Tektronix to Showcase Industry's Most Comprehensive 400G PAM4 Test Solutions at OFC 2018

As the Industry Works to Move 400G PAM4 Technologies Through R&D and into Production, Tektronix Steps Up with Both Real Time and Sampling Solutions

News provided by

Tektronix, Inc.

Mar 06, 2018, 09:00 ET

BEAVERTON, Ore., March 6, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Tektronix, Inc., a leading worldwide provider of measurement solutions, will showcase the industry's most comprehensive set of 400G PAM4 test solutions at the OFC optical networking and communications conference and exhibition March 11-15 in San Diego, Calif. The event's 14,500 attendees can now see first hand how advanced real-time and equivalent time (sampling) oscilloscope solutions enable a seamless transition from 400G validation and debug through to production test for faster time to market and improved manufacturing yields.

The multi-level signaling in PAM4 presents additional measurement challenges.

"The race is on to deliver fully production-ready 400G solutions to datacenters by the end of this year, if not sooner, to meet urgent global demand for more bandwidth and capacity," said Sarah Boen, general manager, Wired Communications, Tektronix. "As we will be demonstrating at OFC, Tektronix is leading the way with the test solutions that component and system designers and manufacturers need to meet this accelerated time table and successfully compete in the marketplace."

Compared to previous networking generations, the move to 400G and more complex PAM4 signaling has been especially challenging. Engineers must deal with more complex test methodologies, a much lower signal-to-noise ratio and more sophisticated design validation and troubleshooting processes.

At OFC in booth 2731 Tektronix will be demonstrating how its solutions solve real-world problems including:

400G PAM4 from R&D to production – In this station, OFC attendees will learn how Tektronix solutions based on DPO70000SX real-time and DSA8300 equivalent time oscilloscopes work together to enable a seamless transition from design to manufacturing.
Improving yield with higher optical sensitivity – Here, visitors can see how more margin and higher yields are made possible with Tektronix solutions that offer the industry's lowest noise and highest sensitivity. They will also see comprehensive characterization – TDECQ accuracy and visualization and powerful analysis features – for 400G 28/56GBd PAM4 measurements.
400G PAM4 debug and validation – The move to PAM4 modulation presents validation and debug challenges that a real time oscilloscope-based solution is uniquely equipped to solve. Tektronix will showcase the advanced equalization and digital clock recovery, effective error rate analysis, and offline analysis now available for its DPO70000SX real-time oscilloscope.
70GHz Multi-Channel End-to-End Characterization – The Tektronix coherent optical analysis solution enables simultaneous signal capture and analysis, accurate and low cost testing and optimum transmitter tuning for improved performance and increased yield.

Tektronix will also be unveiling new solution enhancements that will drive significant improvements in manufacturing yield for next generation electrical and optical components and interconnects and further accelerate 400G debug and troubleshooting. To learn more about the industry's most complete set of 400G PAM4 test solutions, go to https://www.tek.com/wired-communications/400g-pam4-testing.

OFC 2018 is the world's leading conference and exhibition for optical communications and networking professionals. The event features 663 companies on the exhibition floor and 1,100 technical and business presentations to help the more than 14,500 attendees leverage the latest in optical innovations and meet insatiable consumer and business demand for more bandwidth and increased datacenter performance. For more information, go to http://www.ofcconference.org.

Wondering what else Tektronix is up to? Check out the Tektronix Bandwidth Banter blog and stay up to date on the latest news from Tektronix on Twitter and Facebook.

About Tektronix

Headquartered in Beaverton, Oregon, Tektronix delivers innovative, precise and easy-to-operate test, measurement and monitoring solutions that solve problems, unlock insights and drive discovery. Tektronix has been at the forefront of the digital age for over 70 years. Join us on the journey of innovation at TEK.COM.

Tektronix is a registered trademark of Tektronix, Inc. All other trade names referenced are the service marks, trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

SOURCE Tektronix, Inc.