Real-Time DSA70000 Models Offer Unsurpassed Performance Essential for Development of Next Generation Products for the New Digital World

BEAVERTON, Ore.—Tektronix, Inc., a leading worldwide provider of test, measurement and monitoring instrumentation, announced the introduction of the industry's first ultra-high performance oscilloscope with 20 GHz real-time bandwidth and 50 GS/s simultaneous sampling rate. The DSA70000 Digital Serial Analyzer (DSA) oscilloscope family includes several new models—20 GHz DSA72004, 16 GHz DSA71604 and 12.5 GHz DSA71254. These new products provide unmatched performance and analysis and extend the Real-Time DPO performance platform introduced last summer with 4GHz-8GHz DSA models. The DSA70000 series offers more four-channel performance than any alternative oscilloscopes and are ideal for the high-speed serial data applications of today and tomorrow. The new Tektronix oscilloscopes are an integral part of the new high-speed serial data test bench (see separate release), and will foster development of next generation products for the new digital world.

New generations of consumer, computing, communications, and video products and systems are emerging that use faster, wider information buses and interconnects—often using serial data architectures—within the underlying semiconductors and IC components. Ultra-high performance oscilloscopes are required to capture the frequency harmonics of high-speed serial signals to make accurate and repeatable measurements. The DSA71000 and DSA72000 oscilloscopes provide support on all channels for ultra-high bandwidth, deep memory, fast sample rate, and fast waveform capture rate. This is especially valuable for high speed multi-lane serial data architectures where multi-channel analysis is needed for lane skew timing violations. The models are ideal for design engineers developing and testing state-of-the-art serial data applications, including PCI-Express 2, SATA 3, FB-DIMM II, HDMI 1.3, and 10Gbit/s Ethernet.

"The need for high-end test equipment continues to escalate in keeping with market demands driving greater performance," said Colin Shepard, Vice President, Performance Oscilloscopes, Tektronix. "Engineers need an oscilloscope that is free of compromises, that has leading specifications to keep pace with the performance curve, and that provides a complete, efficient and productive test solution. The new DSA70000 models are the best real-time oscilloscopes yet developed, delivering the performance our customers need for high-speed multi-lane serial data applications and processor buses. The new oscilloscopes provide the most extensive analysis and compliance measurements available and reinforce the Tektronix track record of innovation with the right technologies at the right time for the market."

The new digital real-time (DRT) models provide the best combination of performance with 12.5 GHz, 16 GHz, and 20 GHz version, 50 GS/s maximum sample rate per channel, and up to 200M memory across all four channels. A FastAcq acquisition mode waveform capture rate greater than 300,000 per second " about 1000 times faster than any competing alternative—with the DPX parallel architecture signal processor yields both critical insight into signal behavior and in-depth analysis. The unequaled combination of DRT and DPO ultra-high performance on four channels simultaneously provides engineers with the industry-leading attributes they need for the most demanding test challenges.

Innovative Engineering and Technology Are at the Core

Faster than any other, the new real-time oscilloscopes share a new generation scalable performance platform first introduced less than a year ago that makes broad use of IBM 7HP silicon germanium (SiGe) technology. The 7HP SiGe technology offers peak performance for applications requiring high speed transfer of data, low noise, high linearity and low power consumption.

"The new DSA70000 oscilloscopes are the ultra-high performance products that Tektronix envisioned when work began several years ago with IBM on a 7HP silicon germanium implementation," said David Harame, director of enablement and IBM fellow, Systems and Technology Group, IBM. "The results of the collaboration are a test and measurement platform for the future, apparent in these transformational products. The new DSA70000 products provide industry leading multi-channel performance, a requirement for design engineers developing next generation products."

This level of performance is necessary for emerging 2nd and 3rd generation serial data technologies. At 50 GS/s and 200M record length, an engineer can capture more than 4 ms of data, ensuring the best resolution at full performance compared to alternative products. The 20 GHz DSA72004 provides 3rd harmonic measurements for data rates up to 12 Gb/s and 5th harmonic measurements on signals running up to 8 Gb/s. This performance satisfies the signal integrity measurement and compliance requirements of the fastest chip-to-chip serial bus architectures.

Digital Serial Analyzer Models Provide Advanced Serial Data Test Capabilities

With the DSA70000, Tektronix provides the performance and functionality most needed by design and test engineers working with high-speed serial data buses including the best multi-layer analysis tools for the debug and validation of single and multi-lane signals. The DSA70000 series instruments include leading Serial Compliance, Jitter and Timing Analysis tools that provide patented software clock recovery, RT-Eye Serial Compliance and Analysis Software, and a full battery of standard-specific parametric measurements. The DSA70000 also includes hardware serial pattern triggering up to 3.125 Gbit/s.

Engineers can add options for domain expertise that provide specific Pass/Fail waveform mask and measurement limit testing in conformance with industry-acknowledged standards. The DSA70000 models can be optioned with the industry's broadest range of automated software applications to speed pass/fail testing to industry standards. The analysis software provides jitter measurements for most key timing parameters required by high-speed serial data standards, and offers the greatest accuracy and lowest jitter noise measurements for the highest available bandwidth, 4-channel real time oscilloscope on the market.

Full Fidelity to the Probe Tip

Many customer applications require connecting to signals through high bandwidth probes. Connecting these probes to the scope changes the overall response of the scope and probe system. The DSA70000 models offer user selectable DSP that compensates for connection of the P7313 Z-Active differential probe with the High Bandwidth Straight Flex Tip-Clip Assembly so that the full potential performance of the system is achieved with the probe attached. The same advantages of bandwidth enhancement—flat signal response, linear phase response, and matched channels—and noise reduction now extend all the way to the probe tip. With this new feature, any signal applied at the probe tip has the same fidelity as if it were connected directly to the scope input. Engineers now have the ability of connecting to their signals with the P7313, directly via high frequency cables, or a mix of both at the same time, and retain full system performance and fidelity. Full bandwidth to the tip support for more probes and tips, including the new P7513 and P7516 probes will be available within the next several months.

New Models Transform Oscilloscope Portfolio

With this announcement, there are now DSA70000 models ranging from the 4 GHz DSA70404 to the 20 GHz DSA72004 designed for serial data applications. These share the same basic platform with the DPO7000 and DPO70000 models designed for advanced digital test, beginning with 500 MHz DPO7054. Also now available are new DPO70000 models, also ranging from 12.5 GHz to 20 GHz. All together there are 16 new oscilloscope models introduced within the last year based upon this new generation architecture, a complete transformation of the mid-range and high-end Tektronix oscilloscopes. Pricing

U.S. list prices for the 12.5 GHz DPO71254 begin at $88,500. DSA71254 Digital Serial Analyzer models begin at $99,500. Shipments of the new models are expected to begin in the first calendar quarter, 2007.

Tektronix's DSA70000 family of deep-memory oscilloscopes includes its top-of-the-line 20-GHz DSA72004, as well as a 12.5-GHz model called the DSA71254, and a 16-GHz DSA71604 model.

All three DSAs (digital serial analyzers) provide full bandwidth, full sample rates, and full record lengths on all four channels, letting you examine four lanes of serial data without tradeoffs.

Essentially you're getting four separate analog-to-digital conversion channels in one box. The screen image here shows four zoomed channels, all displayed at the same time.

In addition, Tek's latest P7500 tri-mode probe family adds innovation. More on these probes in a moment.

Matched Multi-Lane Performance

Let's look at the top-drawer DSA72004 as an example. It gives you 20-GHz bandwidth (16-GHz analog) on all four channels simultaneously, 50-Gsample/s A/D sampling on all four channels simultaneously, and a 200-meg record length on all four channels simultaneously.

Most first-generation serial buses operate with data rates in the range between 2.5-Gbits/s and 3.125-Gbits/s, rates that would seem to be within reach of a 4-GHz or 5-GHz scope. But signal fidelity measurements, especially those for risetime, demand higher bandwidth.

Taking The Fifth

Many standards require an oscilloscope to accurately capture, at a transmitter's pins, the fifth harmonic of the fundamental frequency of a bus. This ensures risetime measurement accuracy within 5%. With first-gen PCI Express, for example, its 2.5-Gbit/s data rate equates to a fundamental frequency of 1.25-GHz.

Multiplying this by a factor of five yields a bandwidth requirement of 6.25-GHz, with a sample rate of at least twice that frequency. As such, some standards bodies, are now actually citing the specific bandwidth that must be available in a scope to capture the fifth harmonic.

The high sample-rate on all channels of Tek's latest scopes should make it a cinch to capture fast edges and see signal details, transients, and other imperfections in multi-lane systems. A DSA7000 can also capture the fifth harmonic of a clock, providing the accuracy needed to characterize and analyze fast risetime signals. As a result, you get more margin to ensure accurate results.

Realtime Triggering

Tek's Pinpoint realtime triggering, based on the SiGe (silicon-germanium) process technology mentioned in its press release (on the left), ensures trigger sensitivity up to the bandwidth of the scope. Pinpoint triggering exhibits trigger jitter of just 1-ps, and permits less than 150-ps of glitch resolution.

Pinpoint triggering also lets you select all trigger types on both A and B trigger circuits. Pinpoint triggering can capture very narrow glitches with low trigger jitter.

In contrast, other trigger systems typically offer multiple trigger types only on a single event (the A event), with delayed trigger (the B event) selection limited to edge type triggering. What's more, they often don't provide a way to re-set your trigger sequence if the B event doesn't occur.

Tek's Pinpoint triggering, on the other hand, provides a suite of trigger types on both A and B triggers, with Re-set triggering to begin the trigger sequence again after a specified time, state, or transition. With that, events in complex signals can be readily captured. Pinpoint triggering also gives you over 1400 trigger combinations.

DSA70000 Series scopes also give you a way to reduce the bandwidth to match the needs of a particular device or bus protocol, reducing the effects of out-of-band noise on measurements. You can purchase one instrument for your highest bandwidth needs, and then optimize it to handle lower-frequency measurements. Let's see how that works.

User-Controllable DSP

Tektronix's press statement refers to the DSA70000's DSP (digital signal processing), as a means to resolve bandwidth optimization tradeoffs. In use, a bandwidth dial can apply DSP-based filtering on one of these scope's inputs, limiting its response above a chosen filter frequency. When the dial is used, the instrument's roll-off characteristics, flatness, and phase linearity are maintained within the new frequency range.

Using that, a 16-GHz DSA71604, for example, can operate as an 8-GHz scope. You might use it for troubleshooting a PCI Express 1.0 application. With its bandwidth reduced, the scope can work at a lower bandwidth without introducing noise from frequency bands beyond the range of interest.

The bandwidth dial can also be called into play if you're using a probe that has lower bandwidth than the oscilloscope. The bandwidth dial can help remove noise that exists beyond the capability of the probe. This makes the scope and probe into a system, with uniform bandwidth all the way out to the probe tip.

Significantly, the bandwidth dial isn't accomplished by reducing the scope's sample rate. It's entirely a DSP filtering function that affects the response of the analog signal path in a controlled way.

Enhancing The Hardware

DSP is used by Tektronix to provide other benefits across the oscilloscope acquisition system, enhancing the hardware in a number of ways. DSP is used to enhance channel matching and signal-to-noise ratio, for example.

DSP also ensures flat frequency magnitude response and phase linearity. DSP smoothes irregularities, leveling response throughout the specified bandwidth.

As such, a 12-GHz DSA71254 can let a signal with a frequency of 10 GHz be captured with fundamentally the same degree of accuracy as a signal running at 100 MHz. A DSA71254 also offers the same response characteristics over its rated bandwidth as does the top-end DSA72004 with its 20 GHz of bandwidth.

Frequency roll-off characteristics are also tailored using DSP. The goal is to control the rate at which the response declines, in order to provide optimum balance between preserving transient response and reducing out-of-band noise.

A roll-off that's too gradual permits more high-frequency noise components into the measurement band. A roll-off that's too steep can attenuate high frequencies that are needed for smooth transient response. DSA70000 Series DSP makes it possible to accurately control the slope of the roll-off, and achieve an optimized balance between noise rejection and transient response.

DSP is also used for channel matching. With DSP controlling the response of every channel, each channel is calibrated to the same ideal response characteristics. Every channel in any DSA70000 Series scope is closely matched with all its companions in the instrument line.

Moreover, step response across four channels is virtually identical. This behavior is valuable when making pseudo-differential measurements, or channel-to-channel measurements on multi-lane serial buses.

Also, every channel in any DSA70000 Series is accurately matched with every other channel in that same model, whether the channels are within one instrument or in multiple units. This ensures repeatability in tests performed with different instruments, even at different physical sites.

The Probes

Now, let's look at Tek's P7500 Z-Active probes. As I mentioned earlier, two models are billed by Tektronix as tri-mode probes. They're tri-mode because they support single-ended measurement, differential measurement, and common-mode measuremsnts—all with one probe connection. One family member (the P7513) is a 13-GHz model; the P7516 extends bandwidth to 16-GHz.

Before the advent of the P7500 you'd probably be using one probe for differential measurements, and two separate single probes for single-ended measurements (look at the above image).

Or, if you're soldering to your board under test, you'd have to solder and re-solder three times. Yuk.

One of Tek's P7500 probes, on the other hand, can be soldered to the plus, the minus, and the ground of a differential signal line. Moreover, these mechanically intriguing probes include micrometric adjustable spacing. Just turn a small knob and the tip spacing can be varied.

You can probe three points simultaneously and make three different kinds of measurements with one probe and one set-up! Check it out (image).

The probe bodies of the P7513 and P7516s are also streamlined so that several probes can fit into confined spaces that heretofore may have been impossible. You also get interchangeable tip modules.

Miniature solder-in tips and interchangeable extension cables can help you get into difficult areas. A needle-nose handheld style probe module can also be used for both fixtured and handheld applications.

Simultaneously Probing

One new module lets you simultaneously probe several adjacent BGA (ball grid array) points with multiple fixtured probes. The needle-nose module also provides a solder-in option that provides ground and signal connections with replaceable tips. Pricing for these probes begins at $11,000.

As serial data technologies such as PCI Express and SATA III move into second-generation (so-called Gen 2) iterations, it becomes challenging to validate signal integrity. The problem is worsened by the fact that worldwide standards organizations are still refining the requirements for many serial data specs. Changes are in store that will impact interoperability and conformance testing.

Obviously, design and debug efficiency can be critical determinants of a design's success, as well as hitting critical time-to-market (read time-to-money) windows. That's where Tektronix's latest Digital Serial Analyzer oscilloscope family comes in. It's intended to provide the performance needed for Gen 2 designs, letting you mold your strategies as the specs evolve.

Hang Onto Your Hat

Compared to Tek's predecessor DPX scopes, the DSA70000 DSAs operate at fifty times the sample rate, twenty times the bandwidth, and with 100-fold record lengths to dish up over 300,000 waveforms/s. When you consider Tek's RT-Eye Serial Compliance and Analysis Software, and the standard-specific parametric measurements these scopes can handle, they add up to quite a package.

Click here to access a DSA70000 datasheet.

For more details contact Tektronix, Inc., 14150 S.W. Karl Braun Dr., PO Box 500, M/S 50-216, Beaverton, Ore. 97077-0001. Phone: 503-627-3485. Fax: 503-627-3678.

Tektronix, 503-627-3485, www.tektronix.com