Temperature Sensitivity of Power Sensors

With almost all electronic devices, temperature impacts performance. This is particularly critical when the device is part of a measuring instrument. RF & µW power sensors are used to ensure the validity of test systems by providing accurate power measurements across a broad frequency ranges and power levels. However, power sensor measurement accuracy has been very susceptible to minor variations in temperature with errors easily exceeding 50%. These errors are mitigated by requiring the user to manually zero and calibrate the sensor before use. This process hasn’t changed in over 50 years. It must be performed repeatedly or any time ambient temperature changes +/-5 Degrees C. This white paper discusses the Temperature Sensitivity of Power Sensors.