USB4 test solutions optimise design performance

A wide range of products, including smartphones, laptops, desktop computers, tablets and digital cameras, rely on next-generation high-speed digital standards.

USB4, a plug and play interface for inter-digital communication, is based on the Thunderbolt protocol specification and offers significant advantages in bandwidth, power and data delivery.

"Billions of devices worldwide rely on Synopsys DesignWare USB IP for connectivity, demonstrating our commitment to providing designers with high-quality IP for the most advanced protocol standards," said John Koeter, senior vice president of marketing and strategy for IP at Synopsys. "As the industry's only provider of a complete USB4 IP solution, Synopsys utilises Keysight's comprehensive USB4 test and debug solution to help ensure that our IP adheres to the USB-IF specifications, enabling designers to deliver compliant, interoperable products to the market faster and with significantly less risk."

To enable customers to design debug and test, Keysight offers:

• D9040USBC USB4 Transmitter Test (Tx) Software - USB4 Tx software designed to rapidly test, debug and easily characterise complex USB4 designs.
• N5991U40A USB4 Receiver Compliance Test Software – automation of complex stress signal calibration and receiver test procedures to ensure consistency and repeatability.
• N7019A USB Type-C Active Link Fixture – access to all Type-C signals in a live link to debug or decode acquired signals.
• D9010USBP USB4 Protocol Trigger and Decode - in conjunction with the Keysight's N7019A USB Type-C Active Link Fixture, offers configurable protocol-level searches and software-based triggering to debug and decode USB4 low-speed and high-speed traffic.

"With the proliferation of 5G and billions of connected devices, data center operators and device makers must find ways to ensure data throughput demands meet cost, performance and power targets," said Joachim Peerlings, vice president and general manager of Keysight's network and data center solutions group.

In accordance with the USB standard and to ensure the interoperability of USB4 devices, Keysight offers a comprehensive portfolio of high-speed digital instrumentation including:

• Keysight's UXR real-time oscilloscope, which provides accuracy in waveform representation across a wide frequency range;
• Keysight's Vector Network Analysers, which use a generated signal to analyse a network or device to deliver the accuracy needed to perform both linear and nonlinear device characterization;
• Keysight's highly integrated Bit Error Ratio Testers (BERTs), which identify errors introduced into the system when data is received, a critical capability in physical layer characterisation, validation and compliance testing.