== NeoScan vs. Conventional Near-Field Scanning Systems ==
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[[NeoScan]] provides a unique and highly superior alternative to the conventional near-field scanning systems. Some of the very attractive features of the [[NeoScan]] probes are:
== One System for Both Near & Far Field Characterization ==
{{#ev:youtube|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5KjauYge5o|500550|right|<b>VIDEO</b>: Mapping the near-fields of a 64-element X-band patch antenna array with a corporate feed network.|frame}}
[[NeoScan]]'s non-invasive electro-optic probes have made it possible to directly measure and map the aperture-level fields of a radiating antenna. When dealing with radiating systems, mapping the near fields can have two different purposes. For the purpose of far-field radiation pattern estimation, you don't want to get too close to the surface of the antenna to avoid picking up all the reactive fields and evanescent modes. If you do so, you will need a rather high spatial resolution to capture the field variations with very precise details. On the other hand, for the purpose of diagnostic near-field mapping, you do need a very high spatial resolution and you want to maintain the field probe as close as possible to the surface of the antenna under test. [[NeoScan]] does both jobs for you and meets both sets of requirements with one system and the same probes.
Far-field characterization of ultra-wideband antenna systems is a very challenging task. Whether you use an anechoic chamber or a conventional near-field scanning system for this task, you have to utilize different types of metallic antennas with different sizes at different frequency bands in both cases. [[NeoScan]] is inherently an ultra-wideband field measurement system. Its EO field probes have cutoff frequencies well within the terahertz region. It is primarily the RF processing back end of [[NeoScan]] that currently limits its operational bandwidth.
[[NeoScan]] field probes can measure the aperture field distribution of a wideband antenna over a very large frequency range. However, far-field radiation patterns are frequency domain data by nature. They are measured and visualized at a specified frequency. Several radiation pattern plots are typically generated at different frequency bands to characterize an ultra-wideband antenna system. Using a [[NeoScan]] system for this purpose will provide the ultimate convenience of using the same measurement setup, the same AUT positioning and the same field probes to perform near-field scanning at multiple frequency bands. All you need to do is vary the frequency of the RF signal generator that feed the antenna under test.
== The Perfect Solution for Characterizing High-Power Antenna Systems ==
{{#ev:youtube|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAa-XqE9H1g|500550|right|<b>VIDEO</b>: Characterizing an X-band slotted waveguide array.| frame}}
Characterization of high-power active phased arrays is a very challenging task. Special considerations must be taken into account when measuring high-power antenna systems in an anechoic chamber including operator's safety. [[NeoScan]] probes can handle field intensities as large as 2MV/m and can even withstand higher radiated power levels. EMAG's unique probe and optical processing technology allows standoff distances as long as 50 meters between the probe location at the aperture of the high-power array and the optical mainframe and processing unit. This enables you to readily characterize very high-power antenna systems very accurately in a totally non-invasive manner without any serious safety or logistic concerns.