DDR4 Parametric Test Reference Solution

Keysight Technologies

DDR4 Parametric Test Reference Solution

Solution Brochure

The DDR4 parametric test reference solution provides complete R&D and system development solution performing turn-on, integration, validation and compliance testing.

Next-Generation DDR4 Parametric Test Challenges

As the DDR technology increases in data rate, the need for signal integrity test and margin characterization becomes crucial. Engineers who work on high-end computing and server applications need a faster and more efficient way to turn on and debug their DDR4 system. The challenges that these engineers face when designing their DDR4 system include:

• Validating signal integrity design measurements as specified in the JEDEC DDR4 specification
• Characterizing design for optimized margin
• Full debug capability to locate problem areas

DDR4 parametric test reference solution

The DDR4 parametric test reference solution is a combination of hardware and software that includes probes, an oscilloscope and automated compliance test and debug software for engineers to test, debug and characterize their DDR4 designs. Signal integrity is crucial for memory system interoperability. Reference clock jitter measurements help you ensure that jitter is well within the specifications, which is the key to reliable and interoperable modular memory systems. Electrical and timing characteristics of other signals are also critical to ensure the memory system functions correctly and stays error free. The data jitter measurements enable characterization of jitter to determine the data valid window.

With the DDR4 compliance test application, you can use the same oscilloscope you use for everyday debugging to perform automated testing and margin analysis based on the JEDEC electrical and timing specifications. The application automatically configures the oscilloscope for each test and provides informative results. It includes margin analysis indicating how close your device comes to passing or failing the test for each specification. Some of the difficulties in performing the tests are connecting to the target device, configuring the oscilloscope, performing the tests and analyzing the measured results. The DDR4 compliance test application does most of this work for you. If you discover a problem with your device, the DDR4 debug tool is available to aid in root-cause analysis.

Hardware

Instruments

MSOV134A Mixed Signal Oscilloscope: 13 GHz, 4 analog plus 16 digital channels

Achieve clarity faster with bandwidth upgradability to 33 GHz for best investment protection. Maximize eye height measurements with the least amount of noise contribution from the oscilloscope. See the truest jitter performance of your design with the lowest 100 fs oscilloscope intrinsic jitter. Debug some of your most difficult designs with the industry’s longest hardware serial trigger.

1169A InfiniiMax II probe amplifier

InfiniiMax II Series 1169A 12 GHz probing system is designed to be used with DSO91204A and DSO91304A Infiniium oscilloscopes. It provides real-time bandwidth to 12 GHz specified and has 13 GHz typical performance. The innovative InfiniiMax probing system supports even the most demanding mechanical access requirements without sacrificing performance.

E2677B InfiniiMax 12 GHz differential solder-in probe head

E2677A InfiniiMax differential solder-in probe head and accessories include 20 full-bandwidth and 10 medium-bandwidth damping resistors.

N2115A DDR4 BGA interposer

The N2115A DDR4 BGA interposers provide signal access to the clock, strobe, data, address and command signals to the DDR4 BGA package for making electrical and timing measurements with an Infiniium oscilloscope. With the DDR4 JEDEC specification defined at the DRAM ballout, the BGA probe adapter provides direct signal access to BGA package for true compliance testing.

The N2115A DDR4 BGA interposers are soldered between the DRAM and PC board or DIMM raw card where the DRAM would normally be soldered. They are designed with the PCB or DIMM footprint on the bottom side and the DRAM footprint on the top side. The signals from the memory controller chip and DRAM are then passed directly to the top side of the BGA probe adapter where they can be accessed with the oscilloscope probes.

DDR4 Parametric Test Software

The DDR4 parametric test software offers several features to simplify the validation of your designs:

• N5465A InfiniiSim waveform transformation tool to perform probe correction on N2114A or N2115A DDR4 BGA interposer.
• N6462A-1FP DDR4 compliance test software setup wizard for quick setup, configuration and test for compliance testing.
• N6462A-3FP DDR4 debug tool allows for navigation to areas of interest in a saved set of waveforms with JEDEC measurement for pre- and post-compliance testing, which includes electrical, timing and multiple eye diagram analysis.
• E2688A serial data analysis tool and N8834A EZJIT complete software provides BER contour analysis capability for accurate data valid window measurement.
• N5414B InfiniiScan+ provides read and write trigger capability.

N5465A InfiniiSim waveform transformation tool for N2114A/15A DDR4 BGA interposer probe correction

The use of a BGA interposer at higher speeds like DDR4 and LPDDR4 would require probe correction to ensure accurate representation of the signal on the oscilloscope. This can be done with InfiniiSim, which is a waveform transformation toolset software that allows users to build a transfer function file based on the filter that is applied to correct the frequency response of the BGA interposer. You can build the transfer function file for each signal with a “Remove loading effects of a DDR interposer and probe” preset available with the InfiniiSim tool.