinCal XE data is acquired or calculated. The default setup uses the VNA instrument defined in system setup but has no extra before or after activity. The settings in the Before Measurement area are related to instrument configuration. Some measurements require one or more instruments to be configured just before acquiring data. • Select Prompt Before Measurement to open a prompt requesting approval to continue before each measurement. • Select a Category and Sequence to turn on power, configure or otherwise perform site-specific setup. The Measurement settings determine how the measurement data is acquired. • Select Perform Standard Measurement to acquire your measurement data through the currently configured instrument and used that data without modification. • To modify the measurement data using a post-processing determined in a given report, select use Report and navigate to the it can also be modified by. When a report is used, data items are added to the report to describe the current measurement. • Select a Category and Sequence to perform the measurement. The After Measurement settings then shut down the instruments or return them to a desired default state. • Select Prompt After Measurement to open a prompt requesting approval to continue after a measurement is complete. • Select a Category and Sequence to enable WinCal to send commands and queries over GPIB to control any number of instruments. Performing a Calibration • 141 Second Tier Calibrations Second tier calibrations use corrected data (instead of raw) to compute error terms The resultant error terms are represented by an error box between the original calibration reference plane and the second tier calibration reference plane. Switching terms are not required for second tier calibrations since the error model is already reduced by the first-tier calibration. For a 1-port second tier calibration, the error terms are simply a 2-port network (.s2p). If the first tier was at the end of a coaxial cable and the second tier was at the tip of a probe attached to that cable, the resultant second tier error terms are the 2-port SParameters of the probe. For a 2-port (n-port) second tier calibration the error terms will be an S4P 4-Port network (2n-port in general). Normally, for conventional 12-term or 8-term error model calibration methods like SOLT or LRM, many of the error terms will be zero. The 4-Port error network could theoretically be replaced by two, 2-port error networks when isolation/crosstalk can be ignored. In addition to applications in identifying 2N-port devices with N-port calibration approaches, the result of the second tier calibration may be used to update the error model to the second tier reference planes. When a second tier calibration is saved to a VNA, it is not directly used since the second tier error model is not the complete description of VNA errors. Instead, the existing calibration from which the second tier was derived is augmented by the second tier errors to create a new, complete error model which is then sent to the VNA. The calibration measurement plan stores two sets of data per measurement entry, one holds calibrated data and the other holds raw data. To use second-tier data in your calibration, select select Calibration>Second Tier in the Calibration window. When is not selected, the entries with raw data present are visible. in Advanced Toolbar or buttons for calibration measurement plan When is selected, the measurement plan refreshes and the are enabled for those entries that have corrected data present. buttons Second tier calibrations are stored as SnP files. An n-port second tier calibration is stored in a S(2*n)P file. For example, a 3-port second tier calibration will be stored in a S6P file. Second tier calibrations will be stored directly to the Folder Parent Path configured in the Error Set Options (see Error Sets Options). Example: Performing a Second Tier Calibration Viewing the Resultant Error Box as an S-Parameter 1. Perform a calibration to the desired reference plane. 2. Attach the device or devices to be analyzed to the calibrated reference plane. 3. Select in the calibration form. 4. Perform a manual calibration or click AutoCal to complete the second tier calibration. 5. View resultant report containing calibration error terms. 6. Augmenting an Error Set on One or More Ports 142 • WinCal XE 7. Perform a calibration to the desired reference plane. 8. Attach the device or devices to be analyzed to calibrated reference plane. 9. Select in the calibration form. 10.Perform a manual calibration or click AutoCal to complete the second tier calibration. 11.Error terms on the instrument will be augmented with the just-computed second tier error terms when the ToVna action is performed. Advanced Augment/De-augment Select Tools>Advanced Augment/De-augment from the Calibration menu to open the Advanced Augment/De-augment Error set window where you can modify existing error sets using Second Tier Calibrations. See Advanced Augmentation for details on error set augmentation. Comparing Calibrations To perform different calibrations using the same raw data, select, configure and compute error terms for the first calibration for comparison. From the Calibration window menu, select Calibration>Data>Save All to save raw measurement data from the first calibration to a unique folder on disk. Select and configure the second calibration for comparison. From the Calibration menu, select Calibration>Data>Load All and browse to select data saved from the first calibration. Finally, compute error terms for the second calibration. Performing a Calibration • 143 Showing Thrus Select Tools>Show Thrus from the Calibration menu to: • Display the thru measurements required for a calibration. • Display which thru measurements will be physically measured for the calibration, and which ones will be computed by inference. i NOTE Some VNA architectures have limitations on which thru measurements can be inferred from other measurements. If the current setup indicates an inferred thru that is not allowed by the selected VNA, it will be indicated in red on the window. A thru measurement is an uncorrected measurement taken as part of a calibration that involves two ports and two probe signal tips. For the measurement, the probe tips are placed on a calibration structure that physically connects the two probe tips in question. This type of calibration structure is called a thru. An inferred Thru Measurement is taken as part of the calibration algorithm, where the transmission terms for some of the pairs of ports are computed from measurements taken on other port pairs. The main reason for using inferred thru calculations is that they do not require as many measurements and thus do not require as many calibration structures. The Thru Measurement window shows the thru measurements for the current setup. When the setup changes, this window will be redrawn to reflect those changes. This figure shows a thru measurement between ports 1 and 2, and ports 2 and 3. The transmission terms for these port pairs are computed directly from those measurements. The transmission terms for ports 1 and 3 are inferred from the measurements on the other port pairs. Because of the nature of VNA ports, this 144 • WinCal XE inference achieves nearly identical results when compared to making actual measurements and not inferring the results. The actual number of thru measurements shown depends on the number of ports required for the calibration. • A 2-port calibration always has exactly one thru. • A 3-port calibration has three thru measurements, of which one, at the most, can be inferred. • A 4-Port calibration has six thru measurements and requires at least four actual measurements(i.e., it may have up to two inferred thru measurements). If the inferred thru arrangement is not allowed by the selected VNA, the error will appear in red. The thru on ports 1 and 3 cannot be inferred from the other Performing a Calibration • 145 measurements in this example. In order to correct this situation, the selected thru measurements must be changed. This might require changing the physical cabling between the VNA and the probes. The Calibration Setup window can be used to select which thru measurements are measured (selected) and which are inferred (unselected). See Calibration Measurement Plan for details on Calibration setup. Select/deselect check boxes to determine thru measurement type Configuring Calibration Settings Click in the Advanced toolbar, or select Setup>Calibration Setup from the Calibration menu to open the Calibration Setup window. Repeatability tests occurring before calibration, and validation and monitoring tests occurring after calibration can be configured here. Select the tab corresponding to the test you wish to configure. 146 • WinCal XE Repeatability Measurement Plan Repeatability testing uses raw calibration data to allow you to check consistency in results by setting up multiple sweeps on the VNA instruments. Measurements and structures used in repeatability testing are listed in the Repeatability tab in the Calibration window. Performing a Calibration • 147 Click and select the Repeatability tab to configure the settings for your test. Setting the Number of Repeatability Tests Select the number of tests you wish to run. Each test setup will show as a separate tab that can be set up individually. Select Match Number of Ports in Selected Calibration to have the number of calibration tests automatically configured by WinCal. 148 • WinCal XE Selecting Trace Type Select the trace type from the drop down list. Available traces appear according to the selected comparison type. Setting the Delay Between Repeatability Measurements Set the amount of time that the system will pause between sweeps. Performing a Calibration • 149 Setting Comparison Details Click to open the Trace Comparison Setup window, where you can set parameters for trace comparisons. The Trace Comparison Setup window allows you to compare two traces over one to three separate frequency ranges. For each frequency range, four comparison criteria values are entered. The mean deviation and worst case deviation are calculated and compared in the Trace Comparison Setup window, resulting in Good, Acceptable or Unacceptable results. The worst result from both comparisons from all frequency ranges will be reported. 150 • WinCal XE The default values in the window are generally appropriate, but can be changed to suit your specific setup. The window provides tabs for three frequency ranges which can be independently enabled by selecting in each tab If one of the calculations falls into the Good category, while the other falls into the Unacceptable category, the comparison will result in an overall Unacceptable classification. See Setting Actions Upon Result for information on setting the actions to be taken with these results. Performing a Calibration • 151 Selecting an ISS Structure Select the structure you wish to land on for this test. 152 • WinCal XE • On ISS – click to open the Select Structure window where you can choose a specific ISS structure. • Custom – enter custom user-defined coordinate locations for x, y, z and theta for this test. i NOTE Custom ISS locations for repeatability, validation and monitoring tests must be changed manually if the associated ISS is removed from the system. Performing a Calibration • 153 • In Air – begin the test with the probes in the air (using the separate distance defined in Nucleus/ProberBench). Click to move the probes to structure you have selected. Setting Actions Upon Result From the drop down list, select the action you would like the software to take for each possible test result. • Abort – stops the current calibration procedure • Advise - prompts the user before continuing with current operation • Ignore - continues, regardless of the results Selecting the check boxes in the Show Detailed Comparison column will display a comparison report showing the calculated data for that row. 154 • WinCal XE Calibration Measurement Plan Measurements and structures used in calibrating the instrument are listed in the Calibration tab. Performing a Calibration • 155 Click and select the Calibration tab and configure the settings for your test. Selecting Standards The standard selection tree allows the user to specify the standards used for the currently selected calibration. Each leaf in the tree represents a standard. Each calibration algorithm has specific criteria for selecting which standards can be utilized. In most cases, WinCal will automatically complete these entries from internal tables for 156 • WinCal XE compatible probe ISS standard combinations, although you may choose to modify these values or enter values for user-defined structures using this dialog. Standard selection tree Setting Standard Definitions Select and configure Standard Definitions to use for calibration. Standard Definitions Performing a Calibration • 157 • Standard – Click to view further information about the selected standard type. • Compatible Structure Types – select from the list of calibration structures that are physically compatible with the current system configuration and currently selected standard. • Override Values – select this check box to override parameter values from WinCal’s internal tables, and type the user-defined values into the table • Parameter Values – the parameter values table holds all standard model parameters associated with the currently selected standard. The WinCal application will search its calibration coefficient list for calibration structures that are compatible with the currently selected standard and system settings. When the user selects a compatible structure, WinCal will provide coefficients from its lookup tables. To enter unique parameter values, select User Defined from the Structure Type drop down. 158 • WinCal XE Setting Cal Options The options individual and unique to each calibration algorithm are listed here. Placing the cursor over each option displays a tooltip describing its function. Select the options you wish to use. See Selecting a Calibration Type for general details on calibration algorithms. Cal Options Click or select Setup>Algorithm Settings from the Calibration menu to display the algorithm settings. i NOTE In WinCal version 4.1, the “2-Port TRL” and “2-Port Multi-Line TRL” algorithms are the only items that will display a settings dialog. See 2-Port Multi-Line TRL for further details on TRL settings. Performing a Calibration • 159 Validation Measurement Plan Validation testing allows you to compare corrected measurements against known good standard behavior to determine the validity of the calibration. The options in this window, excluding Standard Behavior, are identical to those described in Repeatability Measurement Plan. Measurements and structures used in calculating the validation data are listed in the Validation tab. 160 • WinCal XE Click and select the Validation tab and configure the settings for your test. A summary current settings is displayed at the right side of the Validation tab. Note that selecting Calibration>Edit Standard Model from the Calibration menu allows you make changes to the test setup and then perform validation tests without remeasuring your data. Setting the Number of Validation Tests Select the number of tests you wish to run. Each test setup will show as a separate tab that can be set up individually. Select Match Number of Ports in Selected Calibration to have the number of calibration tests automatically configured by WinCal. Performing a Calibration • 161 Selecting Trace Type The options in this window are identical to those described in Selecting Trace Type, Repeatability Measurement Plan. Selecting Auto Configure Selecting allows WinCal to automatically configure the Validation settings which appear grayed out when this check box is selected. Selecting Post Correct Reflect Selecting located inside the specific Validation test tab allows validation to post-correct the first reflection measurement from the measurement plan and 162 • WinCal XE compare it to the known standard behavior (instead of re-measuring corrected data from the VNA). Setting Comparison Details The options in this window are identical to those described in Setting Comparison Details, Repeatability Measurement Plan. Performing a Calibration • 163 Setting Standard Behavior Click to open the Setup Standard window where you can select standard values or enter the values of a device with known good behavior into the software from a file for comparison. This window can also be accessed by selecting Edit Standard Model from the Calibration menu. Select the Standard Type with which you wish to compare. To load values from a file, select 1-port or Measured 2-port and navigate to the file. 164 • WinCal XE Selecting an ISS Structure The options in this window are identical to those described in Selecting an ISS Structure, Repeatability Measurement Plan. Setting Actions Upon Result The options in this window are identical to those described in Setting Actions Upon Result, Repeatability Measurement Plan. Monitoring Measurement Plan Monitoring testing uses calibrated measurements to allow you to compare multiple measurement results over a period of time. Monitoring allows the user to capture calibrated reference data immediately after a calibration has been performed. At a later time, you can re-measure the previously-acquired references (by selecting Calibration>Monitor in the Calibration menu), compare the data to the reference Performing a Calibration • 165 data, and determine if any portion of the measurement system has changed. Measurements and structures used in calculating the monitoring data are listed in the Monitoring tab. 166 • WinCal XE Click and select the Monitoring tab and configure the settings for your test. The options in the Monitoring setup window are identical to those in the Repeatability window. See Repeatability Measurement Plan for setup details. Selecting Monitor from the Calibration window will run the Monitoring test and display the resulting data. Setting the Number of Monitoring Tests Select the number of tests you wish to run. Each test setup will show as a separate tab that can be set up individually. Selecting configure the number of tests. allows WinCal to automatically Performing a Calibration • 167 Selecting Trace Type The options in this window are identical to those described in Selecting Trace Type, Repeatability Measurement Plan. Setting Comparison Details The options in this window are identical to those described in Setting Comparison Details, Repeatability Measurement Plan. 168 • WinCal XE Selecting an ISS Structure The options in this window are identical to those described in Selecting an ISS Structure, Repeatability Measurement Plan. Setting Actions Upon Result The options in this window are identical to those described in Setting Actions Upon Result, Repeatability Measurement Plan. Performing a Calibration • 169 170 • WinCal XE Chapter 7 Measuring and Viewing Data The Measure window is used to measure your instrument and view the resulting data. The tools in this window allow you to manage data items and manipulate the appearance of the component items making up your measurement. Clicking in the main WinCal XE window opens the RF data viewer, allowing capture and display of data. RF Data Viewer Components Datasets may be measured from an instrument, loaded from a file, or manually created. The RF Data Viewer works with report files, or Reports, which can contain any number of datasets, and one or more Pages, each configured for a specific number and arrangement of Graphs. Each graph has traces that represent a visible reduction of a dataset. Trace Groups automatically create Traces with a shared appearance for multiple datasets matching specific criteria. Traces and trace groups may contain Markers to identify and label specific data points. This hierarchy is displayed in the Appearance tab, while the graphic representation of the data is displayed in the graphing pane. Measuring and Viewing Data • 171 Appearance tab Data item tab Report Page 1 Graphing pane RF Data Viewer menu Toolbar Data Item Note that the RF Data Viewer toolbar is customizable (see Toolbar Editor) and can be enabled or disabled by selecting View>Toolbar from the RF Data Viewer menu. Setting Up the Measurement Measure your instrument using one of these two methods: • Click or select Instrument>Measure from the Data Viewer menu to open the Instrument Measurement window, which allows you to specify settings and make changes to your measurement configuration. See Setting Up the Measurement for details on configuration. • Click or select Instrument>Measure Again from the Data Viewer menu to take a measurement without opening the Instrument Measurement window. Selecting Report>New Data Discards Old Measurements from the RF Data Viewer menu will discard any existing or old items in the dataset list and replace them with the new measurement data. Note that you can continue manipulating data in the RF Data Viewer window while WinCal is performing a measurement. Selecting the Data Viewer window brings it to the front of your screen, hiding the measurement dialog. You must reselect the measurement dialog, however, to access the results of your measurement. 172 • WinCal XE Instrument Measurement Window The Instrument Measurement window allows you to specify settings and make changes to your measurement configuration. The System pane displays the current instrument in use and number of available ports. Click to open the System Setup window where you can make changes to the system configuration if necessary. See Chapter 4, Configuring the System for details on system setup. Enter a name for the data item under Output Data Name. This name will appear in data item list. If a unique name is not entered in this field, the data item name will default to “Measurement”, “Measurement 2", etc. Select to overwrite existing data items with the most current measurement when performing repeat measurements. Complete these steps to set up your measurement: • Step 1: Output Data Name • Step 2: Setting Up the Data Type • Step 3: Selecting a Calibration Set • Step 4: Selecting a Measurement Type • Step 5: Configuring Measurement Ports Step 1: Output Data Name Enter a name for your data in the Output Data Name field in the Instrument Measurement Window. This name will appear in the Data Items tab in the RF Viewer window. Step 2: Setting Up the Data Type Select the type of data you wish to view from the dropdown list in the Data Type field in the Instrument Measurement Window. Measuring and Viewing Data • 173 • Corrected by VNA - the VNA mathematically corrects for measurement errors caused by imperfections in items between the VNA and the device (e.g., cables, probes, etc.). • Corrected by WinCal - WinCal mathematically corrects for measurement errors caused by imperfections in items between the VNA and the device (e.g., cables, probes, etc.). • Raw - data appears without error correction applied. Raw data is generally used to compare against known values to verify results. Step 3: Selecting a Calibration Set Select the calibration that is most appropriate for your measurement setup from the dropdown list in the WinCal Applied Calibration field in the Instrument Measurement Window. An instrument may contain multiple calibrations, and each calibration may be for a different set of physical ports. The most recent calibration that includes the ports connected to the current DUT is generally acceptable. Step 4: Selecting a Measurement Type Select the type of measurement you wish to perform from the dropdown list in the Measurement Type field in the Instrument Measurement Window. • 1-Port – measurement using one VNA port • 2-Port – measurement using two VNA ports • 3-Port – measurement using three VNA ports • 4-Port – measurement using four VNA ports Step 5: Configuring Measurement Ports Port mapping allows you to select the VNA ports used to make your measurement. The default settings are imported from the configuration setup described in Chapter 4, Configuring the System, but they can be reconfigured in the Measurement Port Mapping field in the Instrument Measurement Window if necessary. See Port Mapping for details. Note that the number of ports shown here is dependent on the selection in Step 4: Selecting a Measurement Type. Managing Data Items The Data Items tab lists the measured data items. This tab appears by default, but can be hidden by selecting View>Data Items from the RF Data Viewer toolbar. Data Items List A data item is defined as a “container” that can hold a data set, a number, a trace, etc. Use the check boxes in the data item list to show and hide the datasets in the graphing pane. 174 • WinCal XE Data Item Data items can be dragged and dropped into a graph or into another report. Dataset files (MDF, S1P, S2P, etc....) can also be dragged into a report from a Windows Explorer window. Deleting Data Items Use one of these methods to delete a data item: • Right-click on a data item in the Data Items List and select Delete Data Item(s). • Select a data item in the Data Items List and press the delete key. Multiple data items can be selected by using the Shift and/or Control keys. Exporting Data Items To export a data item to a directory, right-click on a data item in the Data Items List and select Export to File. Adding Data Items A typical use of integer, real or complex data items might post processing measurements with user-entered values. For example, one example report uses a real value to scale different traces so that they can be more easily compared. S12 is scaled differently than S21 in a Smith chart. There is an S12 scale factor data item and an S21 scale factor data item. In this example, both variables are updated by the user toolbar, but one might use data items without a toolbar. Post-processing then uses the scale factors to produce scaled traces for viewing. Measuring and Viewing Data • 175 Right-click on a data item in the Data Items List and select Add Data Item to add one of the following types of data items: • Integer Data Item • Real Data Item • Complex Data Item • String Data Item The Scratch Pad can be used to add the following additional data items: • Boolean Data Item • Datapoint Data Item You will be prompted to enter Properties for each of these selections. Data item names must be unique and cannot have leading or trailing spaces, although data item names can contain spaces inside the name. If another data item exists with the same name, a “2” will be automatically appended to the name of the newly added or edited data item to distinguish it as the second item of that desired name. Integer Data Item Enter the Data Item Name and Value. Integer values can be whole numbers, either positive or negative. Integer data items are used to define parameters to algorithms, post-processing and trace math functions. Real Data Item Enter the Data Item Name and Value. Real number values can be whole numbers or a fractions, either positive or negative. Real number data items are used to define parameters to algorithms, post-processing and trace math functions. 176 • WinCal XE Complex Data Item Enter the Data Item Name and Value. Complex values use a real number and its imaginary portion. String Data Item Enter the Data Item Name and Value. String values can be any text. String data items are used to define parameters for algorithms, post-processing and trace math functions. Boolean Data Item NOTE i Boolean data items can be created using the scratchpad. See Function Editor Scratch Pad for further details. Enter the Data Item Name and Value. Boolean values can be “True” or “False” (without the quotes). Boolean data items are used to define parameters to algorithms, post-processing and trace math functions. Measuring and Viewing Data • 177 Datapoint Data Item NOTE i Datapoint data items can be created using the scratchpad. See Function Editor Scratch Pad for further details. Enter the Data Item Name and Value. Datapoint values start and end with parentheses. In the parenthesis are six values: • Real value – the real portion of the complex “Value”. This must be a number between -1.7976931348623157E+308 and 1.7976931348623157E+308. • Imaginary value – the imaginary portion of the complex “Value”. This must be a number between -1.7976931348623157E+308 and 1.7976931348623157E+308. • Index value- for S-Parameter datapoints, this is the sample frequency in Hertz. This must be a number between -1.7976931348623157E+308 and 1.7976931348623157E+308. • Zo - System Impedance. This number must be between -1.7976931348623157E+308 and 1.7976931348623157E+308. Only the real portion is supported. Traces and datasets only support a single Zo, not a Zo per datapoint. Note that setting a datapoint within a trace or dataset will override the Zo for the whole trace or dataset. • NetFormat – may be “H”, “S”, “T”, “Y”, or “Z” (without the quotes) at this time. 178 • WinCal XE • Attachment – an integer used for displaying a marker attached to a trace in a graph. This is an advanced feature and the default setting will generally suffice. The attachment property for a datapoint is only used when displaying markers in a graph. By exposing this property, it is possible to create custom marker functions that point to specific trace datapoints, interpolated locations in a trace, or even extrapolated marker locations. A custom marker function can then return a datapoint with a correctly set attachment location to achieve those specific effects. If the attachment value for the returned datapoint is zero to N-1 (for a trace that has N points), then the graph marker will point to a datapoint of that trace. Zero is the first datapoint, and N-1 is the last datapoint. If the attachment value is -1, then the graph marker points to a location defined by the Real+Imaginary value of the datapoint. This allows a graph marker to point to an interpolated or extrapolated location. For example, a custom marker function could point to extrapolated Ft in an XY graph. If the attachment value is -2, then the graph marker does not point to any location in the graph. This is useful for adding a box of text to a graph, but less useful for writing custom marker functions. Data Item Properties Right-click on a data item in the Data Items List and select Properties to open the Data Item Properties window. Data Item Name, Modification date, Filename and Dataset Text (actual data) are shown here. The columns in the Dataset text list represent each parameter in a dataset, such as S11 through S22. The rows represent frequencies, or, for example, S11 through S22 sampled at different frequencies. Measuring and Viewing Data • 179 Loading Data Items From File Select File>Load Data... from the RF Data Viewer window to select a file from which to load stored data. Loading data items only supports loading datasets from MDF or SnP (S1P, S2P, S3P, S4P...) files. WinCal does not support loading or saving data items that are integers (i.e, bools, strings, matrices). Data items that are datasets can be saved and loaded. Traces can be saved by treating them as if they were 1-port datasets (to an S1P or 1port MDF file). Traces saved as 1-port datasets will, when loaded, still be a 1-port dataset data item. Saving Data Items To save data items, select either File>Save Selected Data Items As... or File>Save All Data Items As... from the RF Data Viewer menu. You will be able to select an export directory and a data format in the Data Export window. Multiple data items can be selected by using the Shift and/or Control keys. Loading Error Sets Error sets are the error terms for correcting raw measurements. They can be calculated using WinCal calibration, retrieved from a VNA that has been calibrated by the Error Set Manager, or loaded from a directory by the Error Set Manager. Error sets can be imported or exported to and from the Error Set Manager for use in Reports. This feature is useful for advanced activities such as: • Examining correction terms in the graphs of a report • Uncorrecting and then recorrecting measurements (to examine the effects of different calibrations) • Directly calculating or manipulating error terms with post-processing Select File>Load Error Set... from the RF Data Viewer menu to open the Error Set Manager (see Managing Error Sets) where you can select an error set to copy into the report. Saving Error Sets Select File>Save Selected Error Set(s) from the RF Data Viewer menu to save the error sets selected in the Data Item tab into the Error Set Manager (see Managing Error Sets). Note that saving a report will save included error sets with the report, but will not affect the error sets managed by the Error Set Manager. Managing Report Appearance WinCal XE allows for customization of report detail appearance. The number of graphs on a page, the order and names of pages, the type, scale factors, limits, and units for each graph, as well as other display details may be specified. Dataset selection and reduction, and appearance details such as trace color can be specified for each trace. For markers, the location and label string format can be specified. Specific Report configurations can be saved as templates, which may used with existing reports to reconfigure appearance without changing the existing data. 180 • WinCal XE Report appearance can be managed from several locations within the RF Data Viewer window, including the Appearance Tab and the Graphing Pane. Many of the options available in the Appearance tab and the graphing pane are also available from the RF Data Viewer menu. Appearance Tab The Appearance tab displays your measurement Report and its contents, listed in a hierarchical outline view. It is hidden by default, and may not be required in creating and modifying a report. However, it is useful in managing the organization of pages, graphs, traces/trace groups, and markers. Select View>Report Appearance from the RF Data Viewer menu to make the Appearance tab visible. Click to expand the hierarchical view. Appearance tab Measuring and Viewing Data • 181 Graphing Pane The graphing pane displays your report and its components graphically. Right-clicking on different graph components will display context menus useful in manipulating the appearance of these graphs. Page tab i 182 • WinCal XE Graphing pane NOTE The appearance tree is especially useful for changing the settings on trace groups that don't appear in the graphs. When a report has no data, the trace groups cannot be seen without using the appearance tree; they still exist but no traces appear because the trace group cannot match any data item. Reports The Report and its contents are listed in a hierarchical outline view in the Appearance tab. Report Open Reports are listed in the most recently used order under the Window menu item in the RF Data Viewer window. Adding a New Report Use one of these methods to create a new report: • Click in the RF Data Viewer toolbar. • Right-click on a Report in the Appearance Tab and select New Report. • Select File>New Report from the RF Data Viewer menu. Opening an Existing Report Use one of these methods to open an existing Report: • Select from the RF Data Viewer toolbar. • Select File>Open Report from the RF Data Viewer menu. Measuring and Viewing Data • 183 Saving a Report Use one of these methods to save a Report: • Select from the RF Data Viewer toolbar. • Right-click on a Report in the Appearance Tab and select Save Report. • Select File>Save Report from the RF Data Viewer menu. Saving a Report As... Use one of these methods to save a Report under another file name or format: • Right-click on a Report in the Appearance Tab and select Save Report As.... • Select File>Save Report As... from the RF Data Viewer menu. Loading Data from an Existing Report Use one of these methods to load existing data from a file: • Select from the RF Data Viewer toolbar. • Select File>Load Data from the RF Data Viewer menu. • Drag SnP (S1P, S2P, S3P...) or MDF files from Windows Explorer • Drag Data Items from another open report window Printing Reports Use the File>Page Setup and File>Print Preview menu items to configure your output. Select File>Preserve Aspect Ratio from the RF Data Viewer menu to preserve the image aspect ratio when printing. If the aspect ratio is not preserved, the page (or single graph) expands to fill the entire printed page. Use one of these methods to print a selected report: • Select the Print Report button from the RF Data Viewer toolbar. • Select File>Print Report from the RF Data Viewer menu. Adding a Page to a Report Use one of these methods to add Pages to a report: • Right-click on a Report in the Appearance Tab and select Add Page... • Right-click on the Page tab in the Graphing Pane and select New Page. • Select Report>Add Page from the RF Data Viewer menu. Pasting a Page Into a Report • Right-click on a Report in the Appearance Tab and select Paste Page. • Select Report>Paste Page from the RF Data Viewer menu to paste a copied page (see Copying a Page) into the report. Report Properties Use one of these methods to access Report Properties: • Right-click on a Report in the Appearance Tab and select Properties... • Double-click on a Report in the Appearance Tab. 184 • WinCal XE • Select Report>Report Properties from the RF Data Viewer menu. Configuring Report Properties Configure the options in the Properties window: • Print orientation - select Portrait or Landscape layout • New measurement data (from file or instrument) discards old measurements in Dataset list – select this check box to delete existing measurement data when a new measurement is taken. Pages Each report can contain multiple pages, which appear as Page tabs in the graphing pane. Each each page can contain multiple graphs. Report Page 1 Report Page 2 Measuring and Viewing Data • 185 To print the selected page, select File>Print Page from the RF Data Viewer menu. Use the Page Setup and Print Preview menu items to configure your print output. Adding Pages Use one of these methods to add Pages to the Report. The new page will appear in the Appearance tab and as a new tab in the graphing pane. • Right-click on a Page in the Appearance Tab and select Insert Page Above or Insert Page Below. • Right click on the Page tab in the Graphing Pane and select New Page... • Right-click in the general Graphing Pane and select Page>New Page. • Select Report>Add Page from the RF Data Viewer menu. Duplicating a Page Select Report>Duplicate Page from the RF Data Viewer menu to create a copy of an existing Page in your Report. The duplicated page will appear in the Appearance Tab and in the Graphing Pane. Moving Pages Use one of these methods to rearrange Pages in a Report. The new page order will appear in both the Appearance Tab and in the Graphing Pane. • Right-click on a Page in the Appearance Tab and select Move Page Up or Move Page Down. • Right-click in the general Graphing Pane and select Page>Move Page Left or Page>Move Page Right. • Right-click on the Page tab in the Graphing Pane and select Report>Move Page Left or Move Page Right. • Select Report>Move Page Left or Move Page Right from the RF Data Viewer menu. Copying a Page Use one of these methods to copy a page for use in another document editor or to paste into a report: • Right-click on a Page in the Appearance Tab and select Copy Page. • Right-click in the general Graphing Pane and select Page>Copy Page. • Right-click on the Page tab in the Graphing Pane and select Copy Page. • Select Report>Copy Page from the RF Data Viewer menu. Pasting a Graph Into a Page A copied graph (see Copying a Graph) can be pasted into any page. A graph pasted into a different destination report, however, will not include the required data items and will appear only in the Appearance Tab. These data items must be copied into the new report. You can copy data items by dragging them from the Data Items List in the source report to the Data Items List of the destination report. Ideally, this should be done before pasting so that any specially formatted traces or markers will appear in the destination report. Markers and traces can, however, be copied individually after the graph is pasted in the new report location. A page can contain four graphs. 186 • WinCal XE Copy an existing graph (see Copying a Graph) and use one of these methods to paste it into a page: • Right-click on a Page in the Appearance Tab and select Paste Graph. • Select Report>Paste Graph from the RF Data Viewer menu. Exporting a Page to a Graphics File Use one of these methods to export Pages from a Report to a graphics file: • Right-click on a page in the Appearance Tab and select Export to Graphics File... • Right-click in the general Graphing Pane and select Page>Export Page to Graphics File... • Right-click on the Page tab in the Graphing Pane and select Export Page to Graphics File... • Select Report>Export Page to Graphics File from the RF Data Viewer menu. Deleting Pages Use one of these methods to delete Pages from a Report: • Right-click on a page in the Appearance Tab and select Delete Page. • Right-click in the general Graphing Pane and select Page>Delete Page. • Right-click on the Page tab in the Graphing Pane and select Delete Page. • Select Report>Delete Page from the RF Data Viewer menu. Printing Pages Use the Page Setup and Print Preview menu items to configure your output. Select File>Preserve Aspect Ratio from the RF Data Viewer menu to preserve the image aspect ratio when printing. If the aspect ratio is not preserved, the page (or single graph) expands to fill the entire printed page. Use one of these methods to print a page from a Report: • Right-click in the general Graphing Pane and select Page>Print Page. • Right-click on the Page tab in the Graphing Pane and select Print Page... • Select File>Print Page from the RF Data Viewer menu. Page Properties Use one of these methods to access the Properties for a Page: • Right-click on a Page in the Appearance Tab and select Properties... • Double-click on a Page in the Appearance Tab. • Right-click in the general Graphing Pane and select Page>Page Properties. • Right-click on the Page tab in the Graphing Pane and select Page Properties. • Select Report>Current Page Layout from the RF Data Viewer menu. Measuring and Viewing Data • 187 Configuring Page Properties Configure Page Properties by entering a name for your page and selecting a graph layout. • Page name – enter a page name of your choice. The name will appear in both the Appearance tab and the graphing pane. • Graph Layout – select the format in which you would like to view the graphs of your measurement. Changing the layout may delete existing graphs or create blank graphs. A warning message will appear if either of these events are about to occur. Printing All Use the Page Setup and Print Preview menu items to configure your output. Select File>Preserve Aspect Ratio from the RF Data Viewer menu to preserve the image aspect ratio when printing. If the aspect ratio is not preserved, the page (or single graph) expands to fill the entire printed page. Use one of these methods to print all available pages. • Right-click in the general Graphing Pane and select Page>Print All... • Right-click on the Page tab in the Graphing Pane and select Print All.... 188 • WinCal XE Graphs Graphs are listed in the Appearance Tab and displayed in the Graphing Pane. Each graph can contain multiple traces. Graph locations Zooming In You can zoom in on a selected area in any graph by holding down the left-hand mouse button and dragging the mouse to select the area you wish to view. In XY graphs, this method sets new limits for the - and/or y-axes. In the Polar and Smith charts, the graph simply zooms to show the selected region. If your mouse has a wheel, you can zoom the view on Polar and Smith charts by: • Selecting a graph and rotating your mouse wheel. To fine-tune the zoom factor, you can change the settings in the Data Values and Reactance/Y Axis tab in Graph Properties (see Graph Properties). Deselect the Default Smith Scale/ Autoscale Magnitude checkbox and then change the value in the Scale text field to a desired value. • Clicking the mouse wheel once and then sliding your mouse up or down. If your mouse does not have a wheel, you can set the scaling options in the Data Values and Reactance/Y Axis tab in Graph Properties window. See Configuring Graph Properties for details. If your mouse has a third, or center, button, you can pan the view on Polar and Smith charts by selecting a graph and dragging it with your cursor while holding down the Measuring and Viewing Data • 189 center mouse button. The cursor will change to display four directional arrows to indicate that you are in panning mode. To reset the zoomed view, right-click on a graph in the Graphing Pane and select Unzoom Graph or Reset Graph Zoom. Adding Trace Groups Use one of these methods to add a Trace group to a graph. Since a trace group consists of a group of traces with the same style applied, you must define the Trace Group properties. See Trace Groups for more information. Once added, the new trace group will appear in both the Appearance Tab and the Graphing Pane. • Right-click on a Graph in the Appearance Tab and select Add Trace Group. • Right-click in the general Graphing Pane and select Add Trace Group. • Select Graph>Add Trace Group from the RF Data Viewer menu. Copying a Graph Use one of these methods to copy a graph in your report. • Right-click on a Graph in the Appearance Tab and select Copy Graph. • Right-click in the general Graphing Pane and select Copy Graph. To paste a copy of the graph, see Pasting a Graph Into a Page. Pasting a Copy of a Trace or a Trace Group Into a Graph A copied trace or trace group (see Copying a Trace) or can be pasted into any graph. A trace or trace group pasted into a different destination report, however, will not include the required data items and will appear only in the Appearance Tab. These data items must be copied into the new report. You can copy data items by dragging them from the Data Items List in the source report to the Data Items List in the destination report. Ideally, this should be done before pasting so that any specially formatted traces or markers will appear in the destination report. Markers and traces can, however, be copied individually after the graph is pasted in the new report location. Copy a trace or trace group (see Copying a Trace) and use one of these methods to paste it into a graph: • Right-click on a Graph in the Appearance Tab and select Paste Trace or Paste Trace Group. • Right-click in the general Graphing Pane and select Paste Trace or Paste Trace Group. • Select Graph>Paste Trace or Graph>Paste Trace Group from the RF Data Viewer menu. Deleting the Selected Graph Use one of these methods to delete the selected graph: • Right-click in the general Graphing Pane and select Delete This Graph. • Select Graph>Delete Graph from the RF Data Viewer menu. Deleting Other Graphs Use one of these methods to delete all but the selected graph: 190 • WinCal XE • Right-click in the general Graphing Pane and select Delete Other Graphs. • Select Graph>Delete Other Graphs from the RF Data Viewer menu. Maximizing Graphs Use one of these methods to enlarge the selected graph to a single view: • Right-click in the general Graphing Pane and select Maximize Graph. • Select Graph>Maximize from the RF Data Viewer menu. Restore Graph Layout Use one of these methods to return to the default four-pane graph view: • Right-click in the general Graphing Pane and select Restore Graph Layout. • Select Graph>Restore from the RF Data Viewer menu. Exporting a Graph to a Graphics File Use one of these methods to export the currently selected graph to a graphics file: • Right-click on a Graph in the Appearance Tab and select Export to Graphics File. • Right-click in the general Graphing Pane and select Export Graph to Graphics File. • Select Graph>Export to Graphics File from the RF Data Viewer menu. Selecting Graph Styles • Right-click in the general Graphing Pane and select from the choices listed under Graph Style. • Select Graph>Style from the RF Data Viewer menu. Choose from the five available graph styles: • Smith – displays the normalized reactance and resistance arcs for S-Parameters • Polar – shows angle and magnitude of traces in a polar chart Measuring and Viewing Data • 191 • XY of phase – displays the angle in degrees on the y-axis and the frequency on the X axis. • XY of magnitude – displays the magnitude on the y-axis and the frequency on the x-axis • XY dB of magnitude – displays the dB of magnitude on the y-axis and the frequency on the x-axis Printing Graphs Use the Page Setup and Print Preview menu items to configure your output. Select File>Preserve Aspect Ratio from the RF Data Viewer menu to preserve the image aspect ratio when printing. If the aspect ratio is not preserved, the page (or single graph) expands to fill the entire printed page. Use one of these methods to print the selected graph: • Right-click in the general Graphing Pane and select Print Graph. • Select Graph>Print Graph from the RF Data Viewer menu. Graph Properties Use one of these methods to access Graph Properties: • Right-click on a Graph in the Appearance Tab and select Properties... • Double-click on a Graph in the Appearance Tab. 192 • WinCal XE • Right-click in the general Graphing Pane and select Graph Properties. • Select Graph>Graph Properties from the RF Data Viewer menu. Configuring Graph Properties Configure the settings in the Graph Properties tabs: i NOTE Available settings will differ according to the type of graph selected. Table 1. Graph properties. Setting General Explanation Name – select a name for your graph. This name will appear as the title in the graph pane. Style – select a graph style. See Pasting a Graph Into a Page. Show Titles – select this check box to make the titles appear on your graph. Show Legend – select this check box to make the legend appear on your graph. Renormalize Data Items – select this check box to renormalize all trace data items. Renormalize to the Default System Impedance – select this check box to renormalize all trace data items to the impedance configured in system setup. A custom impedance can also be chosen for the selected graph. Note that you can prevent renormalization of a selected trace or trace group using the setting in the Appearance tab under Trace and Trace Group Properties. See Appearance. Instamarker – select to open the Marker Properties window where you can edit marker settings. See Configuring Marker Properties for further detail. Measuring and Viewing Data • 193 Setting Data Indices and Resistance Axis Explanation Show X-axis title – select this check box to make the x-axis title visible on your graph. Data Index Type – select a data index type. If you select Custom, enter values in the available text fields for Index Values or y-Axis Label and Custom Unit Divisor. Show grid labels – select this check box to make text labels visible on your graph. This option is available for x, y, polar or Smith charts. Show grid lines for this axis – select this check box to make the grid lines visible on your graph. This option is available for x, y, polar or Smith charts. Autoselect appropriate units – select this check box to allow WinCal to automatically select appropriate index units. Deselect to specify Data Index Units. Log Scale – select this check box to change the graph from normal axis to a logarithmic axis. Auto Range – deselect this check box to see values only from a certain range (e.g., rather than 0 to 20, only 2 to 4). This option is available only with only xand y-graphs. 194 • WinCal XE Setting Data Values and Reactance Axis Explanation Show Y-axis title – select this check box to make the y-axis title visible on your graph. Data Value Type – select a data value type. If you select Custom, enter values in the available text fields for Index Values or y-Axis Label and Custom Unit Divisor. Show grid labels – select this check box to make text labels visible on your graph. This option is available for x, y, polar or Smith charts. Show grid lines for this axis – select this check box to make the grid lines visible on your graph. This option is available for x, y, polar or Smith charts. Log Scale – select this check box to change the graph from normal axis to a logarithmic axis. Autoscaling - select this check box to WinCal automatically choose sensible graph limits. Note that the check box label changes according to graph type. • Default Smith Scale (Smith chart) – passive devices do not display anything outside the graph’s outer circle (magnitude 1.0), ranging from 1e-4 and 4.0. • Autoscale Magnitude (Polar graph) – all traces fit within the graph’s outer circle, which is larger than the magnitude of all data. The outer circle can range from 1e-43 to 1e43. • Autoscale Y Axis (xy graph) – the yaxis is scaled to contain all data. If the y-axis is log-scaled, its min. value must be larger than 1e-140 and less than 1e140. The max. must fall in the same limits and be larger than the min. value. If the y-axis is not log-scaled, its min. must be between -1e37 and 1e37 and larger (in magnitude) than 1e-43. The max. value must fall in the same limits and be greater than the y-axis min. Note that WinCal will set the lower or upper limit to zero if all the data is positive or negative (respectively). By keeping the “zero” on the Y-axis visible, small variations don't get exaggerated. Measuring and Viewing Data • 195 Trace Groups A trace group consists of a group of traces that are similar in style, but not necessarily in data. Each trace in a trace group comes from a different data item, but has the same style applied. Trace style consists of properties that determine trace appearance (i.e., color, line width) and the application of math to data items appearing as traces (e.g., show data as H21 parameters or Y11 parameters, or reduce H21 to dB of Magnitude). Trace Group Data items used for traces in a trace group are chosen by criteria set in Trace Group Properties. See Configuring Trace Group Properties for details. Hiding a Trace Group The selected trace group will be hidden on the graph and grayed out in the Appearance Tab. This function can be useful when exploring the data items in multiple trace groups use the same data. Refreshing Trace Group Children Right-click on a Trace Group in the Appearance Tab and select Refresh Children to undo any manual changes that have been made to the selected trace (e.g, recreate manually deleted traces in the trace group, etc.). See Trace Group Properties for details on changing trace group styles. 196 • WinCal XE Copying a Trace or Trace Group Use one of these methods to copy a trace or a trace group: • Right-click on a trace or trace group in the Appearance Tab and select Copy Trace or Copy Trace Group. • Right-click in the general Graphing Pane and select Copy Trace or Copy Trace Group. • Select Trace>Copy Trace or Trace>Copy Trace Group from the RF Data Viewer menu. To paste a copy of the Trace Group, see Pasting a Copy of a Trace or a Trace Group Into a Graph. Pasting a Copy of a Marker Into a Trace or Trace Group i NOTE At least one marker must exist in your Report for this option to be available. A copied marker (see Copying a Marker) can be pasted into any trace or trace group. A marker pasted into a different destination report, however, will not include the required data items and will appear only in the Appearance Tab. These data items must be copied into the new report. You can copy data items by dragging them from the Data Items List in the source report to the Data Items List in the destination report. Ideally, this should be done before pasting so that any specially formatted traces or markers will appear in the destination report. Markers and traces can, however, be copied individually after the graph is pasted in the new report location. Copy an existing marker (see Copying a Marker) and use one of these methods to paste it into a trace or trace group. If a trace group is selected, the marker will be applied to all traces in the trace group (and called a marker template or a marker series). • Right-click on a trace or trace group in the Appearance Tab and select Paste Marker. • Right-click in the general Graphing Pane and select Paste Marker or Paste Marker to Trace Group. • Select Trace>Paste Marker from the RF Data Viewer menu. Deleting a Trace Group Use one of these methods to delete a Trace Group and the traces it contains: • Right-click on a Trace Group in the Appearance Tab and select Delete Trace Group. • Right-click on a trace group in the Graphing Pane and select Delete Trace Group. • Select Trace>Delete Trace Group from the RF Data Viewer menu. Trace Group Properties Use one of these methods to access Properties for a Trace Group: • Right-click on a Trace Group in the Appearance Tab and select Properties... • Double-click on a Trace Group in the Appearance Tab. • Right-click on a trace group in the graphing pane and select Trace Group Properties. Measuring and Viewing Data • 197 • Select Trace>Trace Group Properties from the RF Data Viewer menu. Configuring Trace Group Properties Trace group properties apply to matching data items. Configure the settings in the Trace Group Properties tabs: • Math • Appearance • Included Data Items The Trace Group Name field and the and buttons are available throughout all the tabs in the Trace Group Properties window. • Trace Group Name – enter a name for the selected trace group. • Previous/Next buttons – allow you to move between the trace groups within a graph. Note that more than one trace group must exist within the graph for this function to be active. 198 • WinCal XE Math In this tab, you will select the specific parameter and/or data reduction function used to generate a trace from a dataset. Enter the criteria for determining dataset matching (i.e., which datasets will be included or excluded from the trace group). Select the Math tab in Trace Group Properties and complete the steps listed in Table 2. Table 2. Math settings. Step Step 1: Function – select Category/ Function Explanation Select a Category and Function that you wish to view for the selected trace group. Note that the available Functions will appear according to the selected Category. A brief summary of each option is shown. Measuring and Viewing Data • 199 Step Step 2: Input (see Included Data Items for details on selecting parameters) Explanation Input – the Input column shows the parameter name for a particular row. There is a row for every parameter needed by a function. The second column in each row holds a check box signifying whether the value will be typed in by the user or will come from a data item (a variable). For example, when showing renormalized SParameters, the transforming function requires a new impedance. That impedance input could be typed in (e.g. “75”) or it could come from a data item. The second case is particularly useful when combined with the user toolbar. The user toolbar could control the new impedance by having a text box where the user types in the new impedance. Then, the data item is updated, causing the traces to be recalculated using that new impedance. Is Variable – the Is Variable specifies whether the Value for the input function should come from a Data Item or from a literal value. If the check box is not selected, enter a literal value. If the check box is selected, select an item on the Data Item list. Value for Function Input – the value for the function input is either the name of a data item (if the “Is Variable” column is checked for this row), or the entered value for parameter of this row. For example, if renormalizing the impedance, you might deselect “Is Variable” and enter the values “75.0”, “50.0”, etc... Alternatively, if the “Is Variable” check box is selected, you might type in the name of a data item that holds the new impedance. In this case, the data item would have to be a real value. Entering “rNewImpedance” in that column would tell the trace math to search for a data item named “rImpedance” and try to pass it to the function. Step 3: Matrix Index – select Parameter indices Index1/Index 2 – select the parameter indices (e.g, the 2 and the 1 from S21, etc.). The Matrix Index function is used only when the output is a set of traces (dataset), rather than a single trace. For example, when using the “H-Parameters” function, one must select a single parameter. H21 would be selected by using matrix indices 2 and then 1 (receiving and source ports). For other functions, such as a gain function (to be added in future revisions), only a single number is calculated at each frequency, causing this area to be grayed out. Step 4: Complex to Real (for XY charts) – select Reduction Algorithm Reduction Algorithm – the Complex to Real function reduces complex numbers to real numbers in order to make them visible on an X/Y chart. This step will be grayed out if you have selected a polar or Smith chart for your graph. Select the Reduction Algorithm you would like to use to calculate the real number. A brief summary of each option is shown. Appearance In this tab, you will select line style, width and color, and configure datapoint symbol and legend details. Select the Appearance tab in Trace Group Properties to complete these steps. 200 • WinCal XE Table 3. Appearance settings. Select Explanation Line Color Select the line color for the selected trace group. Selecting Auto pick color(s) will assign a different line color for each trace. Once all the colors have been used, they will be begin repeating, starting with the first color. Line Width Select the line width for the selected trace group. Setting the line width to 5 or above may help to make your line more visible. Line Style Select the line style for the selected trace group. Selecting Auto pick line style(s) assigns a different line style for each trace. Once all the styles have been used, they will be begin repeating, starting with the first style. Measuring and Viewing Data • 201 Select Datapoint Symbol Explanation Select the datapoint symbol style for the selected trace group. Selecting Auto Pick will use the default setting for datapoint symbol. Setting the datapoint symbol to None may help to make your line more visible. NOTE Datapoint symbol type “Point” does not adjust with “Symbol Size”. Setting the Datapoint Symbol to “None” when the line width is 1 makes some traces hard to see. For example, on a Smith or Polar chart with a “perfect” matched load, an S11 trace would occupy a single pixel at the center of the graph if the line width is one and the Datapoint Symbol is “None”. Symbol Size Select the datapoint symbol size for the selected trace group. Symbol Skip Interval Select the datapoint symbol skip interval, or the interval of datapoints at which the symbol will appear, for the selected trace group. Setting the symbol skip interval to a higher range may help to make your line more visible. Show summary of data type in legend Select this check box to view the data type (i.e, S21, S11) in the graph legend. Show physical port numbers in legend summary This option changes depending on whether the port numbers shown in the legend are physical port numbers or dataset port numbers. For a 2-port measurement, a dataset actually contains S11, S21, S12, and S22, and the legend will, by default, show those port numbers. However, if the 2-port measurement was taken on ports 3 and 4 of a VNA, the user may wish to see S33, S43, S34, and S44. This option allows that view. The default value of this setting can be changed by adjusting the setting in the Options window. New reports and new trace groups added to existing reports will use the value set in the Options window. See RF Data View Options for details. Allow Graph to Renormalize Data Items Deselecting this check box prevents renormalization for the selected trace or trace group. Hide This Trace Select this check box to hide the selected trace. The trace will be grayed out in the Appearance tree tab and will not appear at all in the graph. Included Data Items Select the Included Data Items tab in Trace Group Properties to select data item parameters for your measurement. Parameters are used to filter the data items that will be linked to the traces. Items that match the set parameters are added to the collection of data items from which a trace is created. 202 • WinCal XE Table 4. Included data items settings. Select Explanation Included Enter a regular expression to include data items by name.String patterns may include searches for the exact match of word(s), or a partial match and wild cards. See Regular Expressions for a description of regular expressions. Excluded Enter a regular expression to exclude data items from the trace group. Any data item that is matched by this regular expression will be excluded from the trace group. Matching the Excluded pattern takes precedence over matching the Data Items. Thus, if a data item matches both the Trace Group Data Items and the Trace Group Excluded Data Items, the item will not be included in the trace group. See Regular Expressions for a description of regular expressions. Measuring and Viewing Data • 203 Select Search Style Explanation Select parameters for the type of trace groups you wish to match. This provides an additional means of specifying which traces to include in the trace group. The values shown in the combo box specify different combinations the following: • All Selected Matching Data Items - use all selected data items that match the Regular Expressions. • All Unselected Matching Data Items - use all unselected data items that match the Regular Expressions. • All Matching Data Items - use all data items that match the Regular Expressions (ignore check boxes). • First Selected Matching Data Item - use only the first selected data item that matches the Regular Expressions. • First Unselected Matching Data Item - use only the first unselected data item that matches the Regular Expressions. • First Matching Data Item - use only the first data item that matches the Regular Expressions (ignore check boxes). • Last Selected Matching Data Item - use only the last selected data item that matches the Regular Expressions. • Last Unselected Matching Data Item - use only the last unselected data item that matches the Regular Expressions. • Last Matching Data Item - use only the last data item that matches the Regular Expressions (ignore check boxes). Preview of Matching Data Items 204 • WinCal XE Displays a list of data items that currently match the search terms. A trace for each data item will be created on the corresponding graph. Traces Each trace uses a data item to display in a graph. Traces can be created by using the Trace Group context menu or by using the mouse to drag a data item onto a graph. Traces specify appearance and math processing for its data item. When a trace does not “work” for a current trace group, the legend entry appears in red with a Tooltip containing an explanation. Trace Copying a Trace Select Trace>Add Trace Copy from the RF Data Viewer menu to add a copy of the selected Trace to the Trace Group. Adding Markers Use one of these methods to add a marker to a trace: • Right-click on a Trace in the Appearance Tab and select Add Marker. • Right-click on a trace group in the Graphing Pane and select Add Marker. • Select Trace>Add Trace Marker from the RF Data Viewer menu. Adding a marker opens the Marker Properties window. See Included Data Items. Refreshing Markers Right-click on a Trace in the Appearance Tab and select Refresh Markers to undo any manual changes that have been made to the markers in the selected trace (e.g, relocate manually moved markers to the original position, etc.). Measuring and Viewing Data • 205 Copying a Trace to a New Group Right-click on a Trace in the Appearance Tab and select Copy Trace to New Group to copy a trace to a newly created trace group that points to the data item for that trace. Pasting a Copy of a Marker Into a Trace or Trace Group See Pasting a Copy of a Marker Into a Trace or Trace Group. Deleting Traces Use one of these methods to delete a Trace from a Trace Group: • Right-click on a trace in the Appearance Tab and select Delete Trace. • Right-click on a trace in the Graphing Pane and select Delete Trace. • Select Trace>Delete Trace from the RF Data Viewer menu Trace Properties Use one of these methods to access Trace Properties: • Right-click on a trace in the Appearance Tab and select Properties... • Double-click on a trace in the Appearance tab. • Right-click on a trace group in the Graphing Pane and select Trace Properties. • Select Trace>Trace Properties... from the RF Data Viewer menu. Configuring Trace Properties See Math or Appearance for detailed information on configuring the Trace Properties tabs. 206 • WinCal XE Markers Markers are attached to traces. They typically point out a significant datapoint on a trace (e.g. highest or lowest) or a point that is derived from a trace (e.g,. extrapolation or interpolation). Marker Adding a Copy of an Existing Marker Select Marker>Add Marker Copy from the RF Data Viewer menu to add a copy of the selected marker to the trace. This function can be useful when a second marker is required that differs only slightly from the original. Copying a Marker Use one of these methods to copy a marker into a trace or a trace group. • Right-click on a marker in the Appearance Tab and select Copy Marker. • Right-click in the general Graphing Pane and select Copy Marker. • Select Marker>Copy Marker from the RF Data Viewer menu. To paste a copy of the Marker into a trace or trace group, see Pasting a Copy of a Marker Into a Trace or Trace Group. Refreshing Markers Right-click on a Marker in the Appearance Tab and select Refresh Marker to undo any manual changes that have been made to that marker. Measuring and Viewing Data • 207 Deleting Markers Use one of these methods to delete a Marker from a Trace: • Right-click on a marker in the Appearance Tab and select Delete Marker. • Right-click on a marker in the Graphing Pane and select Delete Marker. • Select Marker>Delete from the RF Data Viewer menu Marker Properties Use one of these methods to access Marker Properties: • Right-click on a marker in the Appearance Tab and select Properties... • Double-click on a Marker in the Appearance Tab. • Right-click on a marker in the Graphing Pane and select Marker Properties. Configuring Marker Properties Configure the settings in the Marker Properties tabs: The Marker Name, Displayed Text, Location, Alternate Source 1 and 2 fields, and the and buttons are available throughout all the tabs in the Trace Group Properties window. • Marker Name – enter a name for the selected marker. • Displayed Text – displays a summary of the marker text selected in the Displayed Text tab. 208 • WinCal XE • Location – displays the functions selected in the Location tab to determine marker location. • Alternate Source 1 and 2 – displays the parameters selected for alternate data sources in the Alternate Source tabs. • Previous/Next buttons – allows you to move between the markers within a trace or trace group. Note that more than one marker must exist within the trace or trace group for these buttons to be active. Displayed Text Select the Displayed Text tab in Marker Properties and configure the text for your marker in the RF Data Viewer window according to the details listed in Table 5. Measuring and Viewing Data • 209 Table 5. Displayed Text settings. Step Marker Text Explanation Select the Marker Text you wish to use. The drop-down box on the left lists options that correspond to the more detailed text on the right. The Custom setting allows users to modify the text representing a marker. The user can show items in a different order or precision, or mix and match different bits of information gleaned from the displayed trace. These functions can be used to extract information about the trace: • %NameOf(TypeOfInput Input) – name of data item • %Index(TypeOfInput Input, int NumericPrecision, UnitType Units) – independent variable, usually frequency • %AngleDegrees(TypeOfInput Input, int NumericPrecision) – angle for real, imaginary pair • %AngleRadians(TypeOfInput Input, int NumericPrecision) – angle for real, imaginary pair • %Magnitude(TypeOfInput Input, int NumericPrecision) – magnitude of real, imaginary pair • %Real(TypeOfInput Input, int NumericPrecision) – real value • %Imaginary(TypeOfInput Input, int NumericPrecision) – imaginary value • %TraceDataType(TypeOfInput Input, int NumericPrecision) – type of data (e.g., S11 or H21) The function names are shown after the '%' and before the parenthesis (e.g. “Index”, “AngleDegrees”, and “Imaginary”). Parameters to these functions are shown inside the parentheses and modify the text that they produce.Parameters are separated by commas and (unlike the text that the user will enter) show both the type of parameter (first) and the name of the parameter (second). To use the function, the '%' character is followed by the function name, with the required parameters enclosed in parentheses. For example, “%Index(Trace, 1, AxisUnitsX)” will show the X-axis value at that point on the trace with 1 digit after the decimal point. The marker text string can have many of these functions strung together along with unaltered text. When the marker is displayed, the functions are replaced with the text that they signify. For example, the “%Index(Trace, 1, AxisUnitsX)” function might be replaced with “2.4GHz” if the marker is at a 2.4GHz sample point and the X-axis of the XY graph is frequency. Data Source Select the source of your marker data: a trace on the graph or one of two alternate data sources configured in the Alternate Source tabs. Show Marker in Legend Select this check box to make the marker appear in the graph legend in the RF data Viewer window graphing pane. Location Select the Location tab in Marker Properties and configure the math used to determine the location to which the marker points, according to the details listed in Table 6. 210 • WinCal XE Table 6. Location settings. Step Explanation Step 1: Function – select Category/ Function Select a Category and Function that you wish to view for the selected trace group. Note that the available Functions will appear according to the selected Category. A brief summary of each option is shown. Step 3: Input Input – the Input column shows the parameter name for a particular row. There is a row for every parameter needed by a function. The second column in each row holds a check box signifying whether the value will be typed in by the user or will come from a data item (a variable). For example, when showing renormalized SParameters, the transforming function requires a new impedance. The impedance input can be entered or it can come from a data item. The second case is particularly useful when combined with the user toolbar. The user toolbar can control the new impedance by having a text box where the user types in the new impedance. Then, the data item is updated, causing the traces to be recalculated using the new impedance. Is Variable – the Is Variable specifies whether the Value for the input function should come from a Data Item or from a literal value. If the check box is not selected, enter a literal value. If the check box is selected, select an item on the Data Item list. Value for Function Input – the value for the function input is either the name of a data item (if the “Is Variable” column is checked for this row), or the entered value for parameter of this row. For example, if renormalizing the impedance, you might deselect “Is Variable” and enter the values “75.0”, “50.0”, etc... Alternatively, if the “Is Variable” check box is selected, you might type in the name of a data item that holds the new impedance. In this case, the data item would have to be a real value. Entering “rNewImpedance” in that column would tell the trace math to search for a data item named “rImpedance” and try to pass it to the function. Alternate Source 1 and 2 Select the Alternate Source tab(s) in Marker Properties and configure the math used to produce data for the Displayed Text and Location tabs according to the details listed in Table 7. Table 7. Alternate Source settings. Step Explanation Step 1: Function – select Category/ Function Select a Category and Function that you wish to view for the selected trace group. Note that the available Functions will appear according to the selected Category. A brief summary of each option is shown. Step 2: Data Items Specify a data item other than the data item for the trace. This can be used to enable a marker to display data from another reference, such as a golden DUT. Step 3: Input See Step 3: Input. Step 3: Matrix Index Specifies a trace by Index, enabling the marker to show data. For example, from H21 while the trace is displaying S11. Measuring and Viewing Data • 211 Step Step 3: Complex to Real (for XY Charts) 212 • WinCal XE Explanation Enable – select the Enable check box to specify whether data will be reduced to “real” values (without an imaginary component). Reduction Algorithm – select the reduction algorithm you wish to use for the selected trace. Chapter 8 Advanced Features Several advanced features that allow experienced users to customize WinCal to better serve their specific needs. These customizable features include: • Creating and Editing Wizards • Post Processing • Sequences • Toolbar Editor Creating and Editing Wizards WinCal XE enables you to create your own Wizards. This function can be useful in describing, for example, certain calibration workflows that are unique to your lab, so that operators can follow a procedure without extensive training or documentation. A Wizard leads the user through the existing User Interface, thereby training them to use the WinCal User Interface directly. Wizards can be designed to show the step-by-step process of any of the function of which WinCal is capable. Extra text can be added in any step to instruct the operator on the use of instrumentation required as part of the overall calibration and/or measurement process, but not controlled by WinCal. You can also create Wizard steps containing informational text only. It is possible to create a collection of Wizards containing a series of core processes, and then create high level process Wizards that call these core process Wizards. In other words, a Wizard step can invoke another Wizard step. Wizards can contain common and subordinate steps, where subordinate steps are part of a sequence that accomplishes the overall task in the common step. Subordinate steps are displayed as indented text. One level of indented subordinate steps is allowed. The intended use of subordinate steps is to visually break down a large task (the common step) into smaller steps for the user. The Wizards you create must be saved in WinCal using the Wizard Editor. There are two locations to choose from: • User – per user (as logged in to Windows) • Group – shared between all users on the machine. If more than one user will require access to your Wizards, save to the Group location. To create a new Wizard, select Wizards>Wizard Script Editor from the main WinCal window. See Wizard Script Editor. Advanced Features • 213 To create a copy of an existing script for editing, right-click on an existing Wizard script and select Create Copy for User or Create Copy for Group from the context menu. 214 • WinCal XE The new script will be displayed in the folder tree. Right-click on the new script to display context menu options for the copied script. • Create Copy for User – copies the selected script into the user script folder. If a file already exists with the same name, a number extension will be added to the copied file name. • Create Copy for Group – copies the selected script into the group script folder. If a file already exists with the same name, a number extension will be added to the copied file name. • New Wizard – creates a new blank wizard script in either the Group or User folder. • Edit – opens the selected script for editing in the Wizard Script Editor window. See Wizard Script Editor. • Delete – permanently removes the Wizard script file. i NOTE Files in the Permanent script folder cannot be edited or deleted. They can be copied to either the user or group folders and edited there. Advanced Features • 215 Wizard Script Editor i NOTE Although the Wizard Script Editor is designed to be intuitive and easy to use, it is not intended for use by first time WinCal users. Before attempting to write a new Wizard script, explore the existing Wizards to become familiar with Wizard capabilities. To create a new Wizard, select Wizards>Wizard Script Editor from the main WinCal window. 216 • WinCal XE To edit an existing wizard, right-click on a Group or User script and select Edit. The steps in the Wizard script are listed in the left-hand column of the Wizard Script Editor window and the details for the selected step are displayed on the right. Click to add a new step to the Wizard script. The new step will be inserted after the currently selected step in the list. If no step is selected, the new step will be added to the end of the list. Complete the required information for each step: • Step Type • Step Name • Wizard Step Text • Target • Open Sequence Single steps in the list can be rearranged using the drag & drop method. Right-click on a step to open the context menu for cutting, copying and pasting options. Shift-click and control-click can be used to select multiple steps. Click to remove a selected step from the list. Advanced Features • 217 Step Type Select the Step Type according to the function of the selected step. Step Type Common Step Function A step with only one target control. For example, “Click OK” or “Click AutoCal”. NOTE Tour Steps - to point to a general window rather than a particular control in that window, click on the window caption bar when selecting the target control. For example, you may wish to point to a form and provide instructions for setup steps in that form without pointing to the actual target controls for those steps. The Wizard titled “Tour WinCal” uses this feature to point to each of the main WinCal windows in sequence. 218 • WinCal XE Step Type Function Subordinate Step Some of the work flows in WinCal involve several steps relating to a particular function. In order to clarify these grouped steps, they can be indented under the main step and listed using a different numbering system. Note that Wizard steps can only be subordinated by one level. Info Only Steps A step without a target control. When the wizard step is run, the Wizard window will be placed near the WinCal main tool bar. For example, this Info Only step is used as an introduction. Advanced Features • 219 Step Type Including Wizard Scripts Function Select the Include Another Script step type to reuse the steps in an existing script by including it within another Wizard script. For example, the wizard script for setting up the measurement system includes the scripts for selecting probe parameters and aligning to the ISS. Once the step type has been changed, select the name of the Wizard to include from the Script File Name drop down list. Note that the existing script must be stored in one of the three script folders (permanent, group, user) for use within another script. • Scripts are selected by file name. If a naming conflict exists, WinCal will select the script to use by searching the script folders in this order: • User • Group • Permanent If two scripts with the same name exist in the user and the group or permanent folders, the script in the user folder will take precedence. 220 • WinCal XE Step Name Type a name for the step in the Step Name text box. The step name will be displayed in the step list and the Wizard Execution window. Step Name The name for a given step can be changed by selecting the step and editing the text in the Step Name text box. Wizard Step Text Type the text to display in the active Wizard window. To change the font, color or style of a portion of the text, select (click or shift-click) the text to change and right-click to display the font context menu. Select from the formatting options or select Font for further formatting options. Advanced Features • 221 Target Select the particular control in the WinCal window to which the step refers. The target can be a button, check box, combo box, or text box that the user is meant to act upon. Typical Target Control To select a target control: 1. Be sure that the window containing the target control is open and visible. It may be necessary to move the Wizard Script Editor window so that it does not obscure the target control. 2. Click the . 3. Click on the target control. For example, click on a combo box that the user will change as part of the Wizard step. 4. The names of the target form and target control will be automatically assigned to the fields above the Find Target Control button. If the fields remain blank, repeat these steps. The check box indicates the modality of the form containing the target control. This value is filled in automatically when the target control is loaded. Open Sequence Select the sequence of clicks required to access the target control. The open sequence allows the Wizard driver to lead you back to the target control. For example, if you want to change a setting in a form that is not related to the target control, the other form can be opened and modified. When you are ready to return 222 • WinCal XE to the step in the Wizard, the open sequence keeps track of how to open the target window and guides you back to it. Open Sequence prompting the user to click to open the System Setup window, which contains the Wizard step target. To load the open sequence for a Wizard step: 1. Position the WinCal windows on the desktop so that the buttons required to access the target control are visible. For example, if the target control is on the System Setup window, then the main tool bar must be visible so that can be selected. i NOTE When loading the open sequence for a Wizard step, the script editor window records all mouse clicks, meaning that it may be necessary arrange the necessary windows for visibility on your desktop before starting the process of loading the open sequence. 2. Click button to begin the process. The script editor window layout will change to indicate the open sequence mode is active. Advanced Features • 223 3. Click on each location required to reach the target control. The internal names of the forms and controls will be automatically shown in the list. Open sequence loaded for a target control on the System Setup window. Strings are filled in automatically. 4. When the target control is reached, click . Sample Open Sequences Target Control Open Sequence Control Select VNA (Combo Box) System - Button on main WinCal Tool Bar VNA – Tab on system setup window. Select Station (Combo Box) System – Button on main WinCal Tool Bar Station – Tab on system setup window. Signal Config (Combo box for selecting probe configuration) System – Button on main WinCal Tool Bar Probes – Tab on system setup window. VNA Port 1 – Tab for probe on port 1. Example: Creating a Wizard Step 1. Create a new wizard script. a. On the WinCal main tool bar, select Wizards>Wizard Script Editor… b. Select File>Save As in the Wizard Script Editor window to save the script. 2. Select a Step Type. In this example, we are creating a Common Step. See Step Type for details. 224 • WinCal XE 3. Enter a Step Name. See Step Name. a. Enter text for the name of the step in the Step Name text box. The new step name will appear in the step list as soon as you click anywhere else in the Script Editor window. 4. Enter the Wizard Step Text. See Wizard Step Text. a. Enter text in the Wizard Step Text Tab. 5. Apply fonts and formatting to the text as necessary. 6. Load the Target. See Target. a. Click on the Target tab in the Script Editor window. b. Make sure the target control is visible. In this example, the target control is the drop down list used for selecting the calibration method in the Calibration window. Advanced Features • 225 c. Click and then click on the target control for this step. The internal names for the target control will be automatically assigned. Internal names filled in automatically. 7. Load the Open Sequence. See Open Sequence. a. Click the Open Sequence tab in the Script Editor window. b. Make sure the buttons required for the open sequence are visible. c. In this example, the Calibration window is used. Since the Calibration window is typically opened by clicking the Calibration button on the main tool bar, the open sequence requires a single item. d. Click open sequence. . All mouse clicks after this point will be included in the e. Click the sequence of locations used to open the target control. In this example, we will click on the Calibration button on the main tool bar. f. After the target control has been reached, click . 8. Save the Wizard Script. a. Select File>Save in the Wizard Script Editor window. 9. Run the Wizard Script. b. Click in the Wizard Script Editor window to test the new Wizard. The step should point to the target control you selected. In this example, the wizard step should point to the drop down list in the Calibration window. c. Close the target control window. The wizard will use the open sequence to find the previous step and prompt the user. In this example, the previous step should point to the Calibration button. 226 • WinCal XE Post Processing Post Processing is a means of applying mathematical operations to measurements or data contained in a WinCal report. Post Processing is an open programming environment that allows the user to manipulate data using techniques that have been tailored to RF measurements in WinCal. Also see Wizards for further details, examples and troubleshooting tips on Post Processing. Basic Concepts Post Processing is implemented in a layered approach that allows mathematical procedures to be constructed from other procedures. The basic components of Post Processing are outlined Table 1. Table 1. Basic components. Post Processing Component Description Primitives The Post Processing Primitives are the base operations for manipulating data. They are distributed as part of the WinCal environment and are compiled into binary form. User Functions User Functions are a method of extending the set of available operations by combining one or more primitives or functions in a list of steps to operate on data. WinCal contains many User Functions that perform a variety of operations that are typical for RF characterization tasks. User Functions can be created in WinCal. Existing User Functions can be copied and changed or extended to meet specific needs. Scratch Pad The Scratch Pad contains a User Function that is only used in the report that contains it. The Scratch Pad is used to apply Post Processing operations to data that is contained in the report. In order to apply Post Processing to the Data Items in a report, the Scratch Pad must contain a User Function. Table 2 contrasts the distinctions between User Functions and the Scratch Pad. Table 2. User Functions vs. Scratch Pad. User Function Scratch Pad Contains a list of Post Processing steps. Contains a list of post processing steps. Stored separately from a Report. Reports with ‘wrpar’ extension also contain any User Functions that are used by the report. Always contained in a Report. Can be used by more than one report. Only used in the Report that contains the User Functions. WinCal is distributed with a number of predefined User Functions. By definition, the Scratch Pad in a report is blank until the user fills it in. Advanced Features • 227 User Function Can be stored at one of three levels: • System –user functions that are distributed with WinCal. These functions cannot be edited. Scratch Pad Only stored as part of a report. • Group – user functions that are shared between users within a group. • User –user functions for a particular Windows user. Has a name assigned by the user that creates the function. No name is given to the Scratch Pad function. Can be invoked from another User Function or Scratch Pad. Can receive parameters to operate on. Can specify an output type. Can not be invoked from another User Function. Can not receive parameters. Can not specify an output type. Is assigned to one or more Function Categories. Is not assigned to a function category. Managing Functions Select Tools>Functions from the RF Data Viewer menu to open the Function Manager window. Function categories Functions available within selected category Function description Function categories are listed on the left-hand side of the Function Manager window, and the actual functions available within those categories are listed on the right-hand side. A description of the selected function is shown at the bottom of the window. 228 • WinCal XE Note that Tooltips can be deactivated by deselecting the View Tooltips checkbox. The default Categories and Functions listed in the Function Manager window are primitives, and therefore, cannot be edited. New functions, however, can be added and user-created functions can be edited in the Function Editor window (see Creating and Editing Functions). Click new function or to add a to make changes to the expressions included in your function. Click or and navigate to a location of your choice to import or export functions, respectively. Click to save a copy of the selected function to the User or Group Directory. Click to delete the selected function. Creating and Editing Functions The Function Editor window is used to edit the Scratch Pad function or a User Function. • To create or edit the Scratch Pad function for a report, click the reporting window. • To create a new User Function, click on the tool bar in in the Function Manager. • To edit an existing User Function, select the User Function in the Function Manager and click . The Function Editor window shows a list of steps or expressions that are executed in the order displayed. For example, this image shows the Scratch Pad editor with four post processing expressions that will be executed in order. See Example: Post Processing for more details on the Scratch Pad. Advanced Features • 229 In the Function Editor window: Click to open the Expression Editor window where you can create new expressions. See Editing Expressions. If you are editing an existing expression, select the expression you wish to change and click Click to open the Edit Comment window where you can add or edit a comment in the Function Editor window. Double-click on the comment to make changes to an existing comment. Click or to move the selected expression(s) up or down in the list. Click , Click to delete the selected expression(s). Click or or to cut, copy, and paste expressions, respectively. to enable or disable the selected expression(s). Note that these operations can also be accessed by right-clicking on an expression in the list and selecting from the options in the context menu. Function Editor Scratch Pad The Function Editor - Scratch Pad displays a list of Post Processing steps (expressions) that will be executed when new measurements are added to the report. The Scratch Pad is identical to the Function Editor, except that the post processing expressions you create and edit here are specific to the selected Report. 230 • WinCal XE Click or select Tools>Math Scratch Pad from the RF Data Viewer menu to open the Function Editor - Scratch Pad window. Click to open the Expression Editor window where you can create new expressions. See Creating and Editing Functions for details on the tools in this window. Advanced Features • 231 Editing Expressions The Expression Editor is used to create or edit an expression in a function. Each expression makes up one line in a User Function. The expression string appears at the top of the Expression Editor window. This is the same string that will appear in the list of expressions in the Function Editor window. Select to enable or disable the expression. Step 1: Select Category and Function The functions available for use in an expression are grouped in categories. Each category contains one or more functions that are related to each other either by the kind of parameter that is passed to them, or by the kind of operation that is performed. Functions can be assigned to more than one category to make it easier to locate a given function, but in general this is discouraged. The items shown in the function list can be either User Functions or Primitives. Primitives are compiled and are contained in a.Net assembly. Primitives are executed directly by the processor. User functions are stored as pseudo code and are executed by a virtual machine in WinCal. 232 • WinCal XE An explanation of the selected primitive or function appears in the description field. Step 2: Select Input Parameters Each function or primitive takes zero, one or more input parameters. The input parameters can come from post processing variables or from constant literal values that are entered as a string. In some cases, literal values are not allowed. i NOTE Post processing variables only exist in a post processing function and are created by expression; they are not the same as the data items in a report. However, functions exist to create variables from data items (e.g., GetDataset). This example shows input parameters to the GetDataset function in category ManageDataItems. In this case, the value is not a post processing variable (Is Variable check box is not selected). The value entered is the string Measurement. A second example shows input parameters to the Subtract function in category MathDataset. In this case, both input parameters are coming from post processing variables (Is Variable check boxes are selected). Since these are variables, the expression editor allows you to select the item from a drop down list of variables. The fields in the Vectorize column are filled in using the Vectorization dialog. See Vectorization for more information on Vectorization. Advanced Features • 233 Step 3: Select Output The output variable for a post process expression is used to specify the name of the variable to create with the expression item. Output variable names can be reused if desired. Output variables can be partially assigned by an expression. For example, vectorization can be used to set a single trace of an S-Parameter with one statement, leaving the rest of the traces in tact. See Vectorization for more information on Vectorization. Function Properties User Functions have properties that are defined in the Function Properties window. Scratch Pad functions do not have these properties. Click a function. 234 • WinCal XE to open the Function Properties window to set the properties of • Name Description and Version - Enter text in the Function Name, Description and Version fields. The function name can only contain letters, digits and underscores. The description should contain a brief discussion of how the function is intended to be used as well as a description of the parameters and output. Version is for the user reference only. The version value is not checked in WinCal. • Category - The category assigned to a function is used to group the function with other functions according to the type of the parameters, or the kind of operation that is performed. For example, some functions are intended to be general purpose and should be assigned to categories that guide potential users of the functions. Other functions are written for a specific task or purpose and should be assigned to categories that are named to show the limit of the intended scope. A function can be assigned to more than one category, but as a guideline, this is discouraged. Assigning a function to more than one category can lead to confusion about which function is in use and also can unnecessarily lead to clutter in the name space. • To add a Function to the Category list, select an item from the drop down list and click . • Click to remove a category from the list. • Click or to rearrange the order of the Category list. • Parameters - User Functions can have zero, one or more input parameters. These can be thought of in the same manner as parameters to a method in a traditional programming language. Parameter names can contain only letters, numbers and underscore characters. The type of each parameter is selected in the combo box. Here the input type is shown as a Complex. Once a parameter is defined for a User Function, that name becomes available as a variable to use in any expression of that User Function. It is possible to define a function that does not have parameters. For example, the function could be operating on data items that are fetched with the GetDataset primitive. To delete a parameter, select the entire row and press the Delete on your keyboard. • Output Type - The Output Type field defines the type of the value that is passed to the Return statement in the function. Advanced Features • 235 It is possible to leave the Output type set to none. For example, the function could be storing results directly to the Data Item list using the SaveToDataItem primitive. • Output Abbreviation - If desired, enter a new Output Abbreviation. The abbreviation will appear in the graph legend and can be useful for certain types of trace math transformations. The abbreviation will appear in the graph legend if the function is used in a trace (see Trace Math in the Trace Group and Trace property pages). For example, if the abbreviation is “X” and the trace math is configured to show trace “1,2”, then the legend would have “X12”. Vectorization Vectorization is a means of executing a primitive or function multiple times with a single expression statement. The choices for valid Vectorization are controlled by the parameter type of the function being called, and the type of the variable expected by the function. For example, consider the primitive that adds two complex numbers (in the Math category). Using this primitive, we want to add 1 to each member of an S-Parameter. An S-Parameter contains a two dimensional matrix at each frequency point, so an S-Parameter has essentially 3 dimensions. i NOTE The real-imaginary dimension is not included in this S-Parameter description. A complex number is technically a vector, so a dataset would normally be considered four dimensions. However, WinCal treats complex numbers as a scalar for this purpose. In a traditional programming language this operation would be performed with nested for loops such as this. for ( Row=0; Row<NumRows; Row++) { for( Col=0; Col<NumCols; Col++) { for( Freq=0; Freq<NumFreq; Freq++ { MySParam[Row,Col,Freq] := MySParam[Row,Col,Freq] + 1; } } } WinCal Post Processing achieves this same result with a single expression. This line shows how the statement looks. Sum[-,m,r,c] = Meas[-,m,r,c] + "(1.0, 0.0i)" In this line, the sections “[-,m,r,c]” are specifying the vectorization. Each time vectorization is used, four fields are given. Here the four fields are given with -, m, r, and c. The minus (-) means no vectorization is applied to that dimension. The m is in the dimension that is the frequency for the data set. The r and c characters are in the 236 • WinCal XE dimension fields that specify the row and column of the matrix at each frequency point. Expression editor configuration for the expression Sum[-,m,r,c] = Meas[-,m,r,c] + “(1.0, 0.0i)” As another example, consider the subtraction statement from Example: Post Processing. MeasListDiff[d,-,-,-] = MeasList[d,-,-,-] – Meas In this expression, the primitive is Subtract from the MathDataset category. This primitive takes two complete Datasets as parameters which means it performs its own internal for loops on the Datasets. However we want to iterate over a list of Datasets. This means that we are using vectorization to loop through each Dataset in MeasList and putting the result of the subtraction into MeasListDiff. The fields in the Vectorization specifier are selecting a subset of the variable. For example, in the first statement shown above, “[-,m,r,c]” is selecting a single complex value out of a Dataset. The post processing statement then iterates through each of these complex values calling the function for each value. The Vectorization specifier can also be written to select a specific entry. For example, a particular trace of a Dataset can be selected. This is done in the Vectorization Advanced Features • 237 Window by selecting the Specific Index radio buttons. In this example, the trace at Row 1 and column 2 has been selected. This results in the expression as follows. Meas2[-,-,1,2] = Meas[-,-,1,2] 238 • WinCal XE In this example, the trace at row 1, column 2 is being copied from the Dataset Meas to Meas2. This is using the TraceCopy primitive from the ManageVariables category. Other traces in the output variable (Meas2) are not affected by this statement. Regular Expressions Some of the post processing primitives take a string that is used as a regular expression. For example, the GetDatasetList primitive uses regular expressions to match the names of data items. This section gives a brief overview of regular expressions. A string that is used for a regular expression can be just a plain string such as Measurement, or it can include special characters to match portions of the strings. The following characters are special when they are contained within the regular expression string • . - Match any single character. • * - Match 0 or more of the previous expression. • + - Match 1 or more of the previous expression. • ? - Match 0 or 1 of the previous expression. • \ - Literal. Use in front of any of the above special characters. Advanced Features • 239 Examples These are example strings of how to use regular expressions to match a group of strings: • Meas.* - Will match any item that starts with the string Meas. For example, Measurement, Measurement 2 and Measurement 3 will all match. But measurement and My Measurement will not match. • .* - Will match any item. • .*_. - Will match any item that ends in _x where x is a single character. For example Meas_3, ForwardGain_Q and Monday_6 will match, but trial_45 will not match. • .*dut.* - Will match any item that contains the string dut at any location. For example My dut and dut 33 will match, but Dut 66 will not match. Regular expressions are an industry standard means of specifying character string pattern matching. For more information about regular expressions, see www.RegExLib.com. Example: Post Processing This example demonstrates using the Scratch Pad in a report. The goal here is to provide an overview of how Post Processing is used to manipulate RF measurements in a WinCal report. In this example, Post Processing is used to measure the difference between one measurement and several other measurements. The first measurement is treated as a ‘gold standard’ and the other measurements are subsequently compared against it. This example assumes the user is familiar with basic operations of WinCal. In this example, we will perform RF measurements in the Reporting window using the Virtual VNA. In this way, the example can be followed on a desktop computer without access to an actual VNA. The settings of the Virtual VNA are assumed to be defaults. These steps are described here: • Step 1: Perform Measurements • Step 2: Create the Scratch Pad Function • Step 3: Get All Measurements Into a Dataset List • Step 4: Actual Subtraction • Step 5: Save the Differences to the Report • Step 6: Check for Correctness 240 • WinCal XE Step 1: Perform Measurements 1. Open a Reporting Window. 2. Click 3. Click to open the Instrument Measurement window. . A single measurement will appear on the Reporting window. 4. In the reporting window, click several times. Each time it is clicked, another measurement will appear on the Reporting window. 5. On the upper left graph of the report, right click and select Maximize Graph. Advanced Features • 241 6. Right click on the graph again and select Graph Style>XY dB of Magnitude. This image shows the Reporting window with the measurements listed on the left, and the dB Magnitude displayed for all of the measurements. The measurements all appear to be the same. However, the Virtual VNA by default will introduce random noise into the measurements so that each measurement is slightly different from the others. 7. Continue to Step 2: Create the Scratch Pad Function. Step 2: Create the Scratch Pad Function In this step, you will create the first line of the Scratch Pad function. 1. Click to open the Scratch Pad window. 2. Click to add an expression. 3. In the Category field, select ManageDataItems. The list of categories is used to group the primitives and functions depending on their usage. 4. In the Function field, select GetDataset. The list of functions shown are for a specific category. To the right of the Function list is a description for the currently selected function. 5. In the Value for Function Input field, enter the string Measurement. This is the name of the measurement that will be used as the ‘gold standard’ for this example. For the GetDataset function, this is the name of an item that is selected from the Data Item list 6. In the Output Variable field, enter the string Gold. This is the name of the post processing variable that contains the gold standard measurement. Post processing variables are only instantiated while the function is executing. After the function finishes execution, they are discarded. 242 • WinCal XE Select ManageDataItems Category Select GetDataset Function Enter measurement name to use as gold standard Enter Post Processing variable name 7. Click . The first line of the Post Processing function will appear in the Scratch Pad. 8. Continue to Step 3: Get All Measurements Into a Dataset List. Advanced Features • 243 Step 3: Get All Measurements Into a Dataset List In this step, you will add another line to the Scratch Pad that will fetch all of the measurements into a list of Datasets. 1. Click in the Scratch Pad window to add another line. 2. In the Category list, select ManageDataItems. 3. In the Function list, select GetDatasetList. 4. In the Value for FunctionInput field on the line labeled MustMatch, enter the string Meas.*. This is the string Meas followed by a period, followed by an asterisk, without any spaces. This is a regular expression that will match all of the data items that start with Meas and then anything else in the name. For example, this will match Measurement, Measurement 2, and Measurement 3. See Regular Expressions for more information on regular expressions. 5. In the Output Variable field, enter the string MeasList. This is the name of the Post Processing variable that will be used later in the scratch pad. When this line executes, the variable MeasList will contain all of the measurements in the Report that match the regular expression. The measurements are grouped in this manner so that Vectorization can be used to perform the subtraction in a single line of the post process function. 244 • WinCal XE 6. Click . The second line of the Post Processing function will appear in the Scratch Pad. 7. Continue to Step 4: Actual Subtraction. Step 4: Actual Subtraction In this step, you will add another line to the Scratch Pad that uses Vectorization to perform the actual subtraction between the ‘gold standard’ measurement and the other of the measurements in the report. See Vectorization for further detail on Vectorization. 1. Click in the Scratch Pad window to add another line. 2. In the Category list, select MathDataset. This category contains operations that operate on variables of type Dataset. A Dataset is an S-Parameter such as a measurement. 3. In the Function list, select Subtract. This primitive performs an element by element subtraction of two datasets. In this case we are using Vectorization, so the primitive will be invoked multiple times. Each time it is invoked, one of the Datasets for subtraction will be taken from the list of measurements (MeasList), and the other Dataset will be the gold standard for this example. 4. In the Input field, ensure that the two Is Variable check boxes are selected. 5. In the Value for Function Input field on the line labeled Input, click and select the value MeasList. This is the post processing variable that contains all of the measurements in a list that was created in Step 3: Get All Measurements Into a Dataset List. 6. In the Value for Function Input field on the line labeled SubtractedDataset, click and select Gold. This is the post processing variable that contains the gold standard measurement, created in Step 2: Create the Scratch Pad Function. 7. In the Value for Function Input field on the line labeled Input, set up Vectorization. If the Vectorize field shows d,-,-,-, no change is required. If the field shows something else, follow these steps: Advanced Features • 245 a. Click in the Vectorize field to make the b. Click c. Click appear. to open the Vectorize dialog and select values on the form as shown. in the Vectorization window. 8. In the Output Variable field, enter DiffList. This variable will contain a list of datasets that are the result of the subtraction. 246 • WinCal XE 9. Next to the Output Variable, set the Vectorization to be d,-,-,-. 10.Click . The third line of the Post Processing function will appear in the Scratch Pad. 11.Continue to Step 5: Save the Differences to the Report. Step 5: Save the Differences to the Report In this step, you will add another line that saves the list of differences to the report. This will create new items in the Data Items list that are the result of the subtraction. 1. Click in the Scratch Pad window to add another line. Advanced Features • 247 2. In the Category list, select ManageDataItems. 3. In the Function list, select SaveDatasetList. 4. In the Input field, select the first two Is Variable check boxes and deselect the third. 5. In the Value for Function Input field on the line labeled DatasetList, click and select the item DiffList. This is the variable that was created in Step 4: Actual Subtraction. It contains a list of Datasets that are the differences between each of the input measurements and the Gold measurement. 6. In the Value for Function Input field on the line labeled DatasetListWithNames, click and select the item MeasList. This parameter is used as the source for names that are created for items that are saved to the Data Item list. 7. In the Value for Function Input field on the line labeled NameTemplate, enter the string Diff %N. The names of new data items will be created from this template. 248 • WinCal XE 8. Click . The fourth line of the Post Processing function will appear in the Scratch Pad. 9. Continue to Step 6: Check for Correctness. Step 6: Check for Correctness In this step, you will check for any errors in the Scratch Pad function. 1. Click on the Scratch Pad to execute the Scratch Pad function. Any errors that are detected will be reported in the WinCal event window. If the post processing function executes correctly, the report will look something like this. Advanced Features • 249 In the Data Item list, deselect the items Measurement to Measurement 5. The items that are named Diff... show the differences between the gold measurement and Measurement 2 to Measurement 5. In this instance, the differences range from about -100 dB to a peak at about -60 dB. This is the amount of random noise that was generated by the Virtual VNA using the default settings. 250 • WinCal XE For a similar example, see the WinCal Wizard Data Post Processing Using Scratch Pad. See Wizards. Sequences Sequences enable WinCal users to create a set of actions which automate tasks such as instrument control. Buttons may then be added to customized report toolbars to activate Sequences (see Toolbar Editor). Table 3. Sequences: basic components. Sequence Component Description Sequence A list of Actions which execute one at a time in the order they are listed. Action Any item included as a step in a sequence. An action can be a piece of code built into WinCal or it can be a sequence. Built-in actions include things like sending a string to a GPIB instrument, reading data from the currently configured VNA, and prompting the prober to move to a named location. Advanced actions may mimic high-level language constructs, such as looping. Advanced Features • 251 Sequence Component Variables Description A new sequencing variable can be created whenever the result of a sequence action is assigned to a variable that does not already exist. Variables consist of simple strings that can be interpreted as Booleans, integers, floating-point “real” numbers, and SnP measurements (datasets) as well as strings. A variable can be treated as an integer at one point and as a “real” number at another point. Note, however, that a string representation of a Boolean “true” or “false” will not convert well to a dataset and vice-versa, and an error will occur when running the sequence. Managing Sequences In the RF Data Viewer click , or in the Calibration window, select Tools>Sequence Manager to open the Sequence Manager. Action categories Sequence Action Properties Action description Action categories and subsequent Actions are listed in the left-hand pane of the Sequence Manager window. Available saved items such as built-in actions, and sequences that have been imported or created and saved are shown here. Actions included as part of a Sequence are shown in the Sequence pane. Properties for a selected Action in the Sequence list and a description of that action, are displayed in the right-hand pane. 252 • WinCal XE Viewing Options Selections in the View menu enable you to change the Sequence Manager display by hiding the action pane, the properties pane, and the toolbar and sequence line numbers. Selections in the Sequence Manager window menu enable you to change the Sequence pane display to view multiple Sequences simultaneously. A list of open Sequences is also shown here. Sequence Context Sequences are always associated with an open report. You can select the report pertaining to the currently selected Sequence from the Sequence Content drop down list. Click associated. to view the Report with which the currently selected Sequence is Creating Sequences To create a new Sequence: 1. Open a report in the RF Data Viewer window. 2. Select Tools>Sequences from the RF Data Viewer menu to open the Sequence Manager window. Advanced Features • 253 3. Select File>New in the Sequence Manager menu to open a new Sequence. Note that a new Sequence will not appear as an available action in the Action pane until it has been saved. The Import and Export File menu items enable you to open existing Sequences from a file or save new Sequences to a file. You can also Export or Save from the context menu in the Actions pane. 4. Edit the Properties as appropriate for your Sequence. i • NOTE Note that Properties for the selected Sequence appear only when no Action is selected. To view Sequence Properties, right-click in the Sequence pane and select Sequence Properties from the context menu, or use control+click to deselect items in the Sequence list. Categories – new sequences are added under the category selected in the Actions pane at the time the sequence is created. To move your Sequence to a different Category, you can enter the Category name in the Properties field, drag and drop the new Sequence in the correct location in the Actions pane, or select the Categories field in the Properties pane and click to choose a Category from the drop down list in the Sequence List Properties window. See Managing Categories for further details. • Description – enter a description for your Sequence. The text you enter here will appear in the Properties pane when this sequence is included in another sequence. • Name – enter the name of your Sequence. To rename a sequence, the Sequence Properties must be visible. It is common to add actions to a sequence before changing the name, but adding actions hides the Sequence Properties. Simply control + click to deselect all actions in the Sequence list to view the Sequence Properties. • Save Location – select the folder location to which the Sequence will be saved. See Folders Options. • Tooltip – enter the tooltip message that will appear when passing your mouse over the Sequence name in the Actions pane. • Version – enter the version number of your Sequence. 5. Save the new sequence by selecting File>Save or Ctrl+S. After it has been saved, the new Sequence will appear in the Sequence Manager Actions pane. Editing Sequences To open an existing Sequence for editing: • Double-click on the Sequence • Drag the Sequence from the Actions pane into the Sequence pane • Right-click on a Sequence and select Edit Adding Actions Actions are listed by category in the left-hand pane of the Sequence Manager window. To add an action to a Sequence, double-click on the Action you want to add, or drag the Action from the Actions pane into the Sequence pane. 254 • WinCal XE Note that double-clicking an Action adds it to the Sequence, while double-clicking a Sequence opens that Sequence for editing. Actions can be differentiated from Sequences by the details shown in the tooltip, or by the icon appearing next to the item name: System Action Actions are built into the WinCal software. Doubleclicking will add an Action to a Sequence. User Sequence Indicates a Sequence that is saved in the User directory. Double-clicking opens the Sequence for editing. Group Sequence Indicates a Sequence that is saved in the Group directory. Double-clicking opens the Sequence for editing. Properties for the selected Action appear in the Properties pane. Selecting multiple actions displays the Properties which the selected actions have in common. This feature is useful for global property editing. For example, changing the GPIB Board ID for a set of selected GPIB actions. Cloning Actions To make a copy of an Action, select Clone from the context menu in the Actions pane, or Save as Clone from the context menu in the Sequence pane. Edit Called Sequence Select Edit Sequence Being Called from the context menu in the Sequence pane to open a Sequence contained within the Sequence you are currently editing. Reordering Actions To rearrange the order of the actions listed in your Sequence click or to move the selected Action up or down, drag the Action into the correct location in the Sequence pane, or select Move Up/Move Down from the context menu in the Sequence pane. Note that holding the Control key enables you to select multiple Actions. Copying and Pasting Actions To cut, copy and paste selected Actions from one Sequence into another, select these items from the Edit menu in the Sequence Manager, or click , Note that holding the Control key enables you to select multiple Actions. or . Enabling/Disabling Actions To disable the selected Action in a Sequence, click . Disabled Actions remain in the Sequence list, but appear as unavailable. To re-enable the selected Action, click . Note that holding the Control key enables you to select multiple Actions. Advanced Features • 255 Deleting Actions To delete the selected Action, click , select Edit>Delete from the Sequence Manager menu, or select Delete from the context menu in either the Actions pane or the Sequence pane. Note that holding the Control key enables you to select multiple Actions. Adding Variables New sequencing variables can be added whenever the result of a sequence action is assigned to a variable that does not already exist. Sequence variables can be saved as different types: integer, real, string and dataset. For example, to create an integer variable for a loop, you can create a “copy” of a string literal or a copy of another string variable: 1. ************************************************************* 2. *** Create a new variable set to 43 3. *** Save new var as an integer to the report 4. ************************************************************* 5. 6. iNewVar = StringCopy(“43”) 7. VarSaveInt(iNewVarInReport,iNewVar) Line number six creates a sequence variable “iNewVar”, as the result of StringCopy() is stored in a variable that does not yet exist. If the result of StringCopy() was a previously existing variable, that pre-existing variable would change. Line number seven saves the sequence variable “iNewVar” to the report. In the report, the new data item will be named “iNewVarInReport”. This difference is only for demonstration, as often the name in the sequence is the same as the name in the report. The newly created “iNewVar” sequence variable can be used as a loop variable, a parameter to other sequences (called by this sequence), or simply as a part of another string. Often, a variable is used as a portion of another string sent to an instrument. For example, a top-level sequence could set a variable that defines the bias voltage. Then, another sequence could use that parameter for configuring and starting the bias power supply. In this way, multiple sequences could be written to control each type of power supply, but only the master sequence determines configuration: what test parameters and which instrument “drivers” to use. 256 • WinCal XE Managing Categories To add a new Category in which to include a Sequence, enter the new Category name in the Properties pane Category field, or click in the Properties pane Category field to access the Sequence List Properties. • To add a Sequence to an existing Category, select a Category from the drop down list. • To add a Sequence to a new Category, enter the new Category name and click . • To remove a Sequence from a Category, click . • To rearrange the order of the Categories listed in the Properties pane (if the Sequence is included in multiple Categories), click or . Testing the Sequence Use the Sequence: buttons in the main Sequence Manager toolbar to test your • Click to run the entire selected Sequence. • Click to stop the sequence engine. • Click to pause the sequence engine. Pausing causes the execution to stop after the currently executing Action is finished. Pausing a sequence does not interrupt a current Action, such as sending a string to a GPIB instrument or showing a message to the user (see the MessageBox Action). • Click to run a single step in the Sequence. Select Set As Next Action from the context menu in the Sequence pane to select the following step. Toolbar Editor The Toolbar Editor allows you to create a custom toolbar by adding text entry fields and combo boxes that fit your specific needs. When a control is added to the toolbar, an item in the report Data Items list with that value is automatically created. This value can then be used in a post processing function. For example, a text box could be used to enter a numeric value that is then used as a factor in a math expression. See Post Processing for more information on post processing. Advanced Features • 257 To open the Toolbar Editor and begin customizing your toolbar, select Tools>Customize from the RF Data Viewer menu. 258 • WinCal XE Step 1: Select Items to Add to the Toolbar List Select from the items under Controls and click Toolbar Item List. to add the item to the • Combo Box - adds a combo box that you can populate with choices in a drop down list. • Label - adds a piece of text in the toolbar, usually used in conjunction with a ComboBox or another portion of the toolbar • Separator - adds a vertical line that serves as a cosmetic divider between toolbar items • Text Box - adds a field in which users can enter text. Step 2: Select Toolbar Items and Edit Properties Click list. and to rearrange the order of the items in the toolbar Advanced Features • 259 The , and buttons allow you to cut and copy items from a toolbar list into the same report or into another report. This can be used to copy a whole toolbar into another report or to repeatedly replicate a set of toolbar controls in a toolbar. Step 3: Edit Toolbar Item Properties You will enter the data to appear in your new toolbar item in this step. The options enabled in the Properties field are dependent on the selected control: • Combo Box • Label • Separator • Text Box Combo Box • Enter the Data Item name. This text will appear in the Data Item List in the RF Data Viewer window. The data item name cannot be used by any other toolbar control for the same report. No two toolbar controls can reference the same data item. • Select the Text data type from the drop down list. This determines the format of the data you may enter in the combo box list. • Enter the selections to appear in the combo box in the Strings for Toolbar ComboBox field. 260 • WinCal XE Label Enter the text to appear on the label in the Text field. Separator Separators do not require any properties. Text Box • Enter the Data Item name. This text will appear in the Data Item List in the RF Data Viewer window. The data item name cannot be used by any other toolbar control for the same report. No two toolbar controls can reference the same data item. • Select the Text data type from the drop down list This determines the format of the data appearing in the text box. Advanced Features • 261 262 • WinCal XE Appendix A Agilent GPIB Setup Follow these steps to configure the Agilent GPIB (the original Hewlett-Packard [HP] name for GPIB was HP-IB or HPIB) interface for use with WinCal. i NOTE These instructions apply to the following software versions: • WinCal XE – Version 4.5 or later • Agilent IO Library – Version 14.1 or later 1. Install the Agilent IO Library. The Library is usually distributed with the GPIB interface, but is also available for download on the Agilent web site. 2. Install the Agilent GPIB interface. 3. Start the Agilent Connection Expert. This image shows a typical configuration with a single GPIB card installed. The GPIB cable is connected between the card and a VNA instrument (shown as Agilent 8364). Agilent GPIB Setup • 263 i NOTE Simply starting the Agilent Connection Expert will automatically configure the GPIB card for VISA communication. It is not necessary to change any settings in this dialog, but it is necessary to start it at least once. 4. Click next to the GPIB0 interface to list all of the instruments that are attached to the GPIB bus on this card. • If GPIB0 does not appear, see the Agilent documentation for troubleshooting. • If your VNA instrument does not appear in the list, confirm the cable and power connections, etc. • Agilent Configuration Expert will NOT work with older instruments such as the Agilent 8510 VNA, but WinCal can still use the Agilent HPIB interface through the VISA driver to control the 8510. 5. Note the VISA address shown for the instrument (GPIB0::16::INSTR in the example). 6. After confirming that the Agilent Connection Expert can successfully communicate with your VNA, start WinCal. 7. In the System Setup window, select the VNA tab. 8. Select your VNA. Initially, the instrument will not be found. 264 • WinCal XE 9. Click and select the GPIB connection type. Set the board index and GPIB address as indicated on the Agilent Connection Expert. 10.Click OK to close the VNA VISA Setup dialog. 11.Click . 12.When the VNA Found message is displayed, you are ready to proceed with using WinCal for RF calibration and measurements. If the VNA is not found, open the Event Window for more information (see Event Window). Agilent GPIB Setup • 265 266 • WinCal XE Appendix B WinCal Remoting WinCal remoting allows you to use a separate program to control WinCal. This typically means that WinCal is being used as part of a larger system involving semiautomatic control of the wafer probing station, measuring parts for either device development or production. The following examples illustrate some ways in which WinCal might be integrated into a larger system: • To calibrate the VNA and then monitor the calibration to ensure corrected measurements are valid. The controlling program periodically instructs WinCal to monitor the calibration. • To perform VNA measurements of devices. The controlling program fetches the SParameter measurements from WinCal and performs evaluations of the data, or stores the data for future evaluation. • To perform VNA measurements into the WinCal Data Viewer window and then perform advanced math post processing of the measurements. The results of the post processing are then fetched from WinCal by the controlling program for summarizing or storing. • To provide advanced control and/or modification of Error Sets (calibration correction coefficients). The controlling program can read out an Error Set, modify it, and put it back in WinCal and the VNA. The controlling program can use one of these techniques to communicate with WinCal: • Windows .Net remoting – the control program can reference the WinCalRemoting .Net assembly and treat WinCal as any other .Net object. • Windows COM – the WinCalRemoting object can be accessed as a COM object. WinCal Remoting • 267 WinCal Remoting Architecture i NOTE It is assumed that WinCal and the controlling program are running on Windows computers (Windows 7, Vista or XP). Note that the controlling program can run on the same computer as WinCal or on a separate computer. When WinCal and the controlling program are running on the same computer: WinCal and the controlling program running on the same computer • The control program communicates with WinCal through COM or .Net Remoting. Although COM is still supported, switching to .Net Remoting is recommended. If your remote program is C#, VB.Net or LabView, switching to .Net is easily accomplished. • The control program can communicate with the VNA directly, or by requests through WinCal. • WinCal communicates with the VNA through either GPIB or the network. • The wafer probing station is controlled via a proprietary motion control cable. • Nucleus/ProberBench can also be controlled by the controlling program. 268 • WinCal XE When WinCal and the controlling program are running on separate computers: WinCal and the control program on separate computers • The control program communicates with WinCal through the internet. • The control program communicates with the VNA over GPIB, or with requests through WinCal. • If the control program is using GPIB to communicate with the VNA, the GPIB Switchbox is required. • The control program can also communicate with Nucleus/ProberBench through WinCal. Local Versus Remote The WinCalRemoting object will connect to WinCal on either the same PC or through the network to another PC. The same object class is used in either case. The only difference between local and remote operation is the parameters that are passed to the WinCalOpenServer method. WinCal Remoting Installation The Remoting function is present on WinCal installation CD, but is installed separately from WinCal. To install, insert the WinCal CD and select WinCalRemoting\Setup.exe. Windows Firewall If WinCal and the client program are running on different computers, Windows Firewall must be configured on the WinCal computer. To configure the Windows Firewall: 1. Click in the lower-left hand corner of your computer screen and select Settings>Control Panel. 2. Double-click . WinCal Remoting • 269 3. Select the exceptions tab. As part of the WinCal Remoting installation, several example programs showing how to control WinCal from different programming languages will be copied to the path: \My Documents\WinCal XE\4.5\WinCal Remoting Samples. 4. Click and enter the name and port number. The port number will appear as the WinCal default value, but can be changed in the Remoting tab by selecting Tools>Options in the main WinCal window. See Remoting Options for details. Note that the values in the two locations must match. 5. Click 270 • WinCal XE . Sample WinCal Remoting Programs When installing WinCal Remoting, several example client programs get installed in the My Documents location. They are full source projects and grouped by . Net and COM ways of connecting to WinCal. Please use .Net Remoting if at all possible, since the COM technology is old and may not be supported with new commands in future versions. Any C#, VB.Net and LabView client program can and should use .Net. WinCal XE 4.5 itself is written in C#, .Net 4.0. The client can, however, be for .Net version 2.0 or later. Separate projects are installed for .Net 4.0 and 2.0. For .Net 3.0 and 3.5, use the .Net 2.0 version. Please examine these installed projects and source files, and modify as needed to suit your needs. Sample: WinCal Measurements from .Net These steps describe the procedure used to create a simple C# program to control WinCal. The program will make a measurement on the selected VNA and save the magnitude values to a text file. 1. Start WinCal. Select a VNA in System Setup. 2. Start Visual Studio (the .Net 2.0 example uses Visual Studio 2008 and the .Net 4.0 example uses Visual Studio 2010). 3. Select File>New>Project. 4. In the New Project dialog, select Windows Application. Fill in a name and a location for the solution. Click OK. 5. Add a reference to WinCalRemoting. 6. On the solution explorer for the project, under the project name, right-click on References and select Add Reference. 7. Click on the browse tab of the dialog and locate WinCalRemoting.dll in the My Documents area in either WinCal XE 4.5\WinCal Remoting Samples\DotNet2Samples or WinCal XE 4.5\WinCal Remoting Samples\DotNet4Samples, depending on .Net version you are using. For .Net 2, 3 and 3.5 use the .Net 2 version. 8. In the code window for the form, add a statement in the using area at the top of the file. using System.IO; using CMI.WinCalRemoting; 9. In the Visual Studio designer, add a button to the form. If desired, change the button name and text. 10.Add code for the button: /// <summary> /// A simple WinCal remoting example that takes a VNA measurement, /// retrieves part of the data from WinCal and saves it to a text file. /// </summary> /// <param name="sender"></param> /// <param name="e"></param> private void btnSample_Click(object sender, EventArgs e) WinCal Remoting • 271 { cWinCalClient WC = new cWinCalClient(); WC.WinCalOpenServer("localhost", 22778); // Measure on the VNA. The result will // be stored in a cache for later retrieval. WC.VnaMeasure(false); // Retrieve one trace of the VNA measurement data. double[] TheMag = null; WC.GetMagnitude(1, 1, out TheMag); // Write the VNA measurement data to a file. StreamWriter SW = new StreamWriter(@"c:\WinCalData.txt"); for (int i = 0; i < TheMag.Length; i++) { SW.WriteLine(TheMag[i]); } SW.Close(); WC.WinCalCloseConnection(); } 11.Compile and run the program. The following list of items may provide further detail regarding the development of this WinCal capability: • Error checking – the code shown above does not provide any error checking for the various calls to WinCal. For example, if the call to VnaMeasure fails, there will not be any data for GetMagnitude to fetch, so it will fail as well. Ideally, the above code sample would check the result of each of the WinCal methods and stop execution of the routine if an error is detected. • Control WinCal across the network – the call to WinCalOpenServer takes a string for the name of the computer that is running WinCal. In the example, we pass in “localhost” which means WinCal is running on the same computer as the sample program. By changing this string, we can run the sample program on a different computer than WinCal. See bool WinCalOpenServer(string ServerName, int ServerPort). • Debugging support – see Debugging WinCal Remoting for detailed information about errors in calls to WinCalRemoting. • Event logging – the client-side event log will close as soon as the cWinCalClient object WC is destroyed, removing any informative events (on the client side. Ideally, a cWinCalClient object would be created once and kept until the program exits so that an ongoing event log can show information as the client is used. Further Examples Examples of various automated work flows using WinCal remoting are described in this section. • Monitor Calibration Drift 272 • WinCal XE • Automatic Calibration • WinCal as VNA Measurement Server • Load WinCal Setup Files As part of the WinCal Remoting installation, several example programs are copied to the My Documents tree. See WinCal Remoting Installation for more information. Monitor Calibration Drift When a VNA is calibrated, the resulting calibration error set reflects the state of the system including the VNA, cables, probes, and any RF accessories that are in the signal path such as baluns or bias tees. The nature of RF signals is such that the amount of loss and reflection changes in the signal path over time. For example, temperature changes or bends in cables can have enough of an effect to invalidate a calibration error set. WinCal has a tool for detecting when a system has drifted far enough that another calibration is required. The Monitoring function in the Calibration window addresses this issue. Using the Monitoring function from a remote program allows the remote program to detect when the VNA requires recalibration. These steps describe a possible work flow for remote calibration monitoring: 1. The operator configures the RF signal path as desired, and then configures WinCal for the calibration to match. 2. The operator configures the monitor step to disable any prompting. 3. The operator calibrates the VNA using WinCal. As part of the calibration, the reference measurements for the monitor step will be taken. In the simplest case, the reference measurements are taken with the probes ‘in air’ (i.e., the probes are not contacting any device, so probe x/y placement is not significant). These reference measurements are used for comparison later to check if the system has drifted. 4. The operator starts a control program to take measurements. For example, the program may command Nucleus to step from die to die on a wafer, using WinCal to measure each device. 5. Periodically (for example, every N devices or after a given elapsed time), the control program interrupts device measurements and prompts WinCal to perform the calibration monitor step, where WinCal takes control of the prober and moves it as specified in the monitor setup. In the simplest case, this means moving the chuck to separate height so the probes are not touching. 6. WinCal computes a pass/fail result for the monitor step, which is returned to the control program. • If the result is pass, the control program resumes taking measurements on the wafer. • If the result is fail, a new calibration is required before continuing on with device measurement. The control program can stop and prompt the operator to perform a new calibration, or it can perform an automated calibration. As part of this calibration step, WinCal remeasures the reference standards for the monitor step. This new measurement(s) is used when processing repeats. WinCal Remoting • 273 Automatic Calibration WinCal can be used to perform a calibration on command from the control program, as if the operator had performed an AutoCal (see Running AutoCal) in WinCal. WinCal will move to each location on the ISS, take VNA measurements as required by the calibration setup, compute the calibration error terms, and send the result to the VNA. The main issue with remote calibration is probe placement. Because it is unlikely that probe placement is the same for the ISS and device measurements, the probes must move relative to each other when switching between the two. There are two main scenarios for managing the probe placement for automated calibration: • Manual positioners • Programmable positioners Manual Probe Placement In this scenario, the operator is prompted when calibration is required. For example: 1. The control program receives a fail result from the WinCal monitor step. 2. The control program prompts the operator to set the probe placement for calibration on the ISS. 3. The operator positions the probes on the designated reference mark on the ISS so they are correctly spaced. When the probes are positioned correctly, the operator tells the control program to proceed. 4. The control program triggers WinCal to perform the calibration. 5. When the WinCal calibration is finished, the control program prompts the operator to set the probes for on-wafer measurements. When the probes are positioned correctly, the operator tells the control program to proceed with onwafer measurements. Programmable Positioners Nucleus/ProberBench and WinCal can be used together to facilitate a completely automatic calibration that does not require operator intervention. Programmable positioners can be commanded to move to locations for the WinCal calibration and then for on-wafer measurements. The programmable positioners are best handled by using User-Defined Locations in the Location Manager and then referring to them in the calibration. The Location Manager supports using programmable positioners, which, for example, are especially important during a TRL calibrations where the probe spacing needs to change for the lines. There are no specific WinCal commands to control the programmable positioners, but Nucleus contains such commands. Commands can be sent directly to Nucleus, or they can be sent through WinCal. 1. The control program prompts the operator to move the probe positioners to correct locations for calibration (i.e, move the chuck to the ISS reference location and position the probes on the appropriate reference mark). 2. When the operator has set the probes correctly, the control program queries the current locations of the probes from Nucleus/ProberBench. These values are stored by the control program for later use. 3. The control program prompts the operator to move the probe positions to correct locations for the on-wafer measurements. 274 • WinCal XE 4. When the operator has set the probes correctly, the control program queries the current locations of the probes from Nucleus. These position values are stored by the control program for later use in performing ISS calibration and on wafer measurements. 5. The control program commands Nucleus to move the positioners to the location for ISS calibration and triggers WinCal to perform a calibration. 6. When the calibration is finished, the control program commands Nucleus to move the positioners to the location for on wafer measurements. 7. The control program steps around the wafer performing measurements as desired. 8. Periodically, the control program triggers WinCal to perform a monitor step to see if the measurement system has drifted far enough to require another calibration. The monitor step may be performed ‘in air’ so the probe X/Y placement is not significant, or may use the stored positioner locations (from step 2). 9. If the monitor step passes, the control program continues with step 8. If the monitor step fails, the control program returns to step 6 to recalibrate the measurement system. WinCal as VNA Measurement Server WinCal has built in drivers for many common VNA instruments which handle the interaction between commands and responses and provide a consistent programming interface for controlling the VNA. These steps describe how a client program might use WinCal to manage VNA measurements. 1. The control program performs steps necessary to calibrate the measurement system. See Automatic Calibration. 2. The control program uses the remoting method StaPassStringToStation to pass commands to Nucleus/ProberBench to step to die on the wafer. See the Probe Station Communications Programming Guide for more information on its command set. 3. For each die location, the control program calls VnaMeasure with ReadCorrected parameter set to true. This moves the measurement into the SParameter cache. 4. For each measurement, the control program calls GetPhase and GetMagnitude to get the measurement information for the device. Load WinCal Setup Files WinCal system setup files contain the settings for the probe configuration as well as the calibration. For example, a setup file contains the number and kind of probes used, the ISS used, and the alignment information for moving the probes on the ISS. It also contains the calibration setup information that controls how the repeatability, calibration, validation and monitor steps are performed. These steps describe how a client program might control WinCal to use a setup file previously stored on disk. 1. The operator starts WinCal and the client program. 2. The client program calls WinCalLoadSystemSetupFile with the name of the file to load. WinCal Remoting • 275 3. The client program calls CalSelectName to select the desired calibration method. For example, the parameter might be “4-Port SOLT (4-6 Thru)” to select a 4 port SOLT calibration. 4. The client program prompts the operator to check to ensure that the probes and ISS are still placed correctly. 5. The client program calls CalAutoCal to perform the automatic calibration. 6. The client program begins taking measurements on the wafer (see WinCal as VNA Measurement Server). WinCal Remoting Methods This section describes the available methods for WinCal remoting: • General WinCal Methods • VNA Methods • Calibration Methods • Event Window Methods • Station Methods • S-Parameter Access • Data Viewer • Error Set Manager 276 • WinCal XE Alphabetical List B bool CalAutoCal() bool CalGetAvailableCalNames(out string[] CalNames) bool CalMonitor(out bool MonitorPassed) bool CalMoveToISSRef(int IssIdx) bool CalOpenSetupFile(string sFileName) bool CalSelectName(string CalName) bool CalValidate(out bool ValidationPassed) bool ErrSetMgrCopy16TermErrorBoxToSParaCache() bool ErrSetMgrCopy16TermSwitchingTermsToSParaCache() bool ErrSetMgrGetAllNames(out string[] ErrSetNames) bool ErrSetMgrGetAllNamesObject(out Object ErrSetNames) bool ErrSetMgrGetInfo(out string Name, out string CalMethod, out int ErrModel, out int NumPorts, out int NumPoints, out double MinFreq, out double MaxFreq, out int NumErrTerms, out int NumSwitchingTerms, out string PhysPortList, out bool SecondTier, out string Comment)bool ErrSetMgrGetFrequencyList(out double[] ErrorTermFreqs) bool ErrSetMgrGetFrequencyListObject(out object ErrorTermFreqs) bool ErrSetMgrGetInfo(out string Name, out string CalMethod, out int ErrModel, out int NumPorts, out int NumPoints, out double MinFreq, out double MaxFreq, out int NumErrTerms, out int NumSwitchingTerms, out string PhysPortList, out bool SecondTier, out string Comment)bool ErrSetMgrGetFrequencyList(out double[] ErrorTermFreqs) bool ErrSetMgrGetInfoSummary(out string Info) bool ErrSetMgrGetNameOfCurrent(out string ErrSetName) bool ErrSetMgrGetOne12Term(int ReceivePort, int SourcePort, int TermIndex, out string Name, out double[] ErrorTermReal, out double[] ErrorTermImag) bool ErrSetMgrGetOne12TermObject(int ReceivePort, int SourcePort, int TermIndex, out string Name, out object ErrorTermReal, out object ErrorTermImag) bool ErrSetMgrGetOne16Term(int Row, int Column, out double[] ErrorTermReal, out double[] ErrorTermImag bool ErrSetMgrGetOne16TermObject(int Row, int Column, out object ErrorTermReal, out object ErrorTermImag)) bool ErrSetMgrGetSwitchingTerm(int Row, int Column, out double[] SwitchingTermReal, out double[] SwitchingTermImag) bool ErrSetMgrGetSwitchingTermObject(int Row, int Column, out object SwitchingTermReal, out object SwitchingTermImag) bool ErrSetMgrGetVnaErrorSet(string Comment, out string Name) bool ErrSetMgrGetWinCalApply(out string ErrSetName) bool ErrSetMgrLoadWorkingSet(string ErrSetName) bool ErrSetMgrPutVnaErrorSet(string Name, bool SendStimSettingsAlso) bool ErrSetMgrSaveWorkingSet(string ErrSetName) WinCal Remoting • 277 bool ErrSetMgrSetFrequencyList(double[] ErrorTermFreqs bool ErrSetMgrSetFrequencyListObject(object ErrorTermFreqs) bool ErrSetMgrSetOne12Term(int ReceivePort, int SourcePort, int TermIndex, double[] ErrorTermReal, double[] ErrorTermImag) bool ErrSetMgrSetOne12TermObject(int ReceivePort, int SourcePort, int TermIndex, object ErrorTermReal, object ErrorTermImag) bool ErrSetMgrSetOne16Term(int Row, int Column, double[] ErrorTermRe, double[] ErrorTermIm) bool ErrSetMgrSetOne16TermObject(int Row, int Column, object ErrorTermReal, object ErrorTermImag) bool ErrSetMgrSetSwitchingTerm(int Row, int Column, double[] SwitchingTermReal, double[] SwitchingTermImag) bool ErrSetMgrSetSwitchingTermObject(int Row, int Column, object SwitchingTermReal, object SwitchingTermImag) bool ErrSetMgrSetWinCalApply(string ErrSetName) bool GetFreqList(out double[] TheFreqList) bool GetFreqListObject(out object TheFreqList) bool GetImaginary(int RcvPort, int SrcPort, out double[] TheImaginary) bool GetImaginaryObject(int RcvPort, int SrcPort, out object TheImaginary) bool GetMagnitude(int RcvPort, int SrcPort, out double[] TheMagnitude) bool GetMagnitudeObject(int RcvPort, int SrcPort, out object TheMagnitude) bool GetNumPoints(out int NumPoints, out int NumPorts) bool GetPhase(int RcvPort, int SrcPort, out double[] ThePhase) bool GetPhaseObject(int RcvPort, int SrcPort, out object ThePhase) bool GetPhysPortList(out int[] ThePortList) bool GetPortList(out int[] ThePortList) bool GetPortListStr(out string ThePortList) bool GetPhysPortListStr(out string ThePortList) bool GetReals(int RcvPort, int SrcPort, out double[] TheReals) bool GetRealsObject(int RcvPort, int SrcPort, out object TheReals) bool GetSParameterAtPoint(int Index, out double[] TheSParameter bool GetSParameterAtPointObject(int Index, out object TheSParameter) bool RunSequence(string Category, string name) bool SaveDataToFileSnP(string FileName, bool Overwrite, int ComplexFormat) bool StaMoveContact() bool StaMoveSeparate() bool StaMoveStage(double X, double Y, double Z, double T, string PositionDescription) bool StaPassStringToStation(string Cmd, out string Response) 278 • WinCal XE bool StaReadStagePos(out double X, out double Y, out double Z, out double T) bool ViewerClose() bool ViewerGetDataItem(string DataItemName) bool ViewerListNames(out string[] DataItemNames) bool ViewerLoadData(string FullFileName) bool ViewerLoadReport(string FullFileName) bool ViewerMeasureAllPortsRaw(string DataSetName) bool ViewerMeasureCorrected(string DataSetName) bool ViewerMeasurement(bool IsCorrected, int[] PortList, string DataSetName, bool ReplaceExisting) bool ViewerMeasurementStr(bool IsCorrected, string PortList, string DataSetName, bool ReplaceExisting) bool ViewerOpen() bool ViewerSaveData(string FileName, bool Overwrite, int ComplexFormat) bool ViewerSaveReport() bool ViewerSaveReportAs(string NewReportName) bool VnaCorrectedPortList(out int[] CorrectedPortList) bool VnaCorrectedPortListStr(out string CorrectedPortList) bool VnaMeasure(bool ReadCorrected) bool VnaSendString(string TheCmd) bool VnaSendStringGetResponse(string TheCmd, out string TheResponse) bool WinCalConnectionOkay() bool WinCalLoadSystemSetupFile(string FName) bool WinCalOpenServer(string ServerName, int ServerPort) bool WinCalQuitApp() bool WinCalSaveSystemSetupFile(string FName) bool WinCalShowDialog(string TheMessage) I int VnaNumPorts() S string StaName() string VnaName() string VnaOptionString() string WinCalGetGroupDataPath() string WinCalGetPerUserDataPath() string WinCalLastEventWindowMessage() string WinCalServerName() string WinCalServerVersion() WinCal Remoting • 279 string WinCalStartupPath() V void EventWindowAddMsg(string TheMsg) void EventWindowShow() void WinCalCloseConnection() void WinCalHideAllWindows() void WinCalShowAllWindows() General WinCal Methods STRING Description Example Return the string that is the name of the WinCal server. “WinCal XE Remoting Server” STRING Description Example BOOL Description 280 • WinCal XE WINCALSERVERNAME() WINCALSERVERVERSION() Return the string that is the version of the WinCal server. Format of the string is 4 integers separated by '.'. “4.2.0.90” WINCALOPENSERVER(STRING SERVERNAME, INT SERVERPORT) Attempt to open the connection to the WinCal application. This routine must be called before any communication with WinCal can occur. ServerName The name of the computer on which WinCal is running. Values will be one of the following: • ‘localhost’ – when the client program and WinCal are running on the same computer, this value signifies that WinCal is present. • <domainname> – enter the domain name of the computer running WinCal. Domain names are typically assigned by the network administrator when the system is connected to the network. In WinCal, the domain name is located in the Options window on the Remoting tab (see Chapter 2, Setting User Options). Parameters • <IP address> – enter the IP address of the computer running WinCal. An IP address is a number with four fields separated by periods. For example, 10.0.6.220. The IP address of a computer can be located in a DOS command window by executing IPCONFIG. For example, in this image, the IP address is 10.0.6.220. IP address are frequently dynamically assigned and they change when the computer is rebooted; using the IP address is usually the last choice for the ServerName parameter. WinCal Remoting • 281 ServerPort An integer value that uniquely identifies the TCP port on the WinCal computer. This value is located in the Options window on the Remoting tab. The default value of 22778 is typically acceptable. If this routine returns true, the connection was successful. If it returns false, an error was encountered. The most common errors for opening the connection are: • WinCal is not running on the target computer • The parameters passed to the routine are incorrect • Windows firewall is blocking the TCP connection See Debugging WinCal Remoting for detailed information about errors in calls to WinCalRemoting. This code fragment opens the connection to WinCal and displays the name and version. cWinCalClient TheClient = new cWinCalClient(); if (TheClient.WinCalOpenServer("localhost", 22778)) { MessageBox.Show("ServerName = " + TheClient.WinCalServerName() + "\r" + "ServerVersion = " + TheClient.WinCalServerVersion() + "\r" + "WinCal Startup Path = " + TheClient.WinCalStartupPath() Example ); } else { // Show the client side event window so the user can // look at any error messages to identify why the // connection did not open. TheClient.EventWindowShow(); MessageBox.Show("Error opening wincal server"); TheClient.WinCalCloseConnection(); } VOID Description WINCALCLOSECONNECTION() This routine will disconnect the remote connection from WinCal. After this routine is called, any other attempts to communicate with WinCal will fail until WinCalOpenServer is called again. This routine will also close the client side event window. BOOL Description 282 • WinCal XE WINCALLOADSYSTEMSETUPFILE(STRING FNAME) Load the given system setup file into WinCal. If any changes have been made to the system settings, these changes will be discarded. Parameters FName is the name of the file to load. If FName contains only the file name, then WinCal will look for the file in two locations: the user-home folder and the group-home folder. If the file exists in either of these locations, it will be loaded from there. For example, a setup file can be stored in the group-home folder, and when this routine is called with only the file name as the string, the file will be loaded from the group-home folder. The user-home and group-home folders can be changed in the Options window in the Folders tab (see Chapter 2, Setting User Options). IF FName contains a path, the user-home and group-home locations are not searched. Returns true if successful, false if any errors such as file not found are encountered. This example code fragment attempts to load a system setup file. cWinCalClient TheClient = new cWinCalClient(); if (TheClient.WinCalOpenServer("localhost", 22778)) { bool Result = TheClient.WinCalLoadSystemSetupFile("xxx.setup.xml"); MessageBox.Show("Result of WinCalLoadSystemSetupFile = " + Result); Example } else { MessageBox.Show("Error opening wincal server"); } BOOL WINCALSAVESYSTEMSETUPFILE(STRING FNAME) Description Save the system setup to the given file. Parameters The string should contain a complete path to a folder that is accessible from the WinCal computer. Return true if successful, false if any errors are encountered. BOOL Description VOID Description WINCALQUITAPP() Attempt to close WinCal. There may be data that hasn't been saved to file such as System Setup values, or Data Viewer reports. In this case, the user will be asked if they want to save the data. If they answer no or cancel, then WinCal will not exit, and this routine will return false. If there is no data to save, the user is not prompted and WinCal will exit. WINCALSHOWALLWINDOWS() Make all WinCal windows visible on the desktop. Use this routine if for example the control program is about to instruct the operator to interact with WinCal. WinCal Remoting • 283 VOID Description WINCALHIDEALLWINDOWS() Make all WinCal windows hidden on the start bar. Use this routine to make room on the desktop for other applications. STRING Description Returns the path to the WinCal startup folder. Typically this is in the Program Files tree, but the installation may have been directed to another location. STRING Description BOOL WINCALGETPERUSERDATAPATH() Retrieves the path to the folder in which user data is currently saved. The path is set in Options Folders tab. Returns full path including terminating “\”. Starts with “Error” if failed. STRING Description WINCALSTARTUPPATH() WINCALGETGROUPDATAPATH() Retrieves the path to the folder in which shared group data is currently saved. The path is set in Options Folders tab. Returns full path including terminating “\”. Starts with “Error” if failed. WINCALSHOWDIALOG(STRING THEMESSAGE) Description Display a message box with the given string. Parameters Return true if successful, false if any errors are encountered. This sample code fragment is a simple technique for testing the connection to WinCal. If the connection is good, WinCal will display a message box with the message. cWinCalClient TheClient = new cWinCalClient(); TheClient.WinCalOpenServer("localhost", 22778); if (TheClient.WinCalConnectionOkay()) Example { TheClient.WinCalShowDialog("This message will show up in WinCal"); } else { MessageBox.Show("WinCal connection not open."); } STRING Description 284 • WinCal XE WINCALLASTEVENTWINDOWMESSAGE() Return the last string on the WinCal event window. The WinCal event window is a central location for reporting error and status information. Typically, messages in this window are ignored by the user, but if an error occurs, there is additional information here that may help resolve the issue. BOOL WINCALCONNECTIONOKAY() Return true if the .Net remoting connection is operational. Return false if the connection is not functional. For example, if WinCalOpenServer is invoked and then WinCal is closed manually by the operator, this routine will return false. Description VNA Methods BOOL Description VNAMEASURE(BOOL READCORRECTED) Cause the VNA to be triggered for a measurement. The result of the measurement will be cached for later retrieval by calls to S-Parameter access routines such as GetReals, GetImaginary, etc. ReadCorrected is passed in to control how the VNA acts. • True: Parameters – The VNA will be triggered for a corrected measurement. – If a correction is not selected on the VNA, this will cause an error. – The measurement will be taken only for those ports which the correction applies to. • False: – The VNA will be triggered for a raw measurement. – The measurement will be taken on all ports of the VNA. This example code fragment triggers a VNA measurement and then fetches the frequency list from the measurement. cWinCalClient TheClient = new cWinCalClient(); TheClient.WinCalOpenServer("localhost", 22778); if (TheClient.WinCalConnectionOkay()) { TheClient.VnaMeasure(false); Example double[] TheFreqList = null; TheClient.GetFreqList(out TheFreqList); MessageBox.Show("Number of Points in freq list = " + TheFreqList.Length); } else { MessageBox.Show("WinCal connection not open."); } STRING Description Return the ID string of the instrument. STRING Description VNANAME() VNAOPTIONSTRING() Return the option string (if any) for the instrument. WinCal Remoting • 285 BOOL VNASENDSTRING(STRING THECMD) Description Send the string to the selected VNA. Parameters Return true if successful, false if any errors are encountered. BOOL VNASENDSTRINGGETRESPONSE(STRING THECMD, OUT STRING THERESPONSE) Description Send the string to the selected VNA. Wait for a response string. Parameters Return true if successful, false if any errors are encountered. For example, if there is a GPIB timeout waiting for the response string, then return false. INT VNANUMPORTS() Description BOOL Return the number of ports available on the currently selected VNA; typically 2 or 4. VNACORRECTEDPORTLIST(OUT INT[] CORRECTEDPORTLIST) Description Return a list of integers for the ports selected in the current correction. These are 1 based values. If no correction is selected on the VNA, then return empty array. Parameters Return true if successful, false if any errors are encountered. BOOL VNACORRECTEDPORTLISTSTR(OUT STRING CORRECTEDPORTLIST) Description Return a string of comma separated numbers for the ports selected in the current correction. These are 1 based values. If no correction is selected on the VNA, then it returns “0”. Parameters Return true if successful, false if any errors are encountered. Calibration Methods BOOL CALAUTOCAL() Trigger WinCal to perform an AutoCal using the current setup. Description 286 • WinCal XE See Message Boxes and Remote Method Calls for information regarding message boxes displayed as part of the AutoCal process. This example code fragment performs an AutoCal. cWinCalClient TheClient = new cWinCalClient(); TheClient.WinCalOpenServer("localhost", 22778); if (TheClient.WinCalConnectionOkay()) { bool Result = TheClient.CalAutoCal(); Example MessageBox.Show("Result of Auto Cal = " + Result); } else { MessageBox.Show("WinCal connection not open."); } BOOL Description Parameters CALMONITOR(OUT BOOL MONITORPASSED) Trigger WinCal to measure the monitor portion of the current calibration setup. MonitorPassed is the result of the monitor test (i.e., true if the monitor measurement was within specified limits). See Message Boxes and Remote Method Calls for information regarding message boxes displayed as part of the AutoCal process. This example code fragment performs a monitor step for the calibration. If the monitor fails, WinCal requests an AutoCal before continuing. This assumes the probes require repositioning for the AutoCal locations on the ISS and device measurements on the wafer. cWinCalClient TheClient = new cWinCalClient(); TheClient.WinCalOpenServer("localhost", 22778); if (TheClient.WinCalConnectionOkay()) { bool MonPassed = false; TheClient.CalMonitor(out MonPassed ); if (!MonPassed) Example { MessageBox.Show( "Monitor of Calibration failed.\r" + "Please setup for an autocal,\r" + "perform the auto cal,\r" + "then setup to continue measuring devices."); } } else { MessageBox.Show("WinCal connection not open."); } WinCal Remoting • 287 BOOL CALVALIDATE(OUT BOOL VALIDATIONPASSED) Description Perform the validation step of the currently selected calibration setup. Parameters ValidationPassed is the result of the validation step. It is returned true if the validation measurements are acceptable. BOOL CALMOVETOISSREF(INT ISSIDX) Description Move to the reference location on the ISS with the given index. Parameters IssIdx is the Index of the ISS to move to. This is a zero based index. If only one ISS, then pass in 0. If there are two ISSs, then pass either 0 or 1. BOOL CALOPENSETUPFILE(STRING SFILENAME) Description Open the given calibration specification file. Parameters sFileName is the name of the file to load. If this is only the file name, the routine looks in the User Home and Group Home folders for the file. For example if the file name is “MySetup.wcf”, the routine search for the file in the User Home and Group Home folders for the file. If the string contains folder path information, extra searches in User Home and Group Home are not performed. BOOL Description BOOL CALGETAVAILABLECALNAMES(OUT STRING[] CALNAMES) Fetch an array of strings that represent the available cals to select from. This is the list of strings shown in the combo box in the calibration form. For example, the list would contain “1-Port SOL” and “2-Port SOLT”. Note the contents of this list changes depending on the capabilities of the selected VNA. For example, if the VNA is a 2 port VNA, then only 2 port calibrations are available. CALSELECTNAME(STRING CALNAME) Description Select the calibration with the given name. For example pass in a string such as “1-Port SOL” or “2-Port SOLT”. Parameters Return true if successful in selecting the calibration with the given name, false if an error is encountered. Note that the list of available cals changes depending on the capabilities of the selected VNA. For example, if the VNA is a 2 port VNA, then only 2 port calibrations are available. 288 • WinCal XE This example code fragment selects the 2 port SOLT calibration. This can be used to ensure the correct calibration method is selected before proceeding with an AutoCal. cWinCalClient TheClient = new cWinCalClient(); TheClient.WinCalOpenServer("localhost", 22778); if (TheClient.WinCalConnectionOkay()) { Example TheClient.CalSelectName("2-Port SOLT"); } else { MessageBox.Show("WinCal connection not open."); } Event Window Methods These methods apply to the client side event window. The client side event window is separate from the WinCal event window. The client-side event window is separate from the WinCal event window, and only exists as long as the cWinCalClient object is present. Closing the connection to WinCal will also remove the client-side event window. See Event Windows for more information about the WinCal and client side event windows. • void EventWindowShow() • void EventWindowAddMsg(string TheMsg) VOID EVENTWINDOWSHOW() Description Make the client side event window visible on the desktop. The event window is automatically displayed if an error is encountered. VOID EVENTWINDOWADDMSG(STRING THEMSG) Description Add a string to the client side event window. Station Methods BOOL Description BOOL Description STAMOVECONTACT() Move the chuck to the contact position. STAMOVESEPARATE() Move the stage to the separate position. BOOL STAMOVESTAGE(DOUBLE POSITIONDESCRIPTION) Description X, DOUBLE Y, DOUBLE Z, DOUBLE T, STRING Move the stage to a specific location. WinCal Remoting • 289 PositionDescription is a string that will be displayed in a message box, but only if the selected station driver is the manual stage. If Nucleus is selected as the station driver, this string is ignored. Parameters BOOL Description STAPASSSTRINGTOSTATION(STRING CMD, OUT STRING RESPONSE) Send the cmd to the station and wait for a response. BOOL Description STAREADSTAGEPOS(OUT DOUBLE X, OUT DOUBLE Y, OUT DOUBLE Z, OUT DOUBLE T) Read the current stage location. STRING STANAME() Description Return the display name of the currently selected station. S-Parameter Access These routines are used to fetch S-Parameter data from a cached location. The data can be moved into this cache location with a call to VnaMeasure or ViewerGetDataItem. If a call to one of these routines is successful, the data is stored in the internal cache location and the routines listed below can be used to fetch values from the cache. Only one S-Parameter can be stored in the cache at a time. When a call is made to either VnaMeasure or ViewerGetDataItem, the previous data is discarded. If VnaMeasure or ViewerGetDataItem has not been called since the start of WinCal, then the cache is empty and these methods will fail. Several of these routines take a RcvPort and SrcPort value to specify which trace of the S-Parameter to fetch. These values are 1 base values for the logical port number of the trace. In the majority of cases, the range of possible values is 1 to N where N is the number of ports. The list of logical ports in the current cached S-Parameter can be retrieved with a call to GetPortList. This routine returns an array of integers that are the 1 based logical ports that are contained in the current S-Parameter in the cache. BOOL GETNUMPOINTS(OUT INT NUMPOINTS, OUT INT NUMPORTS) Description Fetch the number of points and ports in the current data set in the SParameter cache. Parameters NumPoints is the number of frequency points that were setup on the VNA at the time the reading was taken. For example, a value such as 201. NumPorts is the number of VNA ports contained in the current data set in the S-Parameter cache. For example, in a 2 port measurement, this value would be 2. BOOL GETREALS(INT RCVPORT, INT SRCPORT, OUT DOUBLE[] THEREALS) Or, to call this method from script languages that cannot pass arrays: BOOL Description 290 • WinCal XE GETREALSOBJECT(INT RCVPORT, INT SRCPORT, OUT OBJECT THEREALS) Fetch the real portion of the cached S-Parameter data set. RcvPort and SrcPort are 1 based logical port numbers to specify which trace to retrieve data from. To get the real portion of S11, pass in 1, 1 for these values. Parameters BOOL GETIMAGINARY(INT RCVPORT, INT SRCPORT, OUT DOUBLE[] THEIMAGINARY) Or, to call this method from script languages that cannot pass arrays: BOOL GETIMAGINARYOBJECT(INT RCVPORT, INT SRCPORT, OUT OBJECT THEIMAGINARY) Description Fetch the imaginary portion of the cached S-Parameter data set. Parameters RcvPort and SrcPort are 1 based logical port numbers to specify which trace to retrieve data from. To get the imaginary portion of S21, pass in 2, 1 for these values. BOOL GETPHASE(INT RCVPORT, INT SRCPORT, OUT DOUBLE[] THEPHASE) Or, to call this method from script languages that cannot pass arrays: BOOL GETPHASEOBJECT(INT RCVPORT, INT SRCPORT, OUT OBJECT THEPHASE) Description Fetch the phase array of the cached S-Parameter data set. Parameters RcvPort and SrcPort are 1 based logical port numbers to specify which trace to retrieve data from. To get the phase of S22, pass in 2, 2 for these values. BOOL GETMAGNITUDE(INT RCVPORT, INT SRCPORT, OUT DOUBLE[] THEMAGNITUDE) Or, to call this method from script languages that cannot pass arrays: BOOL GETMAGNITUDEOBJECT(INT RCVPORT, INT SRCPORT, OUT OBJECT THEMAGNITUDE) Description Fetch the magnitude array of the cached S-Parameter data set. Parameters RcvPort and SrcPort are 1 based logical port numbers to specify which trace to retrieve data from. To get the magnitude of S11, pass in 1, 1 for these values. WinCal Remoting • 291 This example code fragment fetches the magnitude for a trace so that a simple maximum value of the data can be found. cWinCalClient TheClient = new cWinCalClient(); TheClient.WinCalOpenServer("localhost", 22778); string TheMsg = ""; if (TheClient.WinCalConnectionOkay()) { string DSetName = "Corrected Data Set"; if (TheClient.ViewerMeasureCorrected(DSetName)) { TheClient.ViewerGetDataItem(DSetName); double[] TheMag = null; TheClient.GetMagnitude(1, 1, out TheMag); double MaxVal = -1e50; int MaxIdx = -1; for (int i = 0; i < TheMag.Length; i++) { Example if (MaxVal < TheMag[i]) { MaxVal = TheMag[i]; MaxIdx = i; } } TheMsg = "Max Magnitude at pt [" + MaxIdx + "] = " + TheMag[MaxIdx]; } else { TheMsg = "Error in ViewerMeasureCorrected"; } } else { TheMsg = "WinCal connection not open."; } MessageBox.Show(TheMsg); BOOL GETFREQLIST(OUT DOUBLE[] THEFREQLIST) Or, to call this method from script languages that cannot pass arrays: BOOL GETFREQLISTOBJECT(OUT OBJECT THEFREQLIST) Description Fetch an array of frequency values for the current cached S-Parameter. Parameters The array returned contains all the frequency points that were configured on the VNA at the time the measurement occurred. BOOL 292 • WinCal XE GETSPARAMETERATPOINT(INT INDEX, OUT DOUBLE[] THESPARAMETER Or, to call this method from script languages that cannot pass arrays: BOOL GETSPARAMETERATPOINTOBJECT(INT INDEX, OUT OBJECT THESPARAMETER) Fetch the S-Parameter at a given index of the frequency list. The array is of size [1 + (2 * NumPorts * NumPorts)]. Description For example, for a 2 port measurement, there are 9 values returned. Parameters Thus, all but the last data value are pairs of real and imaginary. The index of the receive port changes most often. For a 4 port measurement, there are 33 values returned – 16 pairs of real/ imaginary for each of port combinations and the frequency value. BOOL GETPORTLIST(OUT INT[] THEPORTLIST) This routine returns the port list for the S-Parameter in the cache. GetPortList returns the logical port list which is usually 1 to N where N is the number of ports. In most cases the logical and physical port lists are identical. The physical port list may change if port mapping is changed in the WinCal System Setup window. For example, a 2 port calibration may be performed on ports 3 and 4 of a 4 port VNA. When a corrected measurement is taken using these ports, the physical port list in the S-Parameter will be [3,4], but the logical ports will be [1,2]. Description BOOL GETPHYSPORTLIST(OUT INT[] THEPORTLIST) This routine returns the port list for the S-Parameter in the cache. GetPhysPortList returns the port list which is usually 1 to N where N is the number of ports. The returned port list represents the actual VNA ports used for the measurement. Description In most cases the logical and physical port lists are identical. The physical port list may change if port mapping is changed in the WinCal System Setup window. For example, a 2 port calibration may be performed on ports 3 and 4 of a 4 port VNA. When a corrected measurement is taken using these ports, the physical port list in the S-Parameter will be [3,4], but the logical ports will be [1,2]. WinCal Remoting • 293 BOOL GETPORTLISTSTR(OUT STRING THEPORTLIST) This routine returns the port list for the S-Parameter in the cache. GetPortList returns the logical port list which is usually 1 to N where N is the number of ports. In most cases the logical and physical port lists are identical. The physical port list may change if port mapping is changed in the WinCal System Setup window. For example, a 2 port calibration may be performed on ports 3 and 4 of a 4 port VNA. When a corrected measurement is taken using these ports, the physical port list in the S-Parameter will be “3,4”, but the logical ports will be “1,2”. Description BOOL GETPHYSPORTLISTSTR(OUT STRING THEPORTLIST) This routine returns the port list for the S-Parameter in the cache. GetPhysPortList returns the port list which is usually 1 to N where N is the number of ports. The returned port list represents the actual VNA ports used for the measurement. In most cases the logical and physical port lists are identical. The physical port list may change if port mapping is changed in the WinCal System Setup window. For example, a 2 port calibration may be performed on ports 3 and 4 of a 4 port VNA. When a corrected measurement is taken using these ports, the physical port list in the S-Parameter will be “3,4”, but the logical ports will be “1,2”. Description BOOL SAVEDATATOFILESNP(STRING FILENAME, BOOL OVERWRITE, INT COMPLEXFORMAT) Saves the current cached s-parameter data set to a named Touchstone (SnP) data file. The file extension will default to SnP, where n is number of ports. The S-parameter cached dataset can be selected by calling “VnaMeasure” or “ViewerGetDataItem”. Returns true for success. Description • FileName – full path or just a file name. If no path is specified, the default user folder is used • Overwrite – if true, any existing file will be overwritten. If false, the file cannot already exist. Parameters • ComplexFormat – format is: 1=re, im 2=linear magnitude, angle(degr) 3=dB magnitude, angle(degr) Data Viewer The data viewer methods operate on a single instance of the data viewer window. The data viewer can have multiple instances open, but these remote methods only operate on only one. In addition, the first time any of these methods are called, a new viewer window is opened. So, for example, even if a viewer window is already open when one of these routines is called, a new window is opened and further calls to these methods operate on this new instance of the window. BOOL Description BOOL 294 • WinCal XE VIEWEROPEN() Open a viewer window that will be used for subsequent viewer operations. If a viewer window has already had remote methods invoked for it, that window remains open, but is no longer accessible to remote methods. VIEWERMEASUREMENT(BOOL ISCORRECTED, INT[] PORTLIST, STRING DATASETNAME, BOOL Description REPLACEEXISTING) Perform a new measurement on the VNA and add it to the viewer window data set list. • IsCorrected – When true, then read a VNA corrected measurement. When false, read a raw (uncorrected) measurement. • PortList – The ports in the measurement. One Based. For example, to take a 2 port measurement on ports 1 and 2, pass in the array [1,2]. • DataSetName – Name of the data set to create on the viewer. This name will appear in the Data Items list in the viewer. • ReplaceExisting: Parameters BOOL Description – True – if the data set name already exists on the viewer, replace it. If the name does not already exist, make a new entry with the data and name given. – False – if the data set name already exists, the data set name will be appended with a numeric value so it will be unique in the viewer list. For example ‘my data’ will be changed to ‘my data 1’. In all cases, the data set names in a given viewer window must remain unique. Return true if successful, false if any errors are detected. VIEWERMEASUREALLPORTSRAW(STRING DATASETNAME) Perform a new measurement on the VNA and add it to the viewer window data set list. • IsCorrected – When true, then read a VNA corrected measurement. When false, read a raw (uncorrected) measurement. • PortList – The ports in the measurement. One Based. For example, to take a 2 port measurement on ports 1 and 2, pass in the array [1,2]. • DataSetName – Name of the data set to create on the viewer. This name will appear in the Data Items list in the viewer. • ReplaceExisting: Parameters – True – if the data set name already exists on the viewer, replace it. If the name does not already exist, make a new entry with the data and name given. – False – if the data set name already exists, the data set name will be appended with a numeric value so it will be unique in the viewer list. For example ‘my data’ will be changed to ‘my data 1’. In all cases, the data set names in a given viewer window must remain unique. Return true if successful, false if any errors are detected. BOOL VIEWERMEASUREMENTSTR(BOOL ISCORRECTED, STRING DATASETNAME, BOOL REPLACEEXISTING) Description PORTLIST, STRING This is exactly the same as bool ViewerMeasurement(bool IsCorrected, int[] PortList, string DataSetName, bool ReplaceExisting), except that the PortList is passed in as a comma delimited string. One Based. For example, to take a 2 port measurement on ports 1 and 2, pass in the string “1,2”. This string version is used for VBA and other scripting languages. WinCal Remoting • 295 BOOL Description VIEWERMEASURECORRECTED(STRING DATASETNAME) Perform a corrected measurement and put the results into the viewer. The port list will be the set from the current correction on the VNA. Data set name will be extended if an existing set with the same name already exists. See bool GetMagnitude(int RcvPort, int SrcPort, out double[] TheMagnitude) for a code example that uses this routine. BOOL VIEWERLOADREPORT(STRING FULLFILENAME) Description Load the given file as a report into a new viewer window. Any further viewer method calls will occur on this new instance of the viewer. Parameters FullFileName is the name of the file to load. If FullFileName contains only the file name, WinCal will look for the file in two locations: the user-home folder and the group-home folder. If the file exists in either of these locations, it will be loaded from there. For example, a setup file can be stored in the group-home folder and when this routine is called with only the file name as the string, the file will be loaded from the group-home folder. The user-home and group-home folders can be changed in the Options window on the Folders tab. See Chapter 2, Setting User Options. IF FullFileName contains a path, the user-home and group-home locations are not searched. Returns true if successful, false if any errors such as file not found are encountered. BOOL VIEWERLOADDATA(STRING FULLFILENAME) Description Loads the given data file into the viewer window. Returns true for success. Parameters FullFileName – full path or just file name, in which case WinCal will first look in the default user folder and then in the group folder. BOOL Description VIEWERSAVEDATA(STRING FILENAME, BOOL OVERWRITE, INT COMPLEXFORMAT) Saves the selected data set to a named data file. The dataset is selected by calling “ViewerGetDataItem” first, and the “ViewerListNames” can be used to return a list of datasets to choose from. Returns true for success. • FileName – full path or just filename. If no path is specified, the default user folder is used. Parameters • Overwrite – if true, any existing file will be overwritten. If false, the file cannot already exist. • ComplexFormat – Format is: 1=re, im 2=linear magnitude,angle(degr) 3=dB magnitude, angle(degr). BOOL Description 296 • WinCal XE VIEWERLISTNAMES(OUT STRING[] DATAITEMNAMES) Return an array of strings that are the names of the data items currently in the viewer. These strings can then be used to fetch data items from the viewer window into the S-Parameter cache. BOOL Description VIEWERGETDATAITEM(STRING DATAITEMNAME) Fetch a data item from the viewer using the given item name into the S-Parameter cache. From there it can be accessed via the S-Parameter access methods. DataItemName is a string that identifies the data item to fetch. This image shows an example of the named data items that can be transferred to the S-Parameter cache with this method. Parameters See bool GetMagnitude(int RcvPort, int SrcPort, out double[] TheMagnitude) for a code example that uses this routine. BOOL Description BOOL Description BOOL Description VIEWERCLOSE() Close the viewer window (if it is open). Any changes in the data will be discarded. VIEWERSAVEREPORT() Save the viewer report to the place where it came from. If the report is untitled, nothing will be saved and the method will return false. VIEWERSAVEREPORTAS(STRING NEWREPORTNAME) Save the viewer report to the given file name. WinCal Remoting • 297 BOOL RUNSEQUENCE(STRING CATEGORY, STRING NAME) Execute a Sequence in the active Report. Input is the category and name of the Sequence. Description Error Set Manager BOOL ERRSETMGRGETALLNAMES(OUT STRING[] ERRSETNAMES) Or, to call this method from script languages that cannot pass arrays: BOOL ERRSETMGRGETALLNAMESOBJECT(OUT OBJECT ERRSETNAMES) Description Gets a list of the names of all available Error Sets. Returns True for success. Parameters ErrSetNames – an array of strings. Each string contains the name of an Error Set in the list that the Error Set manager maintains. BOOL ERRSETMGRGETWINCALAPPLY(OUT STRING ERRSETNAME) Description Gets the Error Set that WinCal would use for “WinCal Applied” corrections. It is typically the error Set that was last added by performing a calibration, but the user can override this in the Error Set Manager User Interface. Other Remote Error Set API functions will work on the “Current Error Set”. Returns True for success. Parameters ErrSetName – the name of the error set. BOOL ERRSETMGRSETWINCALAPPLY(STRING ERRSETNAME) Description Sets the error set that WinCal would use for “WinCal Applied” corrections. It is typically the error Set that was last added by performing a calibration. This call is equivalent to an override in the Error Set Manager User Interface. Other Remote Error Set API functions will work on the “Current Error Set”. Returns True for success. Parameters ErrSetName – the name of the error set. BOOL ERRSETMGRLOADWORKINGSET(STRING ERRSETNAME) Description Select an Error set from the list to go into the current Error Set (Remote Cache). Other Remote Error Set API functions will work on the “Current Error Set”. Parameters ErrSetName – a name of an Error Set in the list of Error Sets in the Error Set Manager. You can get this list with a call to ErrSetMgrGetAllNames. BOOL Description 298 • WinCal XE ERRSETMGRSAVEWORKINGSET(STRING ERRSETNAME) Adds the current Error Set to the end of the Error Set Manager list. This function is typically used after other Remote Error Set API functions have modified the error set. The name of the Error Set cannot be changed. If the error set name already exists, the Error Set manager will append a higher numeric value (as a string) to the end of the name. If the passed in Comment is an empty or null string, it is ignored and any existing comment remains. If the Comment string is not empty, the new Comment is applied to the cached current Error Set, and will be part of the new saved Error Set. Returns True for success Comment – new Error Set Comment, unless null or empty. Parameters BOOL ERRSETMGRGETNAMEOFCURRENT(OUT STRING ERRSETNAME) Description Gets the Error Set that was last added by performing a calibration. This is also the Error Set name that WinCal would use for “WinCal Applied” corrections. Returns True for success. Parameters ErrSetName – the name of the “current” error set. BOOL ERRSETMGRGETINFOSUMMARY(OUT STRING INFO) Description Retrieves a string with general information about this calset. Note that the format of the string is only intended for display at the client computer, and is not guaranteed to stay the same in a future version. It should not be used for programmatic parsing. Returns True for success. Parameters Info – string with information (cr/lf separates lines). BOOL ERRSETMGRGETINFO(OUT STRING NAME, OUT STRING CALMETHOD, OUT INT ERRMODEL, OUT INT NUMPORTS, OUT INT NUMPOINTS, OUT DOUBLE MINFREQ, OUT DOUBLE MAXFREQ, OUT INT NUMERRTERMS, OUT INT NUMSWITCHINGTERMS, OUT STRING PHYSPORTLIST, OUT BOOL SECONDTIER, OUT STRING COMMENT)BOOL Get information about the current working Error Set (cache). This method returns several strings, each one describing something about the Error Set. The strings have the same format as the display in the Error Set manager. This method can be used to programmatically query Error Set properties. Description • Name – string with the Error Set name • CalMethod – string with the name of the calibrating method that generated the Error Set • ErrModel – integer. 0=invalid, 1 = 12-term SOLT type, 2 = 16-term advanced • NumPorts – integer - number of ports • NumPoints – integer - number of frequency points • MinFreq – double - lowest frequency [Hz] the Error set is valid for Parameters • MaxFreq – double - highest frequency [Hz] the Error set is valid for • NumErrTerms – integer - number of Error Terms in this Set • NumSwitchingTerms – integer - number of switching terms in this Error Set • PhysPortList – string - list of physical VNA ports this Error Set applies to (comma delimited) • SecondTier – boolean - true if this Error Set was made by a Second Tier Calibration • Comment – string - any comment associated with this Error Set ERRSETMGRGETFREQUENCYLIST(OUT DOUBLE[] ERRORTERMFREQS) Or, to call this method from script languages that cannot pass arrays: BOOL Description ERRSETMGRGETFREQUENCYLISTOBJECT(OUT OBJECT ERRORTERMFREQS) Retrieves the list of frequencies from the current Working Error Set (cache). Returns True for success. WinCal Remoting • 299 • ErrorTermFreqs – frequencies in [Hz] Parameters • ErrorTermFreqs – generic object format ERRSETMGRSETFREQUENCYLIST(DOUBLE[] ERRORTERMFREQS Or, to call this method from script languages that cannot pass arrays: BOOL BOOL ERRSETMGRSETFREQUENCYLISTOBJECT(OBJECT ERRORTERMFREQS) Sends a new list of frequencies to the current Working Error Set (cache). The number of points cannot change without the creation of a new Error Set. Returns true for success. Description • ErrorTermFreqs – frequencies in [Hz] Parameters • ErrorTermFreqs – generic object format BOOL ERRSETMGRGETONE12TERM(INT RECEIVEPORT, INT SOURCEPORT, INT TERMINDEX, OUT STRING NAME, OUT DOUBLE[] ERRORTERMREAL, OUT DOUBLE[] ERRORTERMIMAG) Or, to call this method from script languages that cannot pass arrays: BOOL ERRSETMGRGETONE12TERMOBJECT(INT RECEIVEPORT, INT SOURCEPORT, INT TERMINDEX, OUT STRING NAME, OUT OBJECT ERRORTERMREAL, OUT OBJECT ERRORTERMIMAG) Returns one of the terms in an Extended 12-Term Error Set as an array of doubles over frequency. Most error sets in WinCal reports and post processing are in an 'Extended 12-term' format. Error sets that apply to 2 ports have 12 terms. These 12 terms are the same as the traditional 12-term error sets that most VNAs use. Error sets that apply to more than 2 ports have 3 terms for each pair of ports. Thus, a 4-Port error set has 4*4*3=48 terms. Each port has 3 terms for reflection, and each port pair has 3 transmission terms. For a 2-Port example, the terms are allocated as follows: • Port 1 – 3 reflection terms • Port 2 – 3 reflection terms • S21 – 3 transmission terms • S12 – 3 transmission terms The working Error Set in the Remote Cache is always the input. Use the ErrSetMgrLoadWorkingSet method to select an Error Set. Use the ErrSetMgrGetInfo method to get information about the selected error set. Returns true for success. Description Notes on Indexing Terms When ReceivePort and SortPort are equal, then a reflection term will be returned. When they are not equal, then a transmission term will be returned. Value of TermIndex when the ports are equal (reflection terms): • 0 – Directivity • 1 – Source Match • 2 – Reflection Tracking Value of TermIndex when parts are not equal (transmission terms): • 0 – CrossTalk 300 • WinCal XE • 1 – Load Match • 2 – Transmission Tracking • ReceivePort – logical Port number between 1 and N to select which trace to return. • SourcePort – logical Port number between 1 and N to select which trace to return. Parameters • TermIndex – a number from 0 to 2 to select which trace to return. • Name – the name of the error term. • ErrorTermReal – the real part of the error term as an array of doubles over frequency. • ErrorTermImag – the imaginary part of the error term as an array of doubles over frequency. BOOL ERRSETMGRSETONE12TERM(INT RECEIVEPORT, INT SOURCEPORT, INT TERMINDEX, DOUBLE[] ERRORTERMREAL, DOUBLE[] ERRORTERMIMAG) Or, to call this method from script languages that cannot pass arrays: BOOL ERRSETMGRSETONE12TERMOBJECT(INT RECEIVEPORT, INT SOURCEPORT, INT TERMINDEX, OBJECT ERRORTERMREAL, OBJECT ERRORTERMIMAG) Sets a single term in an Extended 12-Term Error Set (passed in as an array of doubles over frequency). The Target Error Set in the cache must have a matching frequency range (i.e., the same number of points) as the input ErrorTerm doubles array. Frequency values are handled separately. Only when making a new ideal Error Set are frequency values requested for input. See ErrSetMgrGetOne12Term for a description of error sets. The Error Set in the Remote Cache is always the input. Use the ErrSetMgrLoadWorkingSet method to select an Error Set. Use the ErrSetMgrGetInfo method to get information about the selected error set. Returns true for success. Description Notes on Indexing Terms When ReceivePort and SortPort are equal, a reflection term will be returned. When they are not equal, a transmission term will be returned. Value of TermIndex when the ports are equal (reflection terms): • 0 – Directivity • 1 – Source Match • 2 – Reflection Tracking Value of TermIndex when parts are not equal (transmission terms): • 0 – CrossTalk • 1 – Load Match • 2 – Transmission Tracking • ReceivePort – a number between 1 and N to select where to insert the trace. • SourcePort – a number between 1 and N to select where to insert the trace. Parameters • TermIndex – a number from 0 to 2 to select where to insert the trace. • ErrorTermReal – the real part of the error term as an array of doubles over frequency. • ErrorTermImag – the imaginary part of the error term as an array of doubles over frequency. WinCal Remoting • 301 BOOL ERRSETMGRCOPY16TERMERRORBOXTOSPARACACHE() Copies the 16-Error term Error Box to the S-parameter cache. The Error Box is an S-parameter matrix of 2Nx2N, where N is the number of ports. Any other data in the cache, such as S-parameters read from the VNA, will be erased. To read out the arrays of S-parameters of the switching terms, use the Get... API for this cache (see S-Parameter Access), or use the matrix row, column based ErrSetMgrGet16Term. Returns True for success. Description BOOL ERRSETMGRCOPY16TERMSWITCHINGTERMSTOSPARACACHE() Copies the 16-Error-Term Switching Terms Matrix to the S-parameter cache. The Switching Term Matrix is an S-parameter matrix of NxN, where N is the number of ports. Any other data in the cache, such as S-parameters read from the VNA, will be erased. To read out the arrays of S-parameters of the switching terms, use the Get... API for this cache (see S-Parameter Access), or use the matrix row, column based API ErrSetMgrGet16SwitchingTerm and the working Error Set cache instead. Returns True for success. Description BOOL ERRSETMGRGETONE16TERM(INT ROW, INT COLUMN, OUT DOUBLE[] ERRORTERMREAL, OUT DOUBLE[] ERRORTERMIMAG Or, to call this method from script languages that cannot pass arrays: BOOL ERRSETMGRGETONE16TERMOBJECT(INT ROW, INT ERRORTERMREAL, OUT OBJECT ERRORTERMIMAG)) Description COLUMN, OUT OBJECT Get one 16-term error term by row, column from the working Error Set in the cache. Returns true for success. • Row – integer - row in the 16-term error set matrix • Column – integer - column in the 16-term error set matrix • ErrorTermReal – an array doubles over all data points of the real part of this number • ErrorTermImag – an array doubles over all data points of the imaginary part of this number 16-term traces are stored in a fix mapping. There are two groups of traces: • Error terms – a square matrix of size NP*2. Parameters • Switching Terms – a square matrix of size NP. Diagonal terms of switching term portion are zero, but the trace entries exist to make indexing easier. Traces are stored in the trace array with column index changing most often. Switching terms are stored after the 'normal' error terms. For a 2 port error set, the indexes into the trace array look like this: BOOL 302 • WinCal XE ERRSETMGRSETONE16TERM(INT ROW, INT COLUMN, DOUBLE[] ERRORTERMRE, DOUBLE[] ERRORTERMIM) Or, to call this method from script languages that cannot pass arrays: BOOL ERRSETMGRSETONE16TERMOBJECT(INT ERRORTERMREAL, OBJECT ERRORTERMIMAG) ROW, INT COLUMN, OBJECT Set one 16-term error term by row, column in the working Error Set in the cache. It will replace the existing data. The number of points must be the same as the data already in the working Error Set cache. Returns true for success. Description • Row – integer - row in the 16-term error set matrix • Column – integer - column in the 16-term error set matrix • ErrorTermReal – an array doubles over all data points of the real part of this number • ErrorTermImag – an array doubles over all data points of the imaginary part of this number 16-term traces are stored in a fix mapping. There are two groups of traces: • Error terms – a square matrix of size NP*2. • Switching Terms – a square matrix of size NP. Diagonal terms of switching term portion are zero, but the trace entries exist to make indexing easier. Parameters Traces are stored in the trace array with column index changing most often. Switching terms are stored after the 'normal' error terms. For a 2 port error set, the indexes into the trace array look like this: BOOL ERRSETMGRGETSWITCHINGTERM(INT ROW, INT COLUMN, OUT DOUBLE[] SWITCHINGTERMREAL, OUT DOUBLE[] SWITCHINGTERMIMAG) Or, to call this method from script languages that cannot pass arrays: BOOL ERRSETMGRGETSWITCHINGTERMOBJECT(INT ROW, INT SWITCHINGTERMREAL, OUT OBJECT SWITCHINGTERMIMAG) COLUMN, OUT OBJECT Gets one 16-term switching term by row, column. Returns true for success. Description • Row – integer - row in the 16-term switching term matrix • Column – integer - column in the 16-term switching term matrix • SwitchingTermReal – an array doubles over all data points of the real part of this number Parameters • SwitchingTermImag – an array doubles over all data points of the imaginary part of this number BOOL ERRSETMGRSETSWITCHINGTERM(INT ROW, INT COLUMN, DOUBLE[] SWITCHINGTERMREAL, DOUBLE[] SWITCHINGTERMIMAG) Or, to call this method from script languages that cannot pass arrays: BOOL ERRSETMGRSETSWITCHINGTERMOBJECT(INT ROW, INT COLUMN, OBJECT WinCal Remoting • 303 SWITCHINGTERMREAL, OBJECT SWITCHINGTERMIMAG) Set one 16-term switching term by row, column in the working Error Set in the cache. It will replace the existing data. Number of points must be the same as the data already in the working Error Set cache. Returns true for success. Description • Row – integer - row in the 16-term switching term matrix • Column – integer - column in the 16-term switching term matrix • SwitchingTermReal – an array doubles over all data points of the real part of this number Parameters • SwitchingTermImag – an array doubles over all data points of the imaginary part of this number BOOL ERRSETMGRGETVNAERRORSET(STRING COMMENT, OUT STRING NAME) Retrieves the current Error Set from the VNA and adds it to the Error Set Manager List, as well as to file. Returns true for success. Description • Comment – optional comment that stays with the Error Set. Parameters • Name – the newly added Error Set name provided by the Error Set Manager. BOOL ERRSETMGRPUTVNAERRORSET(STRING NAME, BOOL SENDSTIMSETTINGSALSO) Sends an Error Set from the list in Error Set Manager to the current VNA. Returns true for success. Description • Name – name of Error Set, as listed in Error Set Manager. Parameters • SendStimSettingsAlso – if stim settings should be included and sent to the VNA. Message Boxes and Remote Method Calls Many of these routines invoke actions in WinCal that can be configured to display message boxes. For example, the calibration monitor and validation steps can be configured to prompt the operator to continue with the sequence. This image is an example of a message box that causes WinCal to wait for the operator to respond. These message boxes are displayed by a call through the remitting interface. If the message box is displayed when the operation is started manually on the WinCal GUI, the equivalent process started via a remote method call will also cause the message box to be displayed. Each of the calibration steps for Repeatability, Validation and Monitoring have individual setups for controlling the message box display. 304 • WinCal XE The button clicked by the operator affects the result of the method call through remitting. For example, if the operator clicks No on the box shown above, the Validation step will fail and the result returned by the method will be false. If the message boxes are configured not to display, the result of the step (repeatability, validation or monitoring) will depend on the actual measurement results. If the measurements are within the setup limits the result will be true, if the measurements are outside of the setup limits, the result will be false. Debugging WinCal Remoting This section gives suggestions for diagnosing common problems with WinCal Remoting. Installation WinCalRemoting is installed separately from WinCal on the machine that will be running the client program. See WinCal Remoting Installation for more details about installation. Connecting to WinCal Connecting to WinCal involves several components that must be installed and configured correctly. Verify these items when attempting to make a connection to WinCal: • WinCal. WinCal must be installed and running on the host machine before an connecting. WinCal must be started manually as there is no mechanism to automatically start WinCal from a remote connection. • WinCal computer name and port number. The tools options window in WinCal shows the computer name of the WinCal machine and the TCP port that WinCal is listening on for connections. The client program that makes a call to WinCalOpenServer passes these two values to specify which machine to connect to and which port to use on said machine. WinCal Remoting • 305 In most cases, the default value (22778) is sufficient. In extremely rare cases, it may be necessary to change the value shown here and in the client program. i NOTE When the client program is running on the same computer as WinCal, the computer name can be passed in as ‘localhost’. In this manner, a client program can run on any computer with WinCal. • WinCal startup confirmation. When WinCal successfully starts the TCP connection, it will report this in the WinCal event window with two lines similar to these: 8:39:33.83 WinCal Remoting Server on TCP Channel = 22778 8:39:33.83 This Computer Name = A270-BNEW Any errors on the WinCal side of the TCP connection will also be reported in the WinCal event window. • WinCal connection confirmation. When a client program successfully connects to WinCal, WinCal will acknowledge this in the WinCal event window with a message similar to this: 8:56:56.18 cWinCalServer - object being created for remote operation Event Windows The WinCalRemoting object and WinCal each have their own event windows for reporting details about errors. The WinCal event window can be viewed by selecting View>Event Log from the main WinCal menu. By default, this window will open when an error is reported. The contents of this window are saved to a text file when WinCal exits. See Event Window for details on the Event window. The WinCalRemoting event window appear if any errors are reported. The contents of this window are discarded when the WinCalRemoting connection is closed. In some situations, it may be necessary to place a message box so that the event window will remain open long enough for the text to be read from the window. This code fragment illustrates the technique: bool Result = m_TheClient.WinCalOpenServer("localhost", 22778); if (!Result) { // If an error occurred, then show the event window // while the message box is up. if (m_TheClient != null) m_TheClient.EventWindowShow(); // Warn the user and wait for them to acknowledge. MessageBox.Show("ChecUnable to open connection to WinCal" ); // This closes the connection and closes the event window. if (m_TheClient != null) m_TheClient.WinCalCloseConnection(); m_TheClient = null; } 306 • WinCal XE Connection Confirmation The connection to WinCal can be confirmed with a method call to WinCalConnectionOkay. This method will return true only when a valid connection to WinCal has been established from the client program. Another means of confirming the connection is by using the WinCalShowDialog method. This routine places a message box on the WinCal machine and will not return to the client program until the user clicks on the OK button on the message box. Windows Firewall The Windows Firewall can interrupt connections to WinCal if the client program is running on a separate computer than WinCal. If the client program is running on the same computer as WinCal, the firewall is generally not an issue. See Windows Firewall for information on configuring the firewall. If Windows Firewall is a suspect for causing connection problems, try running the client program and WinCal on the same computer. The firewall does not affect programs that are running on the same computer. The Windows firewall can be temporarily disabled to see if it is obstructing the connection to WinCal. ! CAUTION DO NOT leave the firewall disabled as this will make the computer susceptible to invasive software agents and viruses. WinCal Remoting • 307 308 • WinCal XE Appendix C Pluggable Architecture The information provided in this section allows Cascade Microtech or external developers to create pluggable items and place them in a new release or existing installation of WinCal XE. Pluggable items may include the following: • Impedance Standard Substrates (Cascade Microtech or other vendor) • Probes (Cascade Microtech or other vendor) Adding Items to User Folders The user and group home folders are new to WinCal XE. The location of these folders may be modified by clicking or selecting Tools>Options from the main WinCal menu. See Folders Options for details. Files placed in the group folder will override files in the user home folder. You can override the following ISS files by placing one of the files in the subfolder named “...\Calibration\OverrideISSFiles\” under either the user or group home folder: • Calibration structure locations file (e.g., “103-726B.1.ISS” or “CSR08_StructureInstances.2.ISS”) • Calibration coefficients file: (e.g, “103-726B_CalCoeffList.1.iss” or “CSR08_CalCoefficients.2.iss”) The overriding calibration coefficients file may contain one or more calibration coefficients. The structure locations file must contain a complete list of structure locations. To add substrates not included with the WinCal installation, place all required ISS files in a single folder named with the ISS part number, and then place that folder in the subfolder named “...\Calibration\NewISSFiles\” under either the user or group home folder. Pluggable Architecture • 309 To override the probes file (“ProbeList.1.csv”), place the overriding file in the subfolder named “...\Calibration\OverrideProbesFile\” under either the user or group home folder. User and group level folders are created when WinCal is started the first time. 310 • WinCal XE Appendix D Virtual VNA The information in this section describes the way in which WinCal‘s Virtual VNA returns virtual measurements. Workflow When performing a measurement from the calibration window, the virtual VNA simulates a raw measurement of the standard based upon the standard definitions and the selected virtual VNA error model. To get a corrected measurement for a second-tier calibration, the virtual VNA then calculates the corrected measurement using the active calibration error set. Using the virtual VNA, it is possible to make a closed loop comparison of the error set used by the virtual VNA, with the error set determined by the virtual VNA-based calibration as, for example, a method of testing the robustness of an algorithm to noise or drift. Measured data is, by default, provided by a file specified in the virtual VNA stimulus settings dialog. Alternatively, a file may be provided for a specific named measurement allowing situation dependent virtual data. For example, a report may ask for three data items named DUT, OpenPads, and ShortPads. If the appropriately named files are supplied, the virtual VNA will return the appropriate file in each case, allowing simulation of pad de-embedding. Operation The virtual VNA follows these steps to determine a measurement: 1. Create a raw measurement from one of these sources. Search in the following order: a. For calibration cases, the calibration standard definition determines the ideal s-parameters. The virtual VNA error model terms are used to “un-correct”, resulting in a simulated raw measurement. The error set used for this step is specified in the virtual VNA Settings dialog. b. Use the measurement name to search for a file in the user/group/system home trees. The file must be in the MeasFiles folder in one of the home trees, and must have a name corresponding to the measurement name prefixed by “VMeas_” to avoid collisions with simple measurement names. The file extension can be S1P, S2P, … S12P. For example, if a file named “VMeas_Open.S2P” is in the SysData folder, and the output data name “Open” is selected in the Instrument Measurement Dialog, the virtual VNA will use the file to determine the raw 2-port measurement. c. Otherwise, the file specified in the virtual VNA stimulus settings window will be used as the source of the raw measurement. Virtual VNA • 311 2. Apply noise and drift to the measurement (as specified in the virtual VNA stimulus settings window). 3. Perform the measurement conversion. Select one of the following actions depending on the requested data type: a. Corrected data – apply the current calibration error set to correct the raw measurement. b. Raw data – return the raw measurement with no further processing. c. Switching Terms – get the gamma form switching terms from the source specified in the virtual VNA settings dialog. 312 • WinCal XE Index Symbols Datapoint data item 178 .Net Wincal measurements 271 Numerics 12-term vs. 16-term calibration 130 12-term vs.16-term 130 1-Port SOL 119 2-Port 16-Term SVD-Based 125 2-Port LRM 123 cal options 124 2-Port LRM+ 124 cal options 125 2-Port LRRM 126 cal options 126 2-Port multi-line TRL 125 2-Port SOLR 119 2-Port SOLT 119 2-Port SOLT (with switching terms) 123 2-Port TRL 119 algorithm settings 120 line frequency limits 123 3-Port SOLR (2-3 thru) 126 3-Port SOLT (2-3 thru) 126 4-Port Hybrid LRRM-SOLR (4 thru) 126 4-Port Hybrid SOLT-SOLR (4 thru, without switching terms) 126 4-Port Hybrid SOLT-SOLR (4 thru) 127 4-Port SOLR (4-6 thru) 126 4-Port SOLT (short-open-load-thru) (4-6 thru) 126 8510C setup 31 stimulus settings 52 system wide options 34 user options 31 VNA setup 31 8719/8720/8722/8753 setup 35, 54 stimulus settings 54 A Absolute location 114 Actions 254 cloning 255 reordering 255 Actions upon result 154, 165, 169 Active error term set 129 Actual subtraction 245 Adding 183 actions 254 complex data items 177 copy of a marker 207 copy of a trace 205 copy of an existing marker 207 data items 175, 176 integer data items 176 items to user folders 309 markers 205 new report 183 pages 186 pages to report 184 pages to reports 184 real data items 176 standards 82 substrates 83 trace groups 190 trace markers 205 variables 256 Adding/removing substrates 83 Adjusting second location 77 Advanced augment/de-augment 143 Advanced cals switching terms 118 Advanced toolbar 118 Agilent Connection Expert 263 HP-IB 263 IO Library 263 Algorithm settings 120 Aligning probes to the reference structure 85 Aligning programmable positioners 75 adjust second location 77 move to fixed location 77 Alignment theta 86 Alignment angle 88 Alignment angle (theta) 86 Alignment button 127 Alternate source tab marker properties 211 Anritsu GPIB (Lightning/Scorpion) stimulus setup 56 VNA setup 37 Index • 313 Anritsu VectorStar stimulus setup 57 VNA setup 39 Appearance tab 181 trace group properties 200 Applying measurement corrections 103 Augmentation 143 Augmenting error sets 103 advanced augmentation 109, 143 calibrate 106 perform action 106 probe properties 105 select method/parameter 104 stimulus settings 106 Auto assigning ISS location 132 Auto configure 162 AutoCal 117 Automatic calibration 274 manual probe placement 274 programmable positioners 274 B Base probe 79 Boolean data item 177 C Cal measurement set get cal 106 Cal options 159 Calibration 106, 127 12-term vs. 16-term cal 130 advanced toolbar 118 alignment 127 AutoCal 117 automatic 274 computing error terms 128 editing a measurement 140 first and second tier 129 first and second tier cal 129 ISS 127 monitoring 128, 165 options 159 repeatability 147 second tier 142 second tier example 142 select error term set 129 select test type 131 send error terms to VNA 129 standard definitions 157 validate all 128 314 • WinCal XE validation 160 VNA 128 Calibration drift 273 Calibration measurement plan 155 Calibration methods 286 Calibration options 11 Calibration remoting methods 286 Calibration set selecting 174 Calibration settings 146 Calibration setup 155 Calibration tab 155 Calibration test type 131 Calibration type 118 2-Port 16-Term SVD-Based 125 2-Port LRM 123 2-Port LRM+ 124 2-Port LRRM 126 2-Port SOLR 119 2-Port SOLT 119 2-Port SOLT (with switching terms) 123 2-Port TRL 119 3-Port SOLR (2-3 thru) 126 3-Port SOLT (2-3 thru) 126 4-Port hybrid LRRM-SOLR (4 thru) 126 4-Port hybrid SOLT-SOLR (4 thru, without switching terms) 126 4-Port hybrid SOLT-SOLR (4 thru) 127 4-Port SOLR (4-6 thru) 126 4-Port SOLT (4-6 thru) 126 advanced cals 118 Calibrations Comparing 143 Categories managing 257 Category and function 232 Check for correctness 249 Clear all 139 Cloning actions 255 Coax calibration 104 Communication setup Nucleus (GPIB) 71 Nucleus (this computer) 72, 74 Comparing calibrations 143 corrected data 98 error sets 107, 107, 108 raw data 98 stimulus settings with VNA 51 with VNA 51 Comparison details 150, 163, 168 Comparison mode 108 Compatible structure types 158 Complex data items 177 Computing alignment angle 88 Computing error terms 128 Computing structures theta alignment 88 Configure VNA settings 31 Configuring calibration settings 146 graph properties 193 marker properties 208 measurement ports 174 page properties 188 probes 78 report properties 185 trace group properties 198 trace properties 206 VNA settings 31 Configuring the system Nucleus (GPIB) 71 Nucleus (this computer) 72 port mapping 88 probes 78, 79 standards 82 station 69 VNA 25 Confirm VNA communication 31 Confirming probe contact 92 ESET 92 estimated load S-Parameters 94 manage ISS 93 measure and comparing 93 recommended VNA stimulus settings 93 selecting criteria 93 selecting port/probe 93 show details 93 test and view results 93 Connecting to WinCal remotely 305 Connection confirmation 307 Conventions, notational xi Copying a trace to a new group 206 graphs 190 markers 207 pages 186 trace groups 197 traces 197, 205 traces or trace groups 197 traces to a new group 206 Copying and pasting actions 255 Copying graphs 190 Corrected measurements VNA 103 WinCal 103 Creating sequences 253 Creating a relative move 114 Creating a Wizard step 224 Creating and editing functions 229 Creating and editing wizards 213 Creating functions 229, 230 Creating sequences 253 Creating Wizards 213, 216 example 224 Criteria for test 93 D Data loading 184 Data items 175 adding 176 Boolean 177 complex 177 datapoint 178 deleting 175 exporting 175 exporting and saving 175 integer 176 loading 180 managing 174 properties 179, 179 real 176 string 177 Data Items List 174 Data type 173 Corrected by WinCal 174 Raw 174 VNA corrected 174 Data Viewer 294 Data viewer remoting methods 294 Data Viewer toolbar 172 Debugging WinCal remoting 305 Default settings 17 Defining the stage position of the reference alignment mark 84 Delay between repeatability measurements 149 Deleting data items 175 graphs 190 trace groups 197 Index • 315 Deleting actions 256 Deleting data items 175 Deleting markers 208 Deleting other graphs 190 Deleting pages 187 Deleting the selected graph 190 Deleting trace groups 197 Deleting traces 206 Disabling a substrate 83 Disabling substrates 83 Displayed text tab marker properties 209 Dual probe signal 79 Duplicate report pages 186 Duplicating pages 186 E Edit properties 259 Editing expressions 232 measurements 140 sequences 255 Editing a measurement 140 Editing expressions 232 input parameters 233 output 234 Editing functions 229, 230 Editing toolbar item properties 260 Editing Wizards 213 ENA setup 41 stimulus settings 59 stimulus setup 59 Enabling/disabling actions 255 Erase raw data 139 clear all 139 Erasing raw data 139 Error set manager 298 Error set manager remoting methods 298 Error sets 108 advanced augmentation 109, 143 augmentation 103 augmenting 100 comparing 107 loading 180 managing 100 options 15 Error sets options 15 folder name template 15 Error term set 129 Error terms 128, 129 send to VNA 129 316 • WinCal XE ESET 92 Estimated load S-Parameters 94 Event log 8 Event window 8, 10 Event window methods 289 Event window remoting methods 289 Event Windows 306 Examples creating a relative move 114 creating a Wizard step 224 performing a second tier calibration 142 post processing 240 Existing marker adding a copy 207 Export to graphics file 191 Exporting a graph to a graphics file 191 Exporting and saving data items 175 Exporting data items 175 Exporting pages to graphics file 187 Expression editor 232 category and function 232 input parameters 233 output 234 Expressions 232 F Firewall 269 First and second tier calibration 129 First and second tier calibrations 129 First measurement 99 Fixed location 77 Folder name template 15 Folder options 16 Folders options 16 For more information xi Function editor scratch pad 230, 230 Function properties 234, 234 Functions creating and editing 229 managing 228 G General options 9, 9 General remoting methods 280 General stimulus actions 49 General VNA stimulus actions 49 General wincal methods 280 Get all measurements into a dataset list 244 Get cal 106 Get from VNA 50, 50 GPIB connected VNA and/or probe station 2 Graph pasting into a page 186 Graph layout 188 Graph properties 192, 192 Graph style Polar 191 Smith 191 XY dB of magnitude 192 XY of magnitude 192 XY of phase 192 Graph styles 191 Graphing pane 182, 182 Graphs 171, 189 adding trace groups 190 copying 190 deleting 190 export to graphics file 191 maximize 191 maximizing 191 properties 192 restore 191 restore layout 191 select style 192 H Help xi Help, online xi Hiding a Trace Group 196 Hiding a trace group 196 HP-IB 263 Connection Expert 263 IO Library 263 I IDH_SYSSETUP_87xxCONFIG 35 Included data items 202 Included data items tab trace group properties 202 Input parameters 233 Inserting pages 186 Installation 305 Installing WinCal XE 5 Instrument measurement window 173, 173 Integer Data Item 176 Integer data items 176 ISS 127 location 133 location on startup 10 managing 127 marking structures good or bad 135 structure 165, 169 ISS location 97, 133 auto-assign 132 ISS Structure selecting 165 K Keys 3 L Label 261 License Key Field Upgrades 4 License Keys 3 License keys 3 upgrading 4 Line frequency limits 123, 123 Load a measurement from a file 138 Load report data from file 184 Load WinCal Setup files 275 Loading a measurement from a file 138 Loading data from an existing report 184 Loading data items from file 180 Loading error sets 180 Local versus remote 269 Location manager 110 location properties 111 positioner coordinates 112 prober coordinates 112 relative locations 113 Location properties 111, 111 positioner coordinates 112 prober coordinates 112 relative locations 113 Location tab marker properties 210 LRM cal options 124, 124 LRM+ cal options 125, 125 LRRM cal options 126, 126 M Manage ISS 93, 97 Managing alignment 127 categories 257 data items 174 error sets 100, 100 functions 228 ISSs 127 measurements and structures 130 report appearance 180 sequences 252 VNAs 128 Manual Probe Placement 274 Manual station station setup 70 Marker properties 208 alternate source 211 displayed text 209 Location 210 Index • 317 Markers 171, 205, 207 adding a copy 207 copying 207 paste into a trace or trace group 206 pasting into a trace or trace group 197 properties 208 refresh 207 refreshing 205 remove 208 Marking a location as bad 135 Marking structures good or bad 135 Math tab trace group properties 199 Maximize graphs 191 Maximizing graphs 191 Meas 136 Measure 172 Measure again 172 Measure all 137 Measure and comparing 93 Measurement 172 configure ports 174 data type 173 ISS location 133 load from file 138 loading 138 new data discards old measurements 172 output data name 173 plans 130 select cal set 174 select measurement type 174 setup 172, 173 structure location 132 system setup 173 trees 11 type 174 Measurement plan 155 Measurement ports 174 Measurement structure sequence 131 move up/down 131 Measurement type 174 Measurements 241 Measurements and structures managing 130 Measuring and viewing results first measurement 99 second measurement 99 show difference 99 318 • WinCal XE Measuring data 172 Measuring repeatability and viewing results 98 Measuring selected structure 140 Measuring the selected structure 136 Message boxes and remote method calls 304 Method and parameters 104 Minimize windows 10 Minimum requirements 2 Monitor calibration drift 273 Monitoring 128, 165 selecting an ISS structure 169 selecting trace type 168 setting actions upon result 169 setting comparison details 168 setting trace type 168 Monitoring measurement plan 165 Monitoring setup 165 Monitoring tab 165 Monitoring tests 167 Moving pages 186 probes to structure 136 probes to the reference structure 136 stage and positioner 77 substrate to a chuck location 84 substrates 84 to ISS location 97 to reference 88 to reference location 88 Moving pages 186 Moving to and measuring all structures 137 and measuring selected structures 137 fixed location 77 ISS location 97 N Navigating Wizards 22 Network connected VNA DCOM (PNA only) or VNA VXI-11 Over LAN 2 New data discards old measurements 172 new reports 183 Notational conventions xi, xi Nucleus (GPIB) communication setup 71 configuration 71 station setup 70 Nucleus (this computer) communication setup 72, 74 configuration 72 station setup 70 number of monitoring tests 167 Number of repeatability tests 148 Number of validation tests 161 O Online Help xi Open 222 Open reports 183 Open sequence 222, 222 Opening an existing report 183 Operation 311 Options 9 error sets 15 event window 10 folders 16 general 9 graph style 12 ISS location on startup 10 measurement trees 11 minimize windows 10 physical port numbers in graph 12 post processing 13 prompt before measurement 11 remoting 17 RF Data View 12 sequences 14 skip repeatability test 11 Smith chart 12 Output 234 Output data name 173 Override values 158 Overwrite existing data item with same name 173 P Page difference 99 name 188 pasting into a report 184 S-Parameters 100 Page Properties 187 Page properties 187 graph layout 188 page name 188 Pages 171, 185, 186 copying 186 exporting to graphics file 187 inserting 186 moving 186, 186 print all 188 printing 187 properties 187 Paste marker 206 Pasting graphs 186 markers 197 page 184 trace groups 190 traces 190 Pasting a copy of a marker into a trace or trace Group 197 Pasting a copy of a trace or a trace group into a graph 190 Pasting a graph into a page 186 Pasting a page into a report 184 Perform VNA preset 51, 52 Performing a second tier calibration 142 Performing calibration 106 Performing measurements 241 Performing selected action 106 Performing the test and viewing results 93 Physical port numbers in graph 12 PNA network setup 29 setup 43 stimulus settings 62 PNA (Network) communication setup 29 PNA (VISA) communication setup 30 PNA setup 43 PNA stimulus setup 62 Polar chart 191 Port and data type 98 Port mapping 88 configuring 88 set to default 89 Port/probe selecting 93 Positioner alignment 75, 77 Positioner coordinates 112 Positioner(s) coordinates 112 Post correct reflect 162 Post processing 227, 240 creating and editing functions 229 editing expressions 232 example 240 function editor scratch pad 230 functions 234 options 13, 13 regular expressions 239 show debug info 13 stop after error 13 vectorization 236 Print all 188 Printing all 188 graphs 192 Index • 319 pages 187 reports 184 Probe configuration 78 Probe contact 92 selecting criteria 93 selecting port/probe 93 testing and viewing 93 Probe properties 105 Probe tip calibration 104 Prober coordinates 112 ProberBench 7, VISA-GPIB station 73 ProberBench, control interface station setup 70 ProberBench, VISA-GPIB station setup 70 Probes base probe 79 configuration 78 dual probe signal 79 options 79 orientation 79 pitch 79 probe properties 80 properties 79 quick setup 79 selecting 79 setup 78 signal config 79 Probes and probe properties 79 Programmable positioners 274 alignment 75 automatic calibration 274 overview 74 setup 74 Prompt before measurement 11 Q Qualifying restore previous VNA settings 91 Quick setup 79 R README file xi Real data item 176 Recommended requirements 3 Recommended stimulus settings 51 Recommended VNA stimulus settings 93 Record a second relative location 115 Record the first relative location 114 Recording current location as reference structure 86 Recording an absolute location 114 Recording current location as reference 320 • WinCal XE structure 86 Recording locations relative to X 114 Recording more relative locations 115 Recording structures 87 theta alignment 87 Reference alignment mark 84 Reference calibration 106 Reference location returning to 86 Reference structure 84, 136 aligning probes 85 recording current location 86 returning to 86 selecting 84 Refresh markers 207 trace group children 196 trace markers 205 Refreshing markers 205 Refreshing trace group children 196 Registering your product 5 Regular expressions 239, 239 Relative locations 113, 114, 115 Relative moves example 114 Remote WinCal connection 305 Remoting architecture 268 confirm connection 307 connecting to WinCal 305 debugging 305 event windows 306 firewall 269, 307 installation 269 options 17 overview 267 sample programs 271 Remoting methods 276 calibration 286 data viewer 294 error set manager 298 event window 289 general 280 s-parameter 290 station 289 VNA 285 Remoting options 17 Remoting program sample 271 Remoting sample programs .Net 271 Remoting workflows as VNA measurement server 275 automatic calibration 274 load setup files 275 monitor calibration drift 273 Remove markers 208 substrates 83 traces 206 Reordering actions 255 Repeatability 96, 98, 147 actions upon result 154 comparison details 150 delay 149 ISS 152 measurement delay 149 number of tests 148 setup 146 tests 148 trace type 149 Repeatability measurement plan 147 Repeatability measurements delay 149 Repeatability setup 147 Repeatability tab 147 Repeatability tests 148 Report appearance managing 180 Report Properties 184 Report properties 185 Reports 171 adding new 183 adding pages 184 appearance 180 duplicate pages 186 graphing pane 182 graphs 189 load data from file 184 markers 207 new 183 open 183 opening 183 pages 185 printing 184 properties 184 saving 184 trace groups 196 traces 205 Resources 5 Restore default settings 17 graph layout 191 previous VNA settings 91 Restore graph layout 191 Restoring factory defaults 17 Returning to reference location 86 Returning to structure 86 RF data view 171 RF Data View options 12 RF data view options 12 RF data viewer components 171 Rotating a substrate 84 Rotating substrates 84 Running AutoCal 130 Running wizards 20 S Sample WinCal remoting programs 271 Save the differences to the report 247 Save to report 247 Saving data items 180 error sets 180 measurements to file 138 reports 184 reports as... 184 Scratch Pad function 242 Script editor 216 script editor 216 Script list 23 Second location 77 Second measurement 99 Second tier calibrations 142 example 142 Select graph style 192 reference structure 84 standards 82 Selecting active error term set 129 auto configure 162 graph styles 191 ISS structure 165 port and data type 98 post correct reflect 162 probes and probe properties 79 reference structure 84 standards 156 trace type 168 Index • 321 Selecting a calibration set 174 Selecting a calibration test type 131 Selecting a calibration type 118 Selecting a measurement type 174 Selecting category and function 232 Selecting comparison mode 108 Selecting criteria for test 93 Selecting error sets to compare 107 Selecting input parameters 233 Selecting items to add to toolbar 259 Selecting method and parameters 104 Selecting output 234 Selecting port and data type 98 Selecting port/probe to qualify 93 Selecting toolbar items and edit properties 259 Selecting/adding a substrate 82 Semi-automatic probe station 2 Send error terms to instrument 129 Send to VNA 50, 106 Sending error terms to the instrument 129 Separator 261 Sequence context 253 Sequences 251, 253 actions 252 adding actions 254 categories 252, 257 cloning actions 255 context 253 copy and paste 255 creating 253 deleting 256 display options 253 enabling and disabling 255 managing 252 new 254 options 14 properties 252, 254 reordering actions 255 show line numbers 14 stack frames 14 testing 257 Set to Recommended 51 Setting 167 cal options 159 comparison details 168 delay between repeatability measurements 149 number of repeatability tests 148 number of validation tests 161 standard behavior 164 standard definitions 157 structure location 132 322 • WinCal XE system Z0 69 trace type 168 Setting actions upon result 165 Setting the alignment (theta) angle 86 Setting up a measurement 173 Setting up recommended stimulus settings 106 Setting up the data type 173 Setup measurement 172 Nucleus (GPIB) station communication 71 Nucleus (this computer) station communication 72 ProberBench, control interface communication 74 ProberBench, VISA-GPIB communication 73 programmable positioners 74 reference calibration 104, 106 standards 82 station 69 VNA 25 VNA stimulus 49 Setup probes 78 Show details 93 estimated load S-Parameters 94 Show difference 99 page difference 99 page S-Parameters 100 Show thrus 144 Showing thrus 144 Signal config 79 Skip repeatability test 11 Smith chart 191 options 12 S-Parameter access 290 S-parameter remoting methods 290 Stack frames 14 Stage position reference alignment mark 84 Standard behavior 164 Standard definitions 157 calibration 157 compatible structure types 158 override values 158 standard 158 Standards 156 adding 82 configuring 82 selecting 82 setup 82 Starting WinCal 5 Station setup 69 Station configuration 69 Station methods 289 Station remoting methods 289 Station setup manual station 70 Nucleus (GPIB) 70 Nucleus (this computer) 70 ProberBench, control interface 70 ProberBench, VISA-GPIB 70 Step name 221 Step text 221 Step type 218 Stimulus settings 8510C 52 8719/8720/8722/8753 54 Anritsu (Lightning/Scorpion) 56 Anritsu (VectorStar) 57 comparing with VNA 51 ENA 59 general actions 49 get from VNA 50 PNA 62 recommended 106 send to VNA 50 set to recommended 51 virtual VNA 67 VNA 128 VNA preset 51, 52 ZVA/ZVB 65 Stimulus setup Anritsu GPIB (Lightning/Scorpion) 56 Anritsu VectorStar 57 String data item 177 Structures 87 Substrate selecting/adding 82 Substrates 83 adding 83 disabling 83 moving 84 remove 83 rotating 84, 84 Support xi Switching terms advanced cals 118 System configuration 1 System requirements 1 System wide options 34 8510C 34 T Taking a measurement 136 Target 222, 222 Technical support xi Test results 93 Testing repeatability 96 first measurement 99 ISS location 97 manage ISS 97 measuring and viewing results 98 second measurement 99 selecting port and data type 98 show difference 99 Testing System Repeatability 96 Testing the Sequence 257 Theta alignment 86 computing structures 88 moving to reference location 88 recording structures 87 use hardware 86 zero 76, 86 Theta angle 86 Thru measurements 144 Thrus 144 Toolbar adding items 259 combo box 260 label 261 separator 261 text box 261 Toolbar editor 257 add items 259 edit item properties 259 Toolbar item properties 260 Toolbar items 259 Trace group children refreshing 196 Trace Group Properties 197 Trace group properties 197, 198 appearance 200 included data items 202 math 199 Trace groups 171, 190, 196 copying 197 delete 197 hiding 196 pasting into a graph 190 properties 197 refresh children 196 Trace properties 206 Trace type 168 Traces 171, 205 adding a copy 205 adding markers 205 Index • 323 copying 197, 205 copying to new group 206 pasting into a graph 190 properties 206 refresh markers 205 remove 206 type 149, 162 Traces or trace groups copying 197 Troubleshooting xi Tutorials 19, 19 Tutorials and documentation 3 methods 285 preset 52 remoting methods 285 setup 25 stimulus setup 49 VNA setup 8510C 31, 31 8719/8720/8722/8753 35 Anritsu 39 Anritsu GPIB (Lightning/Scorpion) 37 Anritsu VectorStar 39 Virtual 47 ZVA/ZVB 45 U Upgrading 4 Use hardware theta alignment 86 User folders 309 User options 31 8510C 31 User preferences general options 9 V Validation 128, 160 number of tests 161 selecting an ISS structure 165 setting actions upon result 165 setting comparison details 163 setting trace type 162 standard behavior 164 Validation Measurement Plan 160 Validation setup 160 Validation tab 160 Validation testing 128 Validation tests 161 Variables 256 Vectorization 236 View zoom 189 Viewing options 253 Viewing the resultant error box as an S-Parameter 142 Viewing tutorials 19 Virtual VNA setup 47 stimulus settings 67 VNA 128 communication setup 27 configure settings 31 confirm communication 31 GPIB communication setup 28 managing 128 324 • WinCal XE W Web site Cascade Microtech xii WinCal as VNA measurement server 275 WinCal measurements from .Net 271 WinCal remoting architecture 268 installation 269 methods 276 WinCal resources 5 WinCal setup files loading 275 Windows firewall 307 Wizard script editor 216 open sequence 222 step name 221 step text 221 step type 218 target 222 Wizards 20 creating and editing 213 creating, example 224 dragging windows 22 navigating 22 open sequence 222 pinning windows 22 script editor 216 script list 23 scripts 23 setting window transparency 22 step name 221 step text 221 step type 218 target 222 window preferences 22 Wizards scripts group 24 permanent 23 user 24 Workflow 311 X XY graph dB of magnitude 192 of magnitude 192 of phase 192 Z Z0 69 Z0 Settings 122 Zero theta alignment 76, 86 Zoom 189 Zooming In 189 ZVA/ZVB setup 45 stimulus settings 65 Index • 325 326 • WinCal XE Cascade Microtech, Inc. Corporate Headquar ters toll free: +1-800-550-3279 phone: +1-503-601-1000 email: cmi_sales@cmicro.com Germany +49-89-9090195-0 email: cmg_sales@cmicro.com phone: +65-6873-7482 Japan phone: +81-3-5615-5150 email: cmj_sales@cmicro.com Taiwan phone: +886-3-5722810 email: cmt_sales@cmicro.com phone: China phone: email: www.cascademicrotech.com +86-21-3330-3188 cmc_sales@cmicro.com Singapore email: cms_sales@cmicro.com

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