Fast Characterization of Phased-Array Elements Using Orthogonal Codes

This article presents a fast-phased array characterization of a 5G millimeter-wave (mmWave) base station (BS). The amplitude, phase, and inter-modulation distortion of multiple antenna elements are characterized simultaneously using an orthogonal code. The proposed orthogonal code suppresses dynamic range and realizes multiple vector measurements with a single capture. The phase drift estimation enables the asynchronous measurement of BS and instruments. The method is demonstrated using 256-element phased-array antennas (PAAs) for 5G mmWave BS.