LeCroy Debuts SDAIII-CompleteLinQ Serial Data Analysis Tools
July 6, 2012. LeCroy Corp. has announced its SDAIII-CompleteLinQ serial-data-analysis package that simultaneously performs eye, jitter, vertical noise, and crosstalk analysis on up to four lanes, allowing quick lane-to-lane comparisons.
The company notes that mobile and cloud computing applications are driving demand for higher data throughput. Existing and emerging standards, such as PCIe Gen3, 40/100GBase-R, and InfiniBand, are meeting these needs by utilizing multiple serial data lanes, as well as increasing data rates on each lane—up to 28 Gb/s—to achieve very high data throughput. However, higher-speed data rates increase the characterization, debug, and compliance test challenges on even a single lane of serial data. Determining the root cause of eye closure in the channel between the transmitter and receiver is the primary challenge. Simulating where engineers cannot place a probe or otherwise access the signal becomes critical.
The “paralleling” of high-speed serial data transmissions results in additional challenges, LeCroy notes. Crosstalk between lanes, or coupled from other sources, and other signal-integrity issues can be significant problems. Quickly and simultaneously viewing performance of multiple lanes, measuring vertical noise, and determining pattern dependency of the jitter and the noise is the key to understanding root-cause of poor system performance.
The SDAIII-CompleteLinQ extends LeCroy’s serial data analysis toolsets to include the simultaneous analysis of up to four lanes of serial data traffic. With multi-lane analysis, engineers can quickly view eye diagrams on all lanes, or they can use the multi-lane capability to analyze a single lane at multiple points using LeCroy differential probes or the VirtualProbe option. SDAIII-CompleteLinQ can also show multiple analyses of a single serial data signal – ideal for comparing different equalization schemes with the Eye Doctor II option.
SDAIII-CompleteLinQ also solves the problem of lane-to-lane-comparisons with LaneScape Comparison Mode and the new Reference Lane. Users can store and display the complete analysis of a lane into the Reference Lane and use a LaneScape display mode to compare the analysis of 1, 2, or all lanes simultaneously.
The Reference Lane allows engineers to easily perform multi-scenario testing. One such test is aggressor on/off analysis, which allows users to measure eye and jitter characteristics with a neighboring aggressor lane turned on, store this analysis to the Reference Lane, and then perform the analysis with the aggressor turned off. The Reference Lane can then be compared to other lanes using the LaneScape display mode.
The Crosstalk and CrossLinQ packages that are part of the SDAIII-CompleteLinQ product family provide vertical noise measurements and crosstalk analysis tools for complete aggressor/victim analysis. One of three dual-Dirac models can be used to measure and separate noise into total (Tn), random (Rn) and deterministic (Dn) components, and further decompose Dn into Intersymbol Interference Noise (ISIn) and Periodic Noise (Pn). The LeCroy tools can perform this analysis on real-time oscilloscopes. Similar to jitter analysis, noise can be viewed as a noise track, histogram, and spectrum, providing insight into the vertical noise resulting from coupling to other active serial data lanes or other interference sources. The Crosstalk Eye shows the probabilistic extent of noise both inside and outside the eye, quickly showing the impact of excessive noise that is not possible to see in a traditional eye diagram.
The new VirtualProbe and existing Eye DoctorII packages integrate into the SDAIII-CompleteLinQ dialog. With EyeDoctorII, users can configure transmitter emphasis and receiver equalization independently for each lane, and they can view how the eye and jitter results are affected. With VirtualProbe, users can see what the signal looks like where a probe cannot be placed, while also de-embedding fixtures and emulating channels modeled by S-parameters. When used in conjunction with the Crosstalk and CrossLinQ packages, VirtualProbe can use 8- and 12-port S-parameter models in an “XTalk” block that characterizes the coupling between multiple lanes. LeCroy SPARQ Signal Integrity Network Analyzers can make S-parameter measurements on up to 12 ports, at a fraction of the cost of a VNA.
The SDAIII-CompleteLinQ product integrates all of LeCroy’s eye, jitter, vertical noise, and crosstalk analysis features, along with the signal-integrity capabilities of EyeDoctorII and VirtualProbe.
SDAIII-CompleteLinQ products are compatible with WavePro/SDA/DDA 7 Zi/Zi-A, WaveMaster/SDA/DDA 8 Zi/Zi-A, and 9 Zi-A and 10 Zi series oscilloscopes. Existing users of these products, or of the SDAII package, can upgrade to any of the SDAIII-CompleteLinQ products.
LeCroy Corp., www.lecroy.com.