Agilent Technologies' InfiniiSim Waveform Transformation Software Lets Engineers View Waveforms Anywhere in High-Speed Digital Systems

High-speed serial buses now regularly exceed 2 Gb/s. At these rates, system losses and distortions in the channel before the oscilloscope measurement point prevent accurate assessment of device performance. Oscilloscope probes also affect the signal, and many specifications require a standard channel loss model to be included in device compliance measurements. The Agilent InfiniiSim waveform transformation software allows engineers to model existing loss and distortion factors when they acquire data and to mathematically consider them in rendering waveforms anywhere in the modeled circuit. The analysis extends to simulated circuits and to transformations between actual and simulated circuits. The InfiniiSim software gives test engineers an accurate view of voltage waveforms that they previously could not probe or display on an oscilloscope.

The InfiniiSim software enables engineers to overcome the challenges of high-speed digital verification by focusing the measurement point precisely:

* Engineers can validate their integrated circuits to the pins and even to the die itself.
* Board integrators can achieve correlation by measuring at the board or digital interface level and transforming acquired waveforms to the pins of an IC where the IC vendor sets specifications.
* System engineers can use the software to correlate with component vendors and to perform stress tests or what if analysis that gives them more confidence in their designs and better design margins.

The InfiniiSim waveform transformation software includes templates for common use models, including two templates for channel insertion and removal, and one for eliminating probe loading. A general-purpose template provides further flexibility -- using the same user interface -- to define complex systems.

The InfiniiSim waveform transformation toolset is fully integrated into the oscilloscope channel setup of the Infiniium 9000 and 90000 Series oscilloscopes, which minimizes software overhead and allows engineers to take advantage of the 90000 Series' industry-leading noise floor specifications. The 90000 Series' low noise floor is critical, as waveform transformation commonly accentuates high-frequency content, which amplifies oscilloscope noise in the accentuated band. The 90000 Series' low-noise performance is complemented by its deep memory and flat frequency response, which also are the best in the industry.

This waveform transformation software ushers in a new era of validation and insight for engineers who use high-performance oscilloscopes, said Scott Sampl, vice president and general manager of Agilent's oscilloscope organization. Merging system modeling with award-winning Infiniium oscilloscopes allows engineers to confidently measure and verify complex systems. Our customers will be able to remove the performance ambiguity caused by system losses at high data rates. This is the type of product that has made Agilent the fastest-growing major oscilloscope vendor in the market.

Agilent's InfiniiSim waveform transformation toolset complements other Infiniium 9000 and 90000 Series software such as E2681A EZJIT and N5400A EZJIT Plus jitter packages, N5461A equalization software, and E2688A serial data analysis software. The software can be ordered in basic and advanced packages as Option 13 or 14 with the purchase of new 9000 or 90000 Series oscilloscopes. It is also available as a server-based license as N5435A-026 (basic) or N5435A-027 (advanced).