Agilent Technologies Inc. has introduced significant industry-first, built-in impedance and S-parameter software for its 86100C Infiniium digital communication analyzer (DCA-J), the industry's leading wide-bandwidth oscilloscope with jitter analysis and now also the most complete high-accuracy signal-integrity tool. The Agilent 86100C-202 enhanced impedance and S-parameter software enables today's high-speed digital designers to make both single-ended and differential S-parameter measurements on their devices according to the various high-speed serial communication standards.

The software also adds corrected impedance profile, enabling designers and manufacturers to obtain accurate impedance measurements of discontinuities in their devices under test. It gives them the ability to measure the minimum, maximum and average of displayed impedance, leading to quicker and more accurate characterization of circuit discontinuities, and it provides important information on how to improve their designs and speed time to market.

The increasing transfer of voice, data and video over networks and users' demand for higher productivity have dramatically boosted the need for higher-speed signals. These signals place a greater burden on the physical channel and have stimulated the need for differential channels in serial data transfers. Industry standards such as PCI Express, Serial ATA, Universal Serial BUS (USB) and IPC increasingly call for the use of S-parameters and impedance measurements to ensure system verification and interoperability. For R&D and manufacturing test engineers working on high-speed electrical communications, Agilent's enhanced impedance and S-parameter software release provides cost-effective, comprehensive signal integrity measurements without requiring hardware upgrades for the Agilent 86100C Infiniium DCA-J.

"The Agilent 86100C DCA-J, now with on-board S-parameter and impedance analysis, provides the most complete high-accuracy signal-integrity tool for high-speed designers," said Siegfried Gross, vice president and general manager of Agilent's Digital Verification Solutions Division. "For the first time ever, engineers can analyze and measure their complete communication system from the transmitter, with traditional scope and jitter measurements, to the channel, with the new S-parameter and impedance software, and to the receiver, with the on-board equalizer capability."

Benefits of the Agilent 86100C-202 software include:

Complete channel verification done simply. Users can analyze transmitters, channels, and equalizers all with one instrument.

S-Parameters obtained quickly. Users select desired parameters to view and compare against design and verification limits.

Corrected impedance profile. Users can determine location and magnitude of largest discontinuities.

Normalization, which provides accurate characterization of the device under test, removing effects of cabling and fixturing.

Min/max/average, which provides quick assessment of greatest impedance discontinuities and the nominal value of the channel.

Optional calibration kit, which provides a convenient and accurate method to calibrate the test solution.