First Instrument Grade 3-Tap Pre-Emphasis Solution For 10G BASE-KR, 8 GT/s PCIe, SAS, and Other Key Gb/s Serial Data Standards

Business Wire, Feb 4, 2008

MENLO PARK, Calif. -- SyntheSys Research, Inc., introduces the new BERTScope Digital Pre-Emphasis Processor (BERTScope DPP) - the first 12.5 Gb/s instrument solution capable of programmable 3 tap pre-emphasis for compliance testing to standards such as 802.3ap (10 Gigabit Ethernet over the Backplane, also known as 10G BASE-KR), Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) and flexible enough for the next generation 8 GT/s PCI Express([R]) standard under development.

Boosting the amplitude of the transition bits in a digital signal, or pre-emphasis, is an increasingly common method employed in systems to overcome the frequency dependent loss of low cost circuit boards to allow the passage of Gb/s data. It is used in standards such as PCI Express, Serial Attached SCSI, 10G BASE-KR backplanes, DisplayPort, and USB 3.0. The trend is to deploy multi-tap pre-emphasis, with standards efforts frequently moving from 2 to 3 taps. The BERTScope DPP is the first instrument grade pre-emphasis solution to cover all of these needs, allowing design and test engineers the flexibility to evaluate compliance to multiple standards and to explore the limits of device performance.

A key benefit of the DPP is the ease with which an engineer can adjust the precise characteristics of the pre-emphasis signal being applied to the test device. This is achieved through a highly intuitive control interface that simultaneously shows the step response, tap weightings and frequency response of the signal, in keeping with the BERTScope philosophy of multi-domain insight.

The DPP is capable of operation from 1 to 12.5 Gb/s. It offers flexible cursor position to allow pre- or post-cursor operation, and may be used to overcome the effects of Inter-Symbol Interference (ISI), and for transmitter control in optical applications.

The BERTScope DPP has received an enthusiastic reception from key customers. "I now have the DPP working with the BERTScope. The interface is intuitive, creative, and useful. I like the real time frequency response plot and the independently controllable taps with different units to choose from. The 3 taps, their tuning range, and signal fidelity is more than adequate for us. Great job with this box!" Analog R&D Engineer in high speed serial IO, a leading semiconductor company.

Visit the BERTScope Booth 619 at DesignCon 2008 in Santa Clara, CA, to see a live demo of the new DPP.

Availability

The BERTScope 12500A DPP is available 8 weeks ARO.

About SyntheSys Research, Inc.

Founded in 1989, SyntheSys Research, Inc., innovator of the award-winning BERTScope(TM), is a privately held corporation located in Menlo Park, California. SyntheSys develops and manufactures high-speed signal integrity test and measurement instrumentation for the computer, storage and communications industries. Learn more at www.bertscope.com.