Advanced 12-Bit Oscilloscope Platform Targets PCIe and USB-C Testing
This article is part of the TechXchange: Oscilloscope Techniques.
The continued growth in both the number and complexity of interconnected embedded systems is putting pressure on systems designers to create highly functional devices and supporting data infrastructures. Verifying and ensuring both performance and compliance in an increasingly dense and crowded communications ecosystem can be a challenging task.
Addressing this demand for more powerful design and development tools, Teledyne LeCroy launched the WaveMaster 8000HD high-bandwidth, high-definition oscilloscope platform. It's available in versions offering from 20 to 65 GHz of bandwidth, 12 bits of resolution, up to a 320-Gsample/s rate, and 8 gigapoints (Gpts) of acquisition memory. In addition, the WaveMaster 8000HD adds new SDA Expert serial-data-analysis software options for testing next-generation serial-data technologies.
Serial-data technologies continue to accelerate and they use multilevel pulse-amplitude-modulation (PAM) signals, which requires both an increased oscilloscope bandwidth and resolution. The WaveMaster 8000HD oscilloscopes can handle next-generation serial-data technologies such as PCIe 6.0 and USB4 Specification v2.0 with more than doubles the bandwidth and sample rate of its predecessor.
8000HD Features and Specs
It also offers 4X more resolution and acquisition memory compared to legacy oscilloscopes. The scope's 12-bit resolution and up to 8 Gpts of acquisition memory optimizes signal characterization of multievel PAM3 and PAM4 signals used in USB4 Specification v2.0 and PCIe 6.0. And its 8 Gpts of acquisition memory enhances debug of link negotiation problems.
Features of the WaveMaster 8000HD include the ability to seamlessly merge its functions with a Teledyne LeCroy PCIe or USB protocol analyzer using CrossSync PHY cross-layer analysis, providing additional insight into high-speed link behaviors. It can also capture low-speed serial-data sideband, training, and negotiation links, power rails, and other associated signals, using nearly every 50-Ω or 1-MΩ coupled probe (including passive probes and current probes) offered by Teledyne LeCroy. Any of more than 20 low-speed serial triggers and decoders are utilized as well, to make it easier to perform low-speed and high-speed debug on the same oscilloscope.
The WaveMaster 8000HD can capture digital signals with digital logic (mixed-signal) inputs at up to a 500-MHz clock rate. Options are available to add the HDA125 high-speed digital analyzer to digitally acquire signals up to 6 Gb/s, which is especially useful for DDR memory signal acquisition, decoding, and read/write separation.
In addition, the 8000HD oscilloscope family provides comprehensive serial-data expertise for next-generation serial-data technology characterization and compliance verification. New SDA Expert software options offer simplified expertise with tailored technology analysis for PCIe, USB, DisplayPort and others, with powerful PAM and non-return-to-zero (NRZ) eye diagram, jitter, and link analysis tools. And QualiPHY test packages are equipped with simple compliance test automation for complex high-speed serial data interfaces, especially useful for next-generation PCIe 6.0, USB4, USB4 Specification v2.0, and DisplayPort over USB-C.
Testimonials
“Teledyne LeCroy high-bandwidth oscilloscopes and compliance tools have been critical to our product development process for testing our next-generation serial interfaces,” said Vivek Khanzode, Vice President, Systems Engineering at Marvell. “The ability to link the scopes to our Teledyne LeCroy protocol analyzers is invaluable for fast root-cause analysis of interoperability problems, increasing confidence and significantly reducing our time-to-market.”
“Artificial intelligence (AI), high-performance computing, and ubiquitous computing are driving the unprecedented growth of industry I/O requirements, enabled by serial-data links with increased signaling speed and complexity, such as PCI Express 6.0 and USB4 Specification v2.0”, said Jim Pappas, Director of Technology Initiatives, Intel Corp. “Solutions like those from Teledyne LeCroy are vital to the ecosystems that fuel the rapid innovations occurring in these markets.”
Read more articles in the TechXchange: Oscilloscope Techniques.
