Arbitrary Waveform Generators Deliver High-Definition Vertical Voltage Resolution
Teledyne LeCroy announced its Teledyne Test Tools (T3)-branded 4- and 8-channel High Definition arbitrary waveform generators (AWGs). This line of highly versatile instruments complements the company's High Definition 12-bit oscilloscopes for stimulus-response test applications.
Applications include timing analysis of multi-voltage power rails; multi-sensor simulations in the automotive market; component/semiconductor test; aerospace/defense; and physics, research, and university lab settings. Further, users can sync up to four (4) 8-channel AWGs to form a high-density channel solution of up to 32 channels.
Waveform generators with high signal accuracy and precise waveform details are key elements in designing quality end products with shorter design cycles. By virtue of their High Definition 16-bit vertical voltage resolution, the T3 AWGs produce the industry's highest accuracy waveforms with clean, crisp details. As a result, users gain test efficiency and increased confidence in the reliability of the results.
The AWGs offer 16 bits of vertical voltage resolution, an output voltage window of up to ±24V, and waveform memory of up to 1 GS/channel. With frequency ranges of 250MHz and 350MHz, the High Definition AWGs serve as arbitrary function generators, digital pattern generators, or AWGs.
"These 4- and 8-channel high definition AWGs offer the unique capability of combining high resolution signal generation with an output voltage range of 12Vpp (50Ω output into 50Ω input) that is further enhanced by the ability to shift the offset to ±6V," said Roberto Petrillo, GM, Teledyne Test Tools.
"When driving waveforms from a 50Ω output into high impedance, the voltage output window widens to ±24V. This represents a huge advantage in generating MOSFET gate-drive pulses in automotive and power-semiconductor test applications," Petrillo added.
In a stimulus-response test scenario, the AWG applies a stimulus to the DUT's input while the oscilloscope analyzes the response at the DUT's output. Teledyne LeCroy's High Definition AWGs pair with its High Definition oscilloscopes in the following ways:
- Clean signals: The AWG delivers a pristine stimulus so that the DUT's response behavior is unaffected by distortion
- Real-world signals: The AWG output comprises playback of previously acquired real-world signals from its waveform memory
- Stress-test signals: The AWG emulates problematic or corner-case inputs to the DUT
- Noise/interference immunity: The AWG emulates expected interference signals to its output to test the DUT's response behavior.
Three functional modes are available in the 4- and 8-channel high definition AWGs. They can operate as arbitrary function generators with a large variety of waveform options, providing versatile modulation capabilities. As an AWG, the instruments deliver complex and completely arbitrary waveforms with the ability to sequence analog/digital patterns using an intuitive user interface.
In digital pattern generator (DPG) mode, users may create completely arbitrary differential or single-ended digital patterns at up to eight parallel bits. The instruments' 16 (4-ch models) or 32 (8-ch models) digital outputs can be combined and synchronized with their analog output signals, providing an ideal tool for debugging and validating digital designs.
These high definition Arbitrary Waveform Generators are available in 4 different basic models:
- 4-channel / 250MHz - model number T3AWG325
- 4-channel / 350MHz - model numbers T3AWG3354
- 8-channel / 250MHz - model numbers T3AWG3258
- 8-channel/ 350MHz - model numbers T3AWG325
Availability
The High Definition 4- and 8-channel Arbitrary Waveform Generators start at about $25,000 and are available with a lead time of 4-6 weeks.
