IEEE IMAS 2026 Tutorials

Accurate RF and microwave measurements are fundamental to the design, validation, and deployment of modern high-frequency systems, from satellite communications to advanced wireless infrastructure. This workshop provides a comprehensive and practical deep dive into state-of-the-art vector network analyzer (VNA) measurement techniques, focusing on achieving high-confidence S-parameter data through advanced calibration and uncertainty-aware methodologies.

Participants will explore the physical principles underlying incident, reflected, and transmitted waves, and how these relate to key RF metrics such as impedance, return loss, gain, and group delay. The session emphasizes the importance of capturing both magnitude and phase information for complete device characterization, enabling accurate modeling, time-domain analysis, and system-level simulation.

A major focus of the workshop is vector-error-corrected calibration and its role in removing dominant systematic errors in VNA measurements. The session covers industry-standard techniques such as SOLT and TRL, highlighting their applicability across coaxial and non-coaxial environments, and detailing how calibration quality directly impacts measurement fidelity.

Beyond calibration fundamentals, the workshop introduces an advanced measurement framework that incorporates uncertainty contributions from the VNA, cables, connectors, calibration standards, and operator handling. Attendees will learn how to quantify and propagate these uncertainties into final measurement results, enabling more rigorous validation, improved test limits, and enhanced confidence in product specifications and acceptance testing.

Through practical examples and real-world case studies—including measurement drift, calibration verification, and system-level error modeling—participants will gain actionable insights into optimizing their measurement setups and avoiding common pitfalls.

This workshop is ideal for RF engineers, measurement specialists, and system designers seeking to elevate measurement accuracy, align test results with simulation, and implement best practices for repeatable and traceable high-frequency measurements.