The 7 Series DPO opens up a new measurement paradigm.

As data transfer rates for the latest high-speed interfaces, such as PCI-Express, USB, DDR, MIPI, and Ethernet, increase exponentially, the complexity and importance of signal verification are growing more than ever. Every time data rates double, signal distortion and noise issues become more severe, eroding the "test margin" that engineers need to secure for design verification. To address these technical challenges, fundamental innovations in measurement equipment performance are urgently needed. Tektronix, a global leader in measurement solutions, is presenting a new solution to protect engineers' test margins with its next-generation oscilloscope, the "7 Series DPO," which delivers industry-leading signal fidelity. Tektronix announced that it will be hosting an online technical seminar that will provide a detailed introduction to the core technologies and applications of this innovative solution.

Accelerating technological advancements and the challenges of high-speed interface verification

High-speed interface verification is becoming increasingly difficult because measurement technology is struggling to keep pace with technological advancements. Compared to the past 10 or 20 years, data transmission speeds have increased significantly, and the market is demanding more accurate and reliable measurements.

Park Young-jun, Managing Director of Tektronix Korea, explained this issue in detail in an interview. According to Park, "For example, in PCI-Express, the data transfer speed of Gen3 was 8 Gbps around 2013," and "Since then, technology has advanced rapidly, to the point where Gen4 (16 Gbps), Gen5 (32 Gbps), and Gen6 introduced PAM4 signaling."

These changes have a direct impact on the measurement environment. Managing Director Park pointed out the core of the problem: "While speeds are increasing and data throughput is demanding, the signals typically being measured are becoming more complex and difficult." In other words, engineers face the double burden of analyzing faster and more complex signals with far greater precision than before. Overcoming these measurement limitations is no longer an option, but a necessity. The core of the solution Tektronix offers the industry with the 7 Series DPO lies in protecting engineers' last bastion: their "test margin."

Key indicators of measurement accuracy: 'Test margin' and 'ENOB'

Test margin is a vital buffer zone that engineers must secure to validate their designs. This margin is constantly eroded by two threats: the inherent performance variability of the product itself and the noise and distortion inherent in the measurement equipment. Therefore, a superior oscilloscope consumes less of this precious margin by minimizing its own noise contribution, helping engineers accurately understand the device's true performance and make a pass/fail decision with high confidence.

"If the equipment's specifications aren't up to par, test margins will be reduced," explained Managing Director Park Young-jun. "Noise inherent in the equipment can affect measurement results, degrading eye-diagram performance and ultimately reducing engineers' margins." This is a critical issue in high-speed interface environments, where even minute noise differences can determine a product's pass or fail.

A key indicator of the actual performance of such measurement equipment is the Effective Number of Bits (ENOB). Unlike the nominal resolution of the oscilloscope's ADC (analog-to-digital converter) (e.g., 10-bit), ENOB refers to the actual measurement precision that takes into account all noise and distortion across the entire system.

The Tektronix 7 Series DPO maximizes this ENOB performance. According to the press release, the 7 Series delivers high ENOB performance of 6.5 bits at 25 GHz and 7.5 bits at 8 GHz. Regarding this, Managing Director Park commented, "This is an industry-leading performance, and compared to competitors, it represents a calculated improvement of approximately 1 bit." He emphasized, "From a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) perspective, a 1-bit performance improvement equates to approximately 6 dB of improvement, demonstrating that the device's noise floor is significantly lower." This is a key technological advantage that provides engineers with a wider testing margin, enabling more reliable verification.

Innovative technology 'Quiet Channel' and enhanced analytics tools

The Tektronix 7 Series' high ENOB is achieved through technological innovations across both hardware and software. In particular, Tektronix's patented "QuietChannel" technology plays a key role in the hardware stage. This technology compensates for expected channel loss by intentionally peaking the high-frequency response of the signal in the oscilloscope front-end before it reaches the ADC. A hardware DSP (digital signal processing) filter then precisely cancels out this peaking. As a result, the noise floor in the high-frequency bands, where signal attenuation is highest, is effectively lowered. This results in a much cleaner signal and wider eye diagram, restoring test margins when measuring lossy channels such as long cables or complex test fixtures.

As hardware advances, software analysis tools have also evolved. Modern systems like DDR5 suffer from significant signal degradation due to complex signal paths involving interposers, probes, and fixtures, necessitating a de-embedding process to compensate for this. While existing tools were complex enough to require expert assistance, the new tools in the 7 series revolutionize this process.

Specifically, 'DPOJET' for jitter and eye diagram analysis has evolved into 'DJA (DPOJET Jitter and Eye Analysis)', and 'SDLA', which performed complex serial data link analysis, has evolved into 'SIM/SIMA (Signal Integrity Modeling)'. Mr. Park explained about these new tools, "They have been newly released as tools that can measure complex signal compensation and simulation functions such as channel de-embedding/embedding and equalization with much more power than before." This means that anyone can now obtain clean and meaningful results even if they are not a signal integrity expert, and maximizes the efficiency of engineers by popularizing complex signal analysis.

Future-Oriented Architecture and Technology Seminar Guide

The Tektronix 7 Series DPO goes beyond solving current measurement challenges and offers an architecture that proactively addresses future test environment changes. In an interview, Managing Director Park Young-jun emphasized the importance of a "future-oriented measurement approach."

He said that while existing oscilloscopes have been stand-alone, performing all analysis on the device itself, a new approach is now needed. "In the future, complex applications like USB will require significant measurement time, so we're moving toward maximizing data processing efficiency through integration with external PCs," he explains. This approach goes beyond simply increasing data transfer speeds; it's a strategic approach that protects project schedules and design integrity by offloading complex, margin-sensitive analyses that would otherwise be difficult to perform on the equipment itself to a high-performance PC.

To support this vision, the 7 Series features a 10Gb Ethernet SFP+ port that increases data transfer speeds by up to ten times compared to previous models. This allows for rapid, lossless transfer of large-capacity waveform data to an external PC and in-depth offline analysis.

Tektronix will host an online technical seminar to provide domestic engineers with a detailed introduction to the core technologies and practical application examples of the next-generation 7 Series DPO oscilloscope, featuring powerful performance and a future-oriented architecture. This seminar is expected to provide practical solutions to many engineers struggling with high-speed interface verification.