Column Control DTX

Waveform Analysis for High-Speed Digital Communications

Application Notes

The easiest and most intuitive method for determining the quality of a digital transmitter is to observe the time domain waveform. This is typically done using an oscilloscope. When measuring high-speed digital communications, there are two main choices for oscilloscopes: A real-time oscilloscope and an equivalent time ‘sampling’ oscilloscope. There are distinct advantages for each oscilloscope architecture when compared to the other.

 

Real-time oscilloscopes:

  • Simple to trigger and operate
  • Large record lengths/deep memory
  • Advanced triggering for observation of infrequent events
  • Optimized for troubleshooting scenarios

 

Sampling oscilloscopes:

  • Extremely wide bandwidth
  • Low noise and jitter
  • Higher resolution analog-to-digital conversion
  • Lower cost

 

No oscilloscope can provide an exact replica of a waveform. This would require the instrument to have infinite bandwidth, zero residual jitter, and no internal noise. However, there are scenarios where it is important to achieve the most accurate waveform possible:

  • Design validation versus process, voltage, and temperature
  • Providing measurement data for device modeling
  • Setting product specifications

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Column Control DTX