Tektronix adds PCIe 6.0 test solution

Tektronix, Inc., in collaboration with Anritsu Corp., has developed a new PCI Express (PCIe) 6.0 Receiver Test Solution for testing PCIe 6.0 (base) receivers in high performance systems. With this release, Tektronix delivers a PCIe 6.0 transmitter and receiver test solution with faster test times, higher-quality measurements, and an intuitive user interface.

(Source: Tektronix)

The new automated test solution leverages the Tektronix DPO70000SX series real-time oscilloscope and the Anritsu MP1900A bit error rate tester (BERT). Tektronix said it is the first fully automated PCIe 6.0 Rx stressed eye calibration with the Anritsu MP1900A.

“Data-intensive markets like artificial intelligence (AI), cloud, and data centers use PCIe as a de-facto standard,” said Tektronix. “While the recently released Gen 6.0 standard provides fast speeds to handle such workloads, testing brings a unique set of challenges to companies charged with integrating PCIe 6.0 on their devices.”

This includes challenges in PCIe receiver validation “due to the sensitivity of calibrating the stressed eye signal across a high loss channel,” said Tektronix.

The PCIe receiver test solution ensures that designs are tested at the required BERT target. In addition, the step-by-step tools provide link training routines for the Anritsu MP1900A BERT to ensure the receiver is tested accurately.

This is not the first time the two companies have collaborated on PCIe test products. In 2021, for example, Anritsu and Tektronix developed an all-in-one PCIe Gen5 test system, combining the Anritsu MP1900A BERT and Tektronix DPO70000SX oscilloscope.

The Tektronix PCIe 6.0 Base Rx Solution claims the fastest 64 GT/s (PAM4) Rx calibration in the industry. This is thanks to novel algorithms that address the new challenge of calibrating the transmitter’s additional pre-cursor added to the 6.0 Base specification.

In addition, the Tektronix PAMJET DSP tool provides 64 GT/s jitter and noise measurements with advanced instrument noise compensation.

The TekRxTest automation software provides a single control panel, which can manage a Tektronix oscilloscope and Anritsu BERT during receiver calibration. The software wizard guides users through short- and long-channel calibration steps. Full short- and long-channel 64 GT/s Rx calibration is completed in four hours or less.

Tektronix’s PCIe 6.0 Receiver Test Solution is available for use with DPO70000SX real-time oscilloscopes.