At IMS 2026 everything RF met with Yunsheng Li (Patrick), Team Lead of Applications Engineering at Copper Mountain Technologies. At their booth the company showcased its new BFx-02 Frequency Extension Base, a platform designed to extend vector network analyzer (VNA) measurements into the millimeter-wave and terahertz frequency ranges. During the demonstration, Patrick showed us how the BFx-02 can be paired with external frequency extenders to support measurements up to 1.08 THz, enabling high-frequency characterization for advanced wireless, aerospace, defense, semiconductor, and research applications.
The BFx-02 does not perform measurements on its own but instead interfaces with external frequency extenders, allowing engineers to operate across the frequency range supported by the extenders. The demonstration showcased measurement capabilities up to 1.08 THz and highlighted the unit's ability to deliver up to 20 dBm of output power for both RF and local oscillator (LLO) signals, with a base frequency range extending to 20 GHz. Patrick also highlighted that the platform is designed to support a broad range of frequency extenders available on the market.
The BFx-02 is a patent-pending frequency extension platform designed to simplify and reduce the cost of millimeter-wave S-parameter measurements. Rather than relying on a full-featured vector network analyzer for frequency-extension architectures, the BFx-02 serves as a dedicated frequency extension base that provides the RF and LO signals required to drive external frequency extenders while processing the returned IF signals. This purpose-built architecture reduces system complexity, lowers the number of potential points of failure, and enables more streamlined mmWave and terahertz measurement setups. The platform is compatible with third-party frequency extenders and can be used in applications such as automotive radar testing, 5G beamforming, satellite communications, telecommunications infrastructure, aerospace and defense systems, and semiconductor component characterization.
The BFx-02 operates from 4 to 20 GHz at the base unit level and provides up to 20 dBm RF and LO output power to drive long cable runs and frequency extender systems. The platform includes Copper Mountain Technologies' S2VNA software, which supports linear and logarithmic sweeps, multiple trace formats, marker functions, limit testing, and test automation through environments such as Python, MATLAB, LabVIEW, and .NET. By decoupling mmWave measurements from the traditional VNA architecture, Copper Mountain Technologies positions the BFx-02 as an affordable and scalable solution for high-frequency R&D, automated test equipment (ATE), OEM integration, and production test environments.
