LeCroy touts 36-GHz bandwidth on 4 to 10 channels with LabMaster 9 Zi-A Oscilloscope

With optical modulation analysis of coherent-enabled signals in mind, LeCroy Corp. has unveiled a 36 GHz Acquisition Module for its LabMaster 9 Zi-A Modular Oscilloscope System. The 36 GHz Acquisition Module enables the oscilloscope to better meet the optical test and measurement requirements of such modulation formats as dual-polarization quadrature phase-shift keying (DP-QPSK), by supplying high-bandwidth capability on four channels, matching DP-QPSK’s four-phase operation.

In addition to accommodating data rates of 28 GBaud or more (more than 112 Gbps), the module also enables 10- to 28-Gbps electrical non-return to zero (NRZ) serial data testing.

The 36 GHz Acquisition Module can be configured in a LabMaster 9 Zi-A system to provide up to 10 channels at 36 GHz with 80 GS/s and 20 channels at 20 GHz with 40 GS/s, with analysis memory up to 512 Mpts/ch. It is also backwards-compatible with previously purchased LabMaster 9 Zi-A “Master” Acquisition Modules.

In addition, customers needing even more bandwidth than 36 GHz can purchase LabMaster 9 Zi-A Modular Oscilloscope Systems that provide up to five channels at 45 GHz with 120 GS/s.

LeCroy says its expects a four-channel x 36 GHz LabMaster 9 Zi-A Modular Oscilloscope System to be the most popular configuration, with the four tributaries of a DP-QPSK or 16-QAM optical coherent modulated transmission system in mind. The company says the additional bandwidth a 36-GHz LabMaster 936SZi-A will provide compared to 30 or 32 GHz alternatives means faster rise times, improvements in signal integrity measurements, and increased spectral content for I and Q eye diagram and IQ constellation diagram analysis, especially for systems using additional forward error correction (FEC) with 32 GHz tributaries.

In addition to the higher bandwidth, LeCroy says its ChannelSync architecture provides the necessary phase stability for accurate measurement of in-phase (I) quadrature (Q) phase shift keyed tributaries in a DP-QPSK or 16-QAM optical transmissions where small phase errors can magnify into inaccurate representation of symbols in constellation diagrams.

Two LabMaster 936SZi-A Slave Acquisition Modules and one LabMaster 9CZi-A Master Control Module will provide this capability. The US list price of this configuration is $421,000.

Meanwhile, the ability to provide up to 20 channels at 20 GHz and up to 10 channels at 36 GHz is of benefit to massively multi-lane serial data analysis.

The new LabMaster 936SZi-A Slave Acquisition Module is used with a LabMaster 9CZi-A Master Control Module that contains the front panel controls, 15.3” WXGA display, ChannelSync 10 GHz distributed clock architecture, and server-class CPU. This Master Control Module may also be used with previously announced LabMaster 13 to 45 GHz Slave Acquisition Modules.

All LabMaster 9 Zi-A Modular Oscilloscope Systems utilize a “Master” and “Slave” configuration to achieve a bandwidth range of 13 to 45 GHz with up to 20 channels and 768 Mpts/Ch of acquisition and analysis memory, depending on the configuration.

Delivery time for the LabMaster 936SZi-A 36 GHz Slave Acquisition Module is 4 to 6 weeks ARO. Price is $163,000. Delivery time for the LabMaster 9CZi-A Master Control Module is approximately 8-10 weeks ARO. Price is $95,000. LabMaster 9 Zi-A modular oscilloscope systems start at $135,000 with additional Slave Acquisition Modules priced as low as $59,000.