Tektronix’s sampling oscilloscope breaks measurement barriers

Beaverton, OR—Tektronix Inc. has introduced a modular sampling oscilloscope, TDS8200, as well as its 82A04 phase reference module, to enable design engineers to characterize and validate product performance.

By Control Engineering Staff June 29, 2004

Beaverton, OR— Tektronix Inc. has introduced a modular sampling oscilloscope, TDS8200, as well as its 82A04 phase reference module, to enable design engineers to characterize and validate product performance.

The new oscilloscope can be configured to provide bandwidth to 70 GHz, and reportedly is the only single-ended and differential clock recovery system covering all current and emerging serial data standards between 50 Mbps and 12.6 Gbps. TDS8200 also offers what Tektronix reports is an industry-best system jitter of &200 fs RMS at these data rates. Because it enables designs with tighter tolerances, TDS8200 reduces costs and increases component performance.

Tektronix explains that characterizing serial data signals with embedded clocks has historically been a significant challenge. Electrical signal standards such as XAUI at 3.125 Gbps and 2x XAUI at 6.25 Gbps require instruments that can acquire these complex signals at ultra-fast data rates and be used for precise characterization. Designs with limited jitter budgets and tight timing margins need test equipment with the best signal fidelity and ability to provide accurate and repeatable results. To handle differential signals, test equipment must be flexible enough to provide true differential acquisition and clock recovery across multiple data rates. The company says its new sampling oscilloscope meets these needs.

‘Digital designers are continually pushing the limits of test and measurement equipment,’ says John Taggart, GM of Tektronix’s Electro Optical Products division. ‘TDS8200 and 82A04 represent unparalleled flexibility and a leap forward for acquisition and characterization of serial data signals from 2 to 12.5 Gbps. For the fastest and most demanding applications, customers can obtain the most accurate test results using TDS8200 Series measurement system.’

Tektronix adds that TDS8200 improves on earlier models by providing system jitter of &200 fs RMS. This improved measurement system fidelity can eliminate false test failures, and enables more accurate characterization of design tolerances, which increases component performance and reduces costs. TDS8200 acquires data up to 25 times faster than competing solutions, while measuring in low-jitter timebase phase reference mode.

Using FrameScan, Tektronix’s exclusive acquisition mode, TDS8200 allows measuring of random and deterministic jitter. These new oscilloscope features help engineers perform accurate, repeatable compliance testing of high-speed, low-power differential signals with the capability to trigger on embedded clocks, facilitating creation of new products.

“As the speed of our designs increases, the eye closure associated with the 1 ps RMS system jitter of instruments on the market is becoming a significant issue,’ says William George, ON Semiconductor’s senior operations VP and chief manufacturing officer. ‘TDS8200 with the 82A04 phase reference module is the only measurement system that us &200 fs RMS system jitter and adequate bandwidth to accurately characterize our new 6 Gbps designs. This capability enables us to stay ahead of competitors and bring products to market faster. TDS8200 is the ‘golden reference’ for testing emerging serial data standards.’

In addition, with the 80A05 electrical clock recovery module, TSD8200 also provides the only differential clock recovery solution for all current and emerging serial data standards from 50 Mbps to 12.6 Gbps. Tektronix adds that it’s also the industry’s only clock recovery solution for differential and single-ended signals at 3-6 Gbps. Emerging standards in this space include XAUI, 2x XAUI and SATA2. When combined with the 80E0x electrical signal acquisition module, the measurement system provides a complete electrical signal analysis and clock recovery solution for differential and single-ended signals.

Besides standard rate support, users can specify custom bit rates to test devices, modules and systems running at emerging or non-standard rates, enabling users to work within data ranges. The wide clock recovery range and support for user-specified bit-rates, all in one module, provides a complete clock recovery solution for testing computer and communications signaling rates and standards.

Control Engineering Daily News DeskJim Montague, news editorjmontague@reedbusiness.com