November 18, 2012. Rohde & Schwarz announced it now offers harmonic filter options for its R&S SMB100A microwave signal generator. These filters make it possible to achieve a harmonic suppression of more than –50 dBc over a wide frequency range from 150 MHz to 40 GHz. At low frequencies below 3 GHz, it is even possible to achieve –58 dBc.
The new harmonic filters efficiently improve the signal quality of the signal generator and consequently the measurement accuracy. In measurements with wideband receivers, the filters prevent the harmonics of the wanted signal from entering the receive band and affecting the measurement. In the case of total harmonic distortion measurements on amplifiers, the filters ensure that only the harmonics of the device under test are measured and not those of the signal generator. In addition, the dynamic range for scalar network analysis is improved considerably thanks to low harmonics at the generator end.