High-order probe compensation algorithm for ultra-wide-band probe in spherical near-field measurement

Abstract

In order to increase the precision of spherical near-field antenna measurement systems based on wide-band probes, probe compensation algorithms supporting high-order azimuth mode (HOPC) are needed to process the near-field measurement data. In this study, an HOPC algorithm is realized based on the iterative strategy in the reference [3] for solving the spherical-mode transmission equation with high-order probes. This algorithm is applied to a dual-ridged wide-band horn probe that works in the frequency range of 2-18 GHz. Using dipoles array antennas as examples, the higher precision of the high-order algorithm is illustrated compared with that of the low-order algorithm. The convergence of the algorithm under different conditions is also systematically tested. These results indicate, firstly, the higher-order effects are more remarkable for higher frequency and secondly, when the antenna under test can totally be covered by the 6 dB domain of the main lobe, the iterative process can converge to satisfactory precision within several iterations. Therefore, the algorithm in this paper for HOPC can increase the precision of the spherical near-field system while still preserves high computational efficiency.