a Teradyne Company

5G NR mmWave and Sub-6 Test

Challenges

Outline

• 5G NR FR1 and FR2

• 5G mmWave antenna module

• OTA far field and link budget calculations

• LitePoint 5G test solutions

5G NR PHY

Parameter FR1 (Sub-6) FR2 (mmWave)

Bandwidth per carrier 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 40, 50,

60, 80,100 MHz

50, 100, 200,400 MHz

Subcarrier spacing 15, 30, 60 kHz 60, 120, 240 kHz

Modulation scheme QPSK, 16QAM, 64QAM, 256QAM; uplink also

supports π/2-BPSK (only DFT-s-OFDM)

Radio frame length 10ms

Subframe duration 1 ms(alignment at symbol boundaries every 1 ms)

MIMO scheme DL:2x2 MIMO or 4x4

MIMO;

UL:SISO or 2x2 MIMO

DL:2x2 MIMO

UL:SISO

Duplex mode TDD, FDD TDD

Access scheme DL: CP-OFDM; UL: CP-OFDM, DFT-s-OFDM

Global Snapshot of 5G Spectrum Bands

FR1 Bands

5G mmWave Spectrum (FR2 Bands)

3GPP Release 15

5G mmWave Antenna Module

MODEM MMWAVE ANTENNA MODULE

IF Interface

mmWave Module Integrated in End-Product

UE Device

mmWave Module Integrated in End-Product

9

Handsets (UE) Will Evolve

to Adopt 5G Technology

Antenna Changes

• Sub 6 GHz 5G receiver diversity

is driving up the number of antennas (4-8).

• mmWave will require active modules with

antennas arrays built-in

• Body blocking will require multiple mmWave

antenna modules.

SMT5G

Antenna

Sub 6

GHz

5G

Antenna

Sub 6

GHz

x2 IF (V & H)

x2 IF (V & H)

mm

Wave

mm

Wave

mm

Wave

Verification of Final ProductRadiated testing of receiver

sensitivity and transmit power

SMT5G

Antenna

Sub 6

GHz

5G

Antenna

Sub 6

GHz

x2 IF (V & H)

x2 IF (V & H)

mm

Wave

mm

Wave

Manufacturing Test Flow

for UE Components

SMT

Calibration and

Verification of SMT

• Conducted testing using in a shield box

• 2/3/4/5G cellular sub 6GHz testing

• 5G cellular millimeter wave IF testing

• Wi-Fi, Bluetooth testing

RF Connections

Calibration and Verification of

mmWave module

• Radiated testing of mmWave RF

• Conducted connection to IF

IF (V & H)

mm

Wave

RF Connections

mm

Wave

LitePoint 5G Product Offerings

mmWave RF: IQgig-5G• Fully-integrated solution for 28 GHz & 39 GHz bands

• Supports Verizon 5G Technical Forum pre-5G and 3GPP

NR specification evolution

• Supports 8x100 MHz component carrier channels

mmWave IF: IQgig-IF• Supports Verizon 5G pre-5G and 3GPP NR

specification evolution

• Supports 8x100 MHz channels

Sub-6GHz Verification: IQxstream-5G• 200 MHz Bandwidth

• Supports 5G Sub-6 spectrum bands: 3.3 – 4.9 GHz

• Supports existing 2G/3G/4G cellular bands

• Supports Wi-Fi 802.11n/ac/ax

25.8 GHz 30.1 GHz 35.4 GHz 41 GHz

19 GHz5 GHz

6 GHz400 MHz

Sub-6GHz Calibration: IQxstream-M• Lowest COT 5G Sub-6 Calibration Solution

• LTE Cat-NB1, Cat-M1

• 2G/3G/4G and 5G Sub-6 Cal

6 GHz75 MHz

• The IQxstream-5G is LitePoint’s test solution for 5G user equipment

(UE) applications (e.g., smartphones, tablets, laptops) at sub-6GHz:

- A future-proof test solution with 200 MHz of continuous bandwidth for 5G

- Supports the new 5G sub-6GHz and legacy FDD/TDD 3G/4G LTE cellular

standards

- Available in a 2U chassis in an 8-port configuration that can be expanded to

16 ports with LitePoint’s slim IQ3101 switch.

- Superior EVM performance of up to -48 dB at 100 MHz CC

- Supports the popular mobile Wi-Fi connectivity standards

SMT Testing Quad Site with IQxstream-5G

IQxstream-5G8 RF ports with 200 MHz BW

Expands to 16 with 1:2 switch

5G

Sub 6

GH

z

SMT SMT SMT SMT

Field Region Definition

D

Reactive

Near Field

Radiative

Near Field Far Field

0.62𝐷3

𝜆2 𝐷2

𝜆

R

R ≡ Distance from antenna

D ≡ Maximum extend of the antenna aperture

D ≥ λ/2

D < λ/2 2λλ

Transition

Zone

Near Field

Large

Antennas

Small

Antennas

Far Field

Reactive near field region: It is the region where stored energy dominates. These reactive fields are generally created by strong

EM coupling within the antenna or between antennas and very nearby electrical components. No radiative energy exists

Radiative near-field region: This is the region where the near fields still exist but is not dominant. Radiative near-fields start to

dominate. However, the shape of the radiation pattern may still vary appreciably with distance.

Far-field region: the shape of the radiation pattern does not change with distance. The spherical fields propagating outward can

be considered as plane waves.

Far-Field Distance for Large Antennas

𝑅 ≥2𝐷2

𝜆

δ

R

R

Spherical

wave front

The largest phase difference

between the spherical and plane

wave fronts must fulfill 𝑘𝛿 ≤𝜋

8,

where k is the wave number. The

phase error should less than

22.5°. As R goes to infinity, the

phase error approaches zero.

Dmax

Plane

wave front

Source

The definition of the far-field limit is obtained from the following requirement:

It is basically a distance where spherical wave fronts can be considered as plane

wave fronts with a small phase error

Link Budget

GT

PT

GR

PR

R

Friis Transmission Equation 𝑃𝑅 = 𝐺𝑅𝐺𝑇𝑃𝑇𝜆2

4𝜋𝑅 2where PR ≡ Power at the receiving antenna

GR ≡ Gain of the receiving antenna

PT ≡ Power at the transmitting antenna

GT ≡ Gain of the transmitting antenna

λ ≡ wavelength at the operating frequency

R ≡ Distance between the antennas

The over-the-air pathloss is 𝑃𝐿 =𝜆2

4𝜋𝑅 2

We can write the equations in dB scale 𝑃𝑅 𝑑𝐵 = 𝐺𝑅 𝑑𝐵 + 𝐺𝑇 𝑑𝐵 + 𝑃𝑇 𝑑𝐵 + 𝑃𝐿(𝑑𝐵)

where PL(dB) is a negative value

The Friis equation is derived from the assumption that the antennas are in the far-field region of

each other (R>>2D2/λ). It cannot be used for measurement in the near field region!

Frequency 28GHz

TX antenna Gain, GT 10dBi

RX antenna gain, GR 10dBi

OTA Distance R 0.6m

OTA Pathloss, PL -56.9dB

Total cable length (C1+C2) 1.5m

Total cable loss, (PLC1+PLC2) -4.0dB

TX case

Device TX, PTX 0dBm

Tester RX, PRX -40.9dBm

RX Case

Tester TX, PTX 5dBm

Device RX, PRX -35.9dBm

Frequency 39GHz

TX antenna Gain, GT 10dBi

RX antenna gain, GR 10dBi

OTA Distance R 0.6m

OTA Pathloss, PL -59.8dB

Total cable length (C1+C2) 1.5m

Total cable loss, (PLC1+PLC2) -4.4dB

TX case

Device TX, PTX 0dBm

Tester RX, PRX -44.3dBm

RX Case

Tester TX, PTX 5dBm

Device RX, PRX -39.3dBm

Link Budget – Example at 5G mmWaveGT GR

PL

PTX PRX

VSG VSA

C1C2

(cable loss) (cable loss)

RPLC1PLC2

Assume cable loss 2.65 dB/m at 28 GHz and 2.95 dB/m at 39 GHz

OTA loss represents >90% of the total loss.

Cable losses are minimal.

OTA Chamber Setup for AUT

Dual Polarization

Horn Antenna

AUT

How Big a Chamber?

It depends on the size of the antenna array and the application

Examples for Rff at 28 GHz and 39 GHz

Antenna Array 2x2 3x3 4x4 5x5 6x6 7x7 8x8

Aperture D (mm) 15 23 30 38 45 53 61

Approx Far Field (cm) 5 10 18 27 39 53 69

Antenna Array 2x2 3x3 4x4 5x5 6x6 7x7 8x8

Aperture D (mm) 11 16 22 27 33 38 44

Approx Far Field (cm) 4 7 13 20 28 38 50

Freq (GHz): 39 Wavelength (mm): 7.7

Assume lambda/2 antenna size

Freq (GHz): 28 Wavelength (mm): 10.7

Assume lambda/2 antenna size

Rff, Far Field Region

D1

Source

Transmitting

Antenna

Receiving

Antenna

Plane-Wave

Approximation

The far-field region is at a distance R where the

wave may be considered to be a plane wave

Rff =2D2

𝝀

D1,D2 = Maximum effective

size of the antenna

D = Max (D1, D2)

𝝀 = Wavelength of the signal

D2

For mmWave Fixed Wireless Terminals, Small Cells and UE

Faster, Simpler and SmarterSingle box solutions that are simple and easy to use

enabling our customers to run fast and efficiently.

Supported in Qualcomm QDART

Focus on Characterizing Your Device,

Not Debugging Your Test Setup

• mmWave Measurement systems today involve multiple pieces of

equipment that require complex cabling setups and calibration.

• IQgig-5G is a fully-integrated & calibrated system with intuitive S/W: to

connect your antenna and immediately start making measurements

RF

Converter

RF

Converter

RF

Converter

Interface

IF

Generator

Analyzer

Complex to setup and maintain Single box simplicity, fully

calibrated, software controlled

Information Shared Under NDA – Do Not Distribute

5G Over-the-Air Total Solution

• Simple solution for mmWave

UE and module DVT

• Beam and antenna characterization

• Integrated DUT positional control

Design Verification Test Chamber

Compact mmWave OTA Test Chamber

for Design Validation Testing

• Designed for 24” far field distance

(~600 mm) in 1 axis

• 2-axis device positioner option

• 0.1 degree resolution

• Outer dimensions:

1205 mm H x 975 mm W x 765 mm D

• Temperature control enabled with an

external Thermo-stream unit

Summary

• Test challenges of 5G NR Sub-6 and mmWave

- Bandwidth

- Number of sub-6 antennas

- Radiated test for mmWave antenna modules

• Calculate far-field distance and link budget to understand the OTA test

setup

• LitePoint fully-integrated single box 5G sub-6 and mmWave test system

- IQxstream-5G, ideal for Multi-DUT testing

- IQgig-5G, the full hardware integration significantly reduces the test set up

complexity