Signal Integrity

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Since an oscilloscope and phase noise analyzer observe jitter differently, obtaining the same value from both instruments can be challenging. This article presents a phase-noise based methodology that provides similar values as time-interval error jitter derived from an oscilloscope.

I received a demo version of a new quick and easy TDR. I decided to take it for a test drive by measuring all the cables I had lying around my lab. The results were surprising!

If performance matters, if the interconnects are not transparent, or if you want to develop good habits, you will want to incorporate these seven habits in your next two layer board design.

It is important in high-speed digital applications to decrease the form factor and increase signal density by reducing isolating metal layers, all while preserving comparable crosstalk, loss and dispersion at the frequency of interest. This paper takes a look at how you can do that by showing how coplanar waveguide with smaller form-factor outperforms stripline in isolation and coupling.

Wondering about the practical uses of the proposed IEEE P370 standard? This  paper shows some applications of the draft IEEE P370 standard in order to demonstrate its effectiveness for interconnect measurement.

The fixtures used to characterize interconnects in complex systems can have a significant effect on the measured data, read on to get the background and perspective on IEEE P370. Check out this Outstanding Paper Award Winner from EDI CON USA 2018.

Just because someone has a VNA capable of 60 GHz bandwidth doesn’t mean it will always give the same results. It is not the instrument, but the measurement procedure that seems to influence the quality of the measurements the most.  Read on for information on a recent study from Jason Ellison, Heidi Barnes, and Jose Moreira  as well as 7 tips for improving your measurements.

That’s the question that will trigger your amygdala’s fight or flight response as you encounter the many annoyances that PAM4 brings to your world. Since you’re in a lab rather than a jungle, that fight or flight response might translate into sarcastic cracks like: “Right, that higher BER requirement makes it all so much easier—not.” “Good old NRZ, those were some fine bits. Remind me why I asked for this?” And, “dear NRZ, I never knew how much I loved you until I lost you.”

While we all love increased network speed, there is an implied assumption that the backbone speeds of the internet will keep up with this rising demand placed upon it by millions of new 5G devices. PCIe 5.0 (or Gen5) represents the technology that is needed by the computer, data center, and ultimately the 5G wireless industry to enable the next generation of mobile and desktop applications. So, what is PCI Express 5.0 and how does it compare to PCI 4.0? Read on to find out.