5G NR mmWave and Sub-6 Test Challenges
Transcript of 5G NR mmWave and Sub-6 Test Challenges
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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