Tektronix 30+ GHz oscilloscope development employs 8HP SiGe technology, exceeds target specs

The new Tektronix oscilloscope platform is being designed to meet electronic designers' needs for more accurate characterization of high-speed serial data beyond 10 Gbps (Gigabits per second) and enhance optical modulation analysis of 100GbE (Gigabit Ethernet), where complex signaling requires accurate bit capture.

"This represents our first commercial integration of 8HP technology and clearly shows the latest generation of SiGe is delivering significant performance differentiation to the industry's most demanding oscilloscope applications. This year, we will be delivering a new series of performance oscilloscopes with the lowest noise and class-leading signal acquisition performance across multiple channels," says Roy Siegel, general manager, Oscilloscopes, Tektronix. "IBM's SiGe technology has long delivered the performance and reliability our customers demand and as our lab demonstration indicates, this will continue well into the future."

IBM's 8HP technology, a 130-nanometer (nm) SiGe bipolar complementary metal oxide semiconductor (BiCMOS) process, offers 2X performance over the previous generation, reveals a company representative. SiGe technology leverages reliable, mature fabrication processes associated with the 50-year-old silicon industry, but with performance levels comparable to that of exotic materials such as Indium Phosphide (InP) and Gallium Arsenide (GaAs), the representative adds. SiGe BiCMOS provides access to high-speed bipolar transistors on the same die as standard CMOS, marrying performance with large-scale integration.

Initial Tektronix product deployments using 8HP SiGe technology are expected later this year.