On the need for development of the highly stable source of digitally synthesized AC voltage with increased bandwidth for metrology and diagnostic applications

Despite wide availability of AC voltage calibrators, digitally synthesized sources (DSS) in the form of function/arbitrary waveform generators (AWG) and radio-frequency (RF) generators there is still deficiency of AC voltage sources of sinusoidal voltage, able to synthesize signals from approximately 10 Hz up to hundreds of MHz with very high short-term stability of the amplitude and whose amplitude, in the order of a few volts, could be adjusted with high resolution, down to 10 −6 V/V or better. Adding the second channel could further increase the versatility and applications of the source. In this case the phase difference between sinusoidal voltages, generated by the source, should be adjustable with the resolution in the order of 10 −6 radian. Such a source could be used in numerous metrology and diagnostic applications like primary standards of AC power and energy, voltage and current (AC-DC transfer systems), fully digital or digitally-assisted impedance bridges, insulation diagnostics systems and many others. Our paper will present a review and comparison of existing sources, results of their investigation, formulation of requirements and preliminary proposals of the design of the new source.