65 GHz oscilloscope targets PCIe and USB-C testing

Also launched was the SDA8000HD, a variant targeting serial data analysis needs, SDA Expert, an enhanced serial data analysis software package for testing next generation serial data technologies, and new probes.

At the heart of this oscilloscope launch is the increase of speed in serial data technologies. — PCI Express (PCIe) 6.0 delivers a 64 gigatransfer per second (GT/s) data rate while USB4 Specification v2.0 delivers 80 gigabits per second (Gbps).

Both new standards use multi-level pulse-amplitude-modulation (PAM) signals. The increase in speed and the use of multi-level signaling requires both increased oscilloscope bandwidth and resolution. Serial data link complexity is also increasing through the use of dynamic link equalization, negotiation, training and handshaking operations to establish and maintain the highest transfer rates.

Some of these operations are performed over parallel low-speed serial data links using a combination of physical layer signals and protocol communications.

According to Patrick Connolly, Teledyne LeCroy’s product marketing manager, the new WaveMaster 8000HD series high-bandwidth oscilloscopes provide exceptional signal characterization performance for next-generation serial data technologies, such as PCIe 6.0 and USB4 Specification v2.0.

The new oscilloscope more than doubles the bandwidth and sample rate of its predecessor, and provides four times more resolution and acquisition memory compared to competitive oscilloscopes — with 12-bit resolution at full bandwidth and sample rate and up to 8 Gpts of acquisition memory. 12 bits of resolution provides exceptional signal characterization of the multi-level PAM3 and PAM4 signals used in USB4 Specification v2.0 and PCIe 6.0, respectively, and 8 Gpts significantly enhances debug of link negotiation problems.

WaveMaster 8000HD also offers several capabilities to meet the requirements of complex link and high-speed embedded system debugging including:

• Seamlessly merge the functions of the WaveMaster 8000HD oscilloscope with a Teledyne LeCroy PCIe or USB protocol analyzer using CrossSync PHY cross-layer analysis to provide unique insight into high-speed link behaviours.
• Easily 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.
• Utilize any of more than 20 low-speed serial triggers and decoders — making it easier to perform low-speed and high-speed debug on the same oscilloscope.
• Capture digital signals with digital logic (mixed-signal) inputs up to 500 MHz clock rate built in to the WaveMaster 8000HD oscilloscope, with options to add the HDA125 High-speed Digital Analyzer to digitally acquire signals up to 6 Gb/s — especially useful for DDR memory signal acquisition, decoding and read/write separation as part of DDR debug and compliance testing.
• Observe and debug link errors over exceptionally long durations using up to 8 Gpts acquisition memory.

The new WaveMaster 8000HD oscilloscopes also provide comprehensive serial data expertise for next-generation serial data technology characterization and compliance verification. The new SDA Expert software option provide simplified expertise with tailored technology analysis for PCIe, USB, DisplayPort and more, as well as containing powerful PAM and non-return-to-zero (NRZ) eye diagram, jitter and link analysis tools.

QualiPHY test packages provide simple compliance test automation for complex high-speed serial data interfaces. All these serial data test capabilities are especially useful for next-generation PCIe 6.0, USB4, USB4 Specification v2.0 and DisplayPort over USB-C.

As Patrick Connolly notes, the automation set creates an awful lot of data. “That’s why we have included a really good PC platform.” It offers 64GBit of RAM, and adds Connolly, “RAM was really important to help with internal processing and the third party analysis software supplied by standards bodies. That can be heavy on the oscilloscope’s resources so having this PC platform, based on Intel’s i7 processor, enables faster waveform processing.”

“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 Corporation.  “Solutions like those from Teledyne LeCroy are vital to the ecosystems that fuel the rapid innovations occurring in these markets.”

“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.”