Oscilloscope Module for 10-Gbps to 32-Gbps Designs

January 31, 2012. Agilent Technologies today at DesignCon introduced the 86108B precision waveform analyzer, a new plug-in module for the company's 86100C/D DCA wide-bandwidth oscilloscope family, which serves engineers involved in design verification and validation of high-speed electrical communications systems and components. It offers residual jitter below 50 femtoseconds, channel bandwidths to 50 GHz, and integrated clock recovery to 32 Gbps.

Continuous data-rate coverage from 50 Mbps to 32 Gbps, peaking control, and adjustable loop bandwidths to 20 MHz also allow the clock recovery circuit to provide a golden PLL response for accurate and compliant device characterization. An integrated instrumentation-grade clock recovery circuit allows the module to trigger directly from single-ended or differential data signals, eliminating the need for a separate trigger input. The module also integrates high-bandwidth pickoffs and phase-matched cables, which reduce setup complexity, maintain signal integrity, and make it easy for users to start making accurate measurements quickly.

Agilent says the instrument will serve engineers testing IEEE 802.3ba (40-Gb/100-Gb Ethernet), Optical Internetworking Forum CEI 3.0, INCITS T-11 32G Fibre Channel, and high-speed proprietary systems. As data rates increase to 28 Gbps and beyond, accurate component characterization becomes more difficult. Cabling to instrumentation degrades signal integrity, and performance margins are consumed due to non-ideal measurement systems. The 86108B’s integrated precision timebase and clock recovery design, with typical residual jitter below 50 fs rms, enable it to minimize potential problems, the company said.

Prices start at $80,000. Agilent Technologies, www.agilent.com/find/86108B