Thermoelectric against Bolometric Microwave Power Standard

This paper presents a comparison of the microwave power standard based on thermoelectric sensors against the same standard based on bolometric sensors. Measurements have been carried out with the classical twin-type microcalorimeter, fitted with 7 mm feeding lines and in the frequency band 0.05 – 18 GHz. An appropriate measurand definition is recalled for both standard types. A system accuracy assessment is performed applying the Gaussian error propagation through the same mathematical models that interpret the microcalorimeter response in each case. The results highlight advantages and drawbacks of each power standard.