Tektronix demos 70-GHz oscilloscope prototype at ECOC 2014

Test and measurement specialist Tektronix is demonstrating at ECOC 2014 in Cannes, France, a prototype real-time 70-GHz oscilloscope based on its patented Asynchronous Time Interleaving (ATI) technology. The prototype scope offers the potential to deliver better performance than typical oscilloscopes in a significantly smaller package. The prototype package on display is only 6 inches (152.4 mm) high, yet maintains high performance, Tektronix says. Two of the oscilloscopes could be stacked in the same space as a standard bench oscilloscope. With Tektronix’s UltraSync technology a pair of scopes could be paired efficiently for multi-channel optical modulation analysis of I&Q. The UltraSync architecture coordinates triggers across a multi-instrument acquisition system for inherent acquisition-to-acquisition jitter <1 ps rms. Meanwhile, the ATI approach lessons noise and the potential for errors by simplifying enabling the analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) in the signal acquisition system to see the full input spectrum with full signal path symmetry. A company source at ECOC said that oscilloscopes based on the prototype should become available by the middle of 2015. For more information on test equipment and suppliers, visit the Lightwave Buyer’s Guide.