LeCroy oscilloscopes reach 30 GHz
-- Test & Measurement World, 1/7/2009 9:00:00 AM
The oscilloscope bandwidth race has a new leader with the introduction of LeCroy’s WaveMaster 8 Zi series of oscilloscopes and SDA 8 Zi serial data analyzers, which reach 30 GHz, enough bandwidth to see the fifth harmonic of a 10-Gbps (5-GHz) signal. Both the WaveMaster and SDA lines consist of eight models, with bandwidths ranging from 4 GHz to 30 GHz. The company has also introduced two disk-drive analyzer models with 20-GHz and 25-GHz bandwidths.
The 8 Zi series is divided by bandwidth into two ranges: 4 GHz to 16 GHz and 20 GHz to 30 GHz. All models are upgradeable to higher bandwidths as necessary. Upgrading within the 4-GHz to 16-GHz range and the 20-GHz to 30-GHz range is simply a software upgrade, but a hardware upgrade is required when upgrading across the 20-GHz line. All upgrades require returning the instrument to LeCroy for servicing.
All models sample at 80 Gsamples/s on two channels and 40 Gsamples/s on four channels. Standard acquisition memory is 10 Msamples/ch on the WaveMaster series and 20 Msamples/ch for the SDA series with upgrades to 256 Msamples/ch on all models. You can interleave memory when using two channels to double the acquisition memory that’s available with four channels..
The 8 Zi series can be used with high-speed, 50-Ω active probes. For lower-bandwidth applications, however, you can use 50-Ω and 1 MΩ passive probes without adapters because the instruments provide connectors for all probes. At this time, LeCroy’s highest bandwidth probe is 13 GHz, but many applications use direct cable connections from a board-under-test to an oscilloscope. The high-frequency connectors for the 20-GHz to 30-GHz models are all microwave grade.
LeCroy achieves the 20 GHz and higher bandwidths through RF techniques. The oscilloscopes downconvert the upper half of the bandwidth to baseband before digitizing. Once digitized, the upper half is digitally upconverted, producing full-bandwidth signals for plotting and signal analysis. A single analog-input board handles all channels, including digitizers, triggers, and acquisition memory.
The WaveMaster 8Zi, SDA 8 Zi, and DDA 8 Zi preserve many features of the LeCroy 7 Zi series such as data analysis, triggering, a 15x9-in. 16:9 aspect ratio touch screen, and removable control panel. They also have a long list of options including expanded memory, computer hardware (CPU, RAM, and hard drive), GPIB port, serial-triggers, Eye Doctor virtual probing, and QualiPHY compliance software for numerous high-speed serial buses. Other software options include spectral analysis and EMC measurements.
WaveMaster price range: $59,490 for 4 GHz to $199,490 for 30 GHz. Add $10,000 for SDA models (all bandwidths) and $10,000 for disk-drive analyzers.
LeCroy, www.lecroy.com.
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