S-parameter measurements added to scope platform

28th January 2014

Keysight Technologies (formerly Agilent)

Mick Elliott

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Datasheet

Agilent Technologies has introduced the N1055A 35/50GHz (8ps) time-domain reflectometry and transmission module for the Agilent 86100D DCA-X platform. The module provides fast, accurate impedance and S-parameter measurements on high-speed designs that have up to 16 ports. On next-generation digital communication systems such as IEEE 802.3ba/bj/bm (40-Gb/100-Gb Ethernet), engineers face significant challenges, such as assessing crosstalk across many channels and controlling impedance at faster edge speeds.

The 86100D DCA-X oscilloscope mainframe can be configured with one to four N1055A TDR/TDT plug-in modules to provide a 2- to 16-channel TDR/TDT measurement system that is both economical and accurate. The 2/4 port TDR/TDT remote heads can be configured with a sampler bandwidth of 35GHz or 50GHz, providing single-ended and differential measurement capability, including True-Mode stimulus functionality.

High TDR resolution is essential for accurately characterising complex high-speed structures such as connectors, interconnects and printed circuit boards that must operate at data rates to 28Gbps and beyond. With TDR step edge speeds as fast as 8ps and receiver bandwidths of 50GHz, the DCA-TDR solution resolves the magnitude and location of impedance discontinuities with unmatched performance.

With Agilent 86100D Option 202 enhanced impedance and S-parameter analysis software, scattering parameters (S-parameters) are generated in real time within the oscilloscope and simultaneously displayed with time domain results. The N1055A’s fast rise time enables calibrated S-parameter measurements to 50GHz and above. The high-channel-count capability of the DCA-TDR solution also helps to minimize cable reconnections and facilitate more efficient near-end crosstalk and far-end crosstalk measurements in both R&D and high-volume test applications.

TDR/TDT calibration dramatically enhances measurement accuracy by removing systematic imperfections in the instrumentation as well as the impact of adapters, cables and fixtures used to connect to the DUT. The DCA-TDR solution achieves a significant breakthrough for accuracy and ease-of-use with its support for electronic calibration (ECal) modules, leveraging an advanced calibration technique originally developed for vector network analysers. A special Agilent N4694A DC 67-GHz ECal module was developed for the DCA-TDR to let users calibrate and de-skew channels and TDR modules quickly. The result is a fully integrated TDR/TDT/S-parameter measurement system that provides calibrated results on up to 16 channels in real-time.