Agilent 81134A Data Sheet

Agilent Technologies
81133A and 81134A

3.35 GHz Pulse Pattern Generators

Data Sheet

81133A and 81134A 3.35 GHz
Pulse Pattern Generators

The need for pulse and pattern
generation is fundamental to
digital device characterization
tasks. The ability to simulate
the pulse and pattern condi­tions that the device will
encounter in its final applica­tion, is essential. These device
tests should include both typi­cal and worst case conditions.
Accurate measurements and
tests require leading-edge sig­nal integrity and timing
performance along with full
control over all signal parame­ters in order to enable worst
case tests.

Setting Standards

The Agilent 81133A and
81134A 3.35 GHz Pulse
Pattern Generators provide
programmable pulse periods
from 15 MHz (66.6 ns) to 3.35
GHz (298.5 ps) on all chan­nels. With frequency ranges
this wide, the transition time
performance becomes critical;
the Agilent 81133A and
81134A perform at less than
60 ps transition. With a RMS
jitter of 1.5 ps (typ), the best
signal quality is assured. The
Delay Control Input and the
Variable Crossover Point func­tionalities allow fast and easy
Signal Integrity measurements,
including generation of real
world-like signals by adding
jitter to clock or data signals
or by distorting the signal for
eye diagram measurements.

Key features

· Pulse, data, pattern and
PRBS generation from
15 MHz up to 3.35 GHz

· Data formats NRZ, RZ and
R1

· 12 MBit pattern memory per
channel

· Low jitter, high accuracy

· Fast transition times

· PRBS generation from 25-1
to 231-1

· Delay control input for
pre-defined jitter injection

· Jitter emulation up to ± 250 ps

· Easy-to-use graphical user
interface

· 50 mVppto 2 Vppoutput
amplitude

· Differential outputs

· 1 or 2 channels

Figure 1: 81134A

2

Connectors

81133A - Front Panel Connectors

All signal outputs and inputs
are accessible at the front
panel. These are:

· 2 Output Connectors
for the differential channel

· Trigger Output

· Clock Input

· Start Input

· 1 Delay Control Input

81134A - Front Panel Connectors

All signal outputs and inputs
are accessible at the front
panel. These are:

· 4 Output Connectors
for the 2 differential channels

· Trigger Output

· Clock Input

· Start Input

· 2 Delay Control Inputs for
both of the output channels

Rear Panel Connectors

Remote control interfaces:
GPIB, LAN, USB 2.0 (see also
‘Additional Features’)

Clock Source

Selecting the clock source
determines the origin of the
time base. All other timing
parameters are derived from it.
There are two choices:

Internal

The Clock is derived from the
internal YIG oscillator.

External

The Clock is derived from the
external input. The external
frequency is measured once
and is thereafter used to
maintain the calculated fre­quency dependant values
including the pulse width or
phase if set to duty cycle
mode or phase mode respec­tively.

External 10 MHz Reference

A 10 MHz reference clock can

be applied to the clock input.
This clock is used as a refer­ence for all timing parameters.

Direct Mode (Direct
Internal/Direct External)

The direct modes allow
changes of frequency without
dropouts in the range of 1:2.
This can be used for
applications, where dropouts
would prevent measurement
with reliable results (e.g.: PLL
frequency sweep, micro proces­sor clock sweep). In both
direct modes, the delay and
deskew of all channels is set
to zero (deskewed at the con­nectors) and can't be changed.
Square mode, data mode (NRZ
only) and PRBS mode (NRZ
only) are available. In ‘Direct
External’ mode the PLL is
bypassed and the instrument
exactly follows the externally
attached frequency.

Frequency/Period

The main frequency is set for
all channels. The frequency
can also be set as period
length. The frequency range is
15 MHz to 3.35 GHz, equal to

66.6 ns to 298.5 ps period. The
frequency range can also be
further divided individually for
each channel. Available
dividers are 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32,
64, 128.

Main Modes

Pulse Pattern Mode

In Pulse Pattern mode, each
channel can be set indepen­dently to one of the channel
modes described in 'Channel
Modes'.

Burst Mode

Burst mode enables the output
of a burst consisting of data
repeated n times followed by

continuous zero data. It can be
started either by:

· applying a signal at the start
input.

· the start button.

· sending a command through
the remote connections.

Repetitive Burst Mode

This command selects a
repeated burst consisting of
data repeated n times followed
by a pause of p times zeros of
the same length as the data
before the data is repeated.

Channel Modes

The following channel modes
are available, if the instrument
main mode is set to pulse/pat­tern:
Note: The frequency of each
channel can be optionally
divided by 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32,
64, 128.

Square

Generates a square wave
(clock) of fixed width (50%
duty cycle)

Pulse

Generates pulses with selec­table width or duty cycle.

Data

Generates data in either RZ,
R1 or NRZ format. In RZ and
R1 mode, the pulse width can
be selected as either width or
duty cycle.

PRBS

Generates a selectable PRBS
(Pseudo Random Bit Sequence)
polynomial of either RZ, R1 or
NRZ format. In RZ and R1
mode, the pulse width can be
selected as ei ther width or
duty cycle.

Timing

Delay

The delay can be set as:

· an absolute value in nano
seconds or pico seconds. The
delay remains unchanged as
the frequency or the period
is modified.

· a phase (degrees relative to
period). The phase remains
unchanged as the frequency
or the period is modified.

Deskew

The deskew adjustment allows
for the compensation of e.g.
cable delays. Deskew adjust­ment is not available in Direct
Mode. In this case, all chan­nels are factory deskewed at
the front panel connectors.

Width

The pulse width can be set as:

· an absolute value in nano
seconds or pico seconds. In
absolute mode, the pulse
width stays constant when
the frequency or period is
changed.

· a duty cycle (percentage of
period). In duty cycle mode,
the duty cycle stays constant
when the frequency or period
is changed.

NOTE: Width adjustment is not
available if data mode is set to
NRZ.

Pulse Format

RZ

Return to zero pulse format.
On 0 bit patterns, the signal
remains at the low level. On 1
bit patterns, the signal switch­es to the high level and back
to the low level after the time
specifie d by the pulse width or
the duty cycle parameter.

R1

Return to one pulse format.
On 1 bit patterns, the signal
remains at the high level. On 0

bit patterns, the signal switch­es to the low level and back
to the high level after the time
specified by the pulse width or
the duty cycle parameter.

NRZ

Non-return to zero pulse for­mat. The signal remains at the
low level or high level accord­ing to the bit level of the pat­tern for the entire period.

NOTE: The pulse format selec­tion is only available when
operating the instrument in
the data/pattern modes.

Pattern

Two types of patterns are
available:

Data

Arbitrary data u p to the maxi­mum available memory per
channel can be set up as pat­tern data.

PRBS

Pre-defined PRBS of 25-1 to
231-1 can be set up as pattern
data.

Data Polarity

In pattern mode the polarity
of the data can be set to
either normal or inverted.
When set to inverted, a logical
'1' will become a logical '0' at
the output and vice versa.

Levels

Pre-defined Levels

Pre-defined levels allow the
convenient setup of the chan­nels for commonly used logic
families. These are: ECL,
ECLGND, LVT, LVPCL and
LVDS.

Custom Levels

Levels can be set to custom
values in either of two ways:

· low level and high level

· amplitude and offset

Level Protection

Output levels can be limited to
a user defined range to protect
the device under test. Level
protection can be switched on
and off.

Level Polarity

Level polarity can be set to
either normal or inverted. Set
to inverted, the low level and
the high level values are inter­changed.

Outputs Enabled/Disabled

Outputs can be switched on
and off independently for each
channel and for each
normal/complement connector.

Store/Recall

Allows permanent storage of
instrument settings, including
all signal parameters and data
settings. Data patterns up to
8 kBit length are also stored.
The instrument provides mem­ory for 9 different settings.

In addition, the 81133A and
81134A stores the current set­tings at shutdown and restores
them on the next power-on.

For data patterns with more
than 8 kBit length, it is rec­ommended to use the PC­based Pattern Management
Tool.

3

Auxiliary Channels

Note: The built-in input and
output terminations eliminate
the need for external bias net­works and prevent a degrading
of the input/output sensitivity

Outputs

Trigger Output

The trigger output can be
enabled or disabled. The levels
of the trigger output can be
set as high level or low level
pair. The trigger output can be
set to one of the following
modes:

· Trigger on clock
The frequency of the trigger
output is identical to the
system frequency. It can be
further divided by n (n= 1, 2,
3, 4, 5, 6, 7…2

31

-1).

· Trigger on data
A single trigger pulse occurs
on the start of the repetitive
data pattern.

Inputs

Clock Input

The clock input can be ‘AC’ or
‘DC’ terminated. The ‘DC’ ter­mination voltage can be set.
See also ‘Clock Source - exter­nal’.

Start Input

The start input can be used to
start the instrument. After
being armed, the instrument
waits for the selected edge of
the applied signal.
Parameters:

· Threshold (voltage)

· Edge (rising/falling)

· Termination voltage

Jitter Injection

With the Delay Control Input a
delay to the instrument's out­put signals can easily be
added. As the added delay is
only dependent on the

attached voltage, any form of
delay - including jitter - can
be emulated. Up to a frequen­cy of 200 MHz, the delay
added to the output by the
voltage attached at the Delay
Control input is a linear func­tion.
The maximum delay depends
on the sensitivity selected and
is either +/- 25ps or +/- 250
ps.

Variable Crossover

For each channel, the
crossover of the NRZ signal in
PRBS or data mode can be
adjusted. This is used to artifi­cially close the eye pattern by
simulating signal distortion.
Figure 1 shows the normal
and complement output with
cross over point set to 50%
and 70% respectively.
NOTE: Variable Crossover
feature is available in NRZ
mode only.

Human Interface

The graphical user interface
enables the user to operate the
instrument as simply as possi­ble. All parameters are dis­played on a color coordinated
display. The instrument setup
is intuitive. All important
parameters can be easily
accessed and modified with
numeric keys, cursor keys or

Figure 2: Variable Crossover

the twist and push button. A
content sensitive online help
enables users to set up their
test configurations quickly and
easily.

PC-based Pattern
Management Tool

With the new PC-based
Pattern Management Tool, it is
very easy to manage and edit
patterns to be generated with
the 81133A and 81134A. The
Pattern Management Tool
includes a Pattern Editor that
can quickly define and modify
any pattern up to 12 MBit
length. In addition, the Pattern
Management Tool is able to
save an unlimited amount of
different patterns on a com­puter and easily upload and
download them to or from the
instruments, via one of the
remote interfaces, including
GPIB, LAN and USB 2.0
The Pattern Management Tool
is especially recommended
when working with patterns
longer than 8 kBit, as the
81133A and 81134A can only
save patterns up to this
length, as well as the front
panel only provides access to
patterns u p to 8 kBit.

Normal Out

Normal Out

Compl. Out

Compl. Out

50%

50%

70%

30%

4

Specifications

Specifications describe the instrument’s warranted performance. Non-warranted values are
described as typical. All specifications apply after a 30 min warm-up with 50 Ohm source/load
resistance. All specifications are valid from 0

°C to 55 °C ambient temperature if not stated

otherwise.

Table 1: Internal Clock Generation

Period Range 298.5 ps - 66.6 ns
Period Resolution 6 digits, 0.001 ps best case
Frequency Range 15 MHz - 3.35 GHz
Frequency Resolution 1 Hz
Accuracy 50 ppm

Table 2: Jitter

Random Jitter (Clock Mode) <4 ps RMS (1.5ps typical)
Total Jitter (Data Mode) <5 ps RMS (2ps typical)

(<30 ps pp (12ps typical))

Table 3: Channel Output Timing

Number Of Channels 1, (81133A), 2 (81134A)
Transition Times (10 % To 90 %) < 90 ps
Transition Times (20 % To 80 %) < 60 ps
Delay Variation -5 ns to 230 ns
Delay Resolution 1 ps
Delay Accuracy ± 20 ps
Phase -6000° to +279000°
Phase Resolution 0.01°, or 1 ps
Skew Between Differential Outputs < 20 ps nominal
Maximum Skew Range ± 10 ns,
Width Range 100 ps to (period - 100 ps)
Width Resolution 1 ps
Width Accuracy ± 40 ps
Duty Cycle Range 0.15% - 99.85%
Duty Cycle Resolution 0.002 %, or 1 ps
Divide By 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128

Note: Timing specifications are valid after auto calibration with a maximum temperature
variation of ±10 °C.

Table 4: Transition Times
Mode Description Typical TransitionTimes

Fast Provides faster rise and fall times 60 ps to 70 ps
Normal Standard setting with guaranteed 70 ps to 80 ps

specifications

Smooth Provides slower rise and fall times 80 ps to 120 ps

and smoother edges

Table 5: Channel Output Levels

Amplitude 50 mV to 2.00 V
Level Window -2.00 V to +3.00 V
Level Resolution 10 mV
Level Accuracy 2 % of setting ±20 mV
Amplitude Accuracy 2 % ± 20 mV
Settling Time 1 ns
Overshoot, Ringing <10 % ± 10 mV differential outputs
Impedance 50 Ohm nominal
Variable Crossover 30% to 70% typical
Maximum External Termination Voltage -2.00 V to +3.00 V
Short Circuit Current 80 mA <= Isc<= 120 mA nominal

Limit High and low levels into 50 Ohm can be limited.
Normal/Complement Selectable
Disable Yes (relay)

Transition Times

The transition times can be
modifie d by the ‘Pulse
Performance’ selector.

5

Table 6: Trigger Output

Amplitude 50 mV to 2.00 V
Level Window -2.00 V . . +3.00 V
Resolution 10 mV
Format Fixed Duty Cycle, 50% nominal
Maximum External Voltage - 2.00 V . . +3.00 V
Transition Times < 100 ps (< 60 ps typical)
(20% to 80% of amplitude)
Minimum Output Frequency 15 MHz / Divider Factor
Mode Clock Clock divided 2

31

-1 or trigger on bit 0 of data
by 1,2,3, . .
Disable Yes (relay)

Table 7: Clock Input

Interface ac-coupled with optional dc termination
Impedance 50 Ohm
Termination Voltage -2.0 V . . +3.0 V
Minimum Swing 300 mV, tr < 3 ns, 50% duty

cycle, sine: 0 dBm
Maximum Amplitude 3 Vpp , ± 5 Vdc
Frequency Measurement Yes
Period Range 299 ps . . 66.6 ns
Period Resolution 6 digits, 0.001 ps best case
Frequency Range 15 MHz . . 3.35 GHz
Measurement Resolution 100 kHz
Measurement Accuracy 50 ppm

Table 8: Start Input

Modes Start

1

Interface dc-coupled
Impedance 50 Ohm nominal
Termination Voltage 2.0 V . . 3.0 V
Transitions < 1 ns
Threshold - 1.8 V to +4 V
Max. Level Window - 2 V to +5 V

1

No fixed latency between assertion of start

signal and start of output signal

Table 9: Propagation Delay

Clock Input to trigger output 8.4 ns nominal, fixed
Trigger Output to channel output 32 ns nominal variable

6

Table 10: Data Generation

Memory Depth 12 MBit per channel, 8 kBit accessible

from front panel
Data Format RZ / NRZ / R1
Granularity of Data Pattern Length 32 Bit up to 8 kBit

128 Bit from 8 kBit to 12 MBit

Pulse Pattern and Data
Functionality

The 81133A and 81134A can
generate a 12 MBit digital pat­tern in NRZ, RZ and R1 mode.
Pattern with up to 8 kBit can
be edited directly from the
front panel. Patterns with
more than 8 kBit can only be
programmed via the remote
interfaces. The PC-based
Pattern Management tool
includes a Pattern Editor
which allows easy program­ming of any pattern, as well
as convenient management of
many patterns on any
Windows

®

-based computer. The

patterns can be uploaded using
any of the available remote
interfaces. Furthermore, the
81133A and 81134A can pro­vide a hardware generated
pseudo random binary
sequence (PRBS) from 2

5

- 1

to 231- 1.

Jitter Emulation (Delay Control
Input)

Full control over the signal
quality of pulse and data sig­nals provides the Delay
Control Input. With an exter­nal modulation source (e.g.
Agilent 33250A) the amount
and shape of signal jitter can
be varied for stress tests or to
emulate real world signals.
The external source for jitter
modulation is applied to this
input. Jitter modulation can be
turned on and off individually
for each channel. Either one of
two fixed sensitivities can be
selected ± 25ps or ± 250ps
resulting in a total of 50ps or
500ps.
The amplitude of the modulat­ed jitter is set by the voltage
level of the signal applied to
the Delay Control Input.
The Variable Crossover Point
feature provides additional
control over the signal quality.

Figure 3: Modulated Delay (Jitter) vs Voltage Level at Delay-Control-Input for ±250ps
and ±25ps settings

Table 11: PRBS Generation Capabilities

PRBS 2n-1 , n = 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 23, 31
PRBS Polynomial Comment

25-1 X5+ X4+ X2+ X1+ 1
26-1 X6+ X5+ X3 + X2+ 1 ITU-T V.29

27-1 X7+ X6+ 1
28-1 X8+ X7+ X3+ X2+ 1

29-1 X9+ X5+ 1 CCITT 0.153 / ITU-T V.52

210-1 X10+ X7+ 1 CCITT 0.152 / ITU-T 0.152
211-1 X11+ X9+ 1
212-1 X12+ X9+ X8+ X5+ 1

213-1 X13+ X12+ X10+ X9+ 1

214-1 X14+ X13+ X10+ X9+ 1

215-1 X15+ X14+ 1 CCITT 0.151 / ITU-T 0.151

223-1 X23+ X

18

+ 1 CCITT 0.151 / ITU-T 0.151

231-1 X31+ X28+ 1

Table 12: Delay Control Input

Interface dc-coupled
Impedance 50 Ohm nominal
Input Levels For Full Modulation Range ±500 mV
Max Input Levels ±2.5 V
Delay Modulation Range ±250 ps, ±25 ps, selectable
Modulation Frequency 0 Hz - 200 MHz

7

Table 14: General Information

Operating Temperature 0°C to +55°C
Storage Temperature -40°C to +70°C
Humidity 95% R.H. (0°C to +40°C)
Warm Up 30 Minutes
EMC Class A
Power 100V to 240V AC nom.; 200 VA max.; 47 Hz to 63 Hz
Net Weight 14.8 kg (32.6 lbs)
Shipping Weight 19 kg (41.9 lbs)
Dimensions 145 mm x 426 mm x 553 mm

(5.7 in x 16.75 in x 21.75 in)

Recalibration Period 3 years recommended

Table 13: Additional Features

Remote Interfaces SCPI over GPIB, LAN and USB 2.0
Store/Recall Registers 9 complete settings can be saved. The last

settings (Non Volatile Memory) are saved when
power is turned off.

Figure 4: Jitter Emulation Test Setup

8

Ordering Information

Agilent 81133A 3.35 GHz 1-channel Pulse Pattern Generator
Agilent 81134A 3.35 GHz 2-channel Pulse Pattern Generator

Options

Agilent 8113xA-UK6 Commercial Calibration Certificate with Test Data
Agilent 8113xA-1CP Rackmount and Handle Kit
Agilent 1494-0059 Rack Slide Kit
Agilent N4871A Cable Kit: SMA matched pair, tt=50 ps (Recommended for high performance and

differential applications)

Accessories

Agilent 15435A Transition Time Converter 150 ps
Agilent 15432B Transition Time Converter 250 ps
Agilent 15433B Transition Time Converter 500 ps
Agilent 15434B Transition Time Converter 1000 ps
Agilent 15438A Transition Time Converter 2000 ps

Complementary Products

The 6 GHz Infiniium 54855A real
time oscilloscope combined with
the InfiniiMax 1134A 7 GHz dif­ferential and single-ended active
probes deliver the highest perfor­mance end-to-end measurement
system available. With th e
20 GSa/s sample rate on each
channel, and its E2681A EZJIT
Jitter Analysis Software, the
54855A is ideal for making signal
integrity and jitter measurements
for PCI Express, Serial ATA,
Gigabit Ethernet, Fibre Channel
and other high speed serial bus
standards.

The 86100C Digital
Communications Analyzer with
Jitter Analysis is a sampling oscil­loscope with up to 80 GHz
Bandwidth. With its unique one­button Jitter Separation and
Analysis, the 81600C is ideal for
fast and precise signal integrity
measurements.

Figure 5: Agilent 54855A 6 GHz Infiniium Oscilloscope

Figure 6: Agilent 86100C DCA-J

9

Related Agilent Literature Pub No.

· Agilent Family of Pulse/Pattern 5980-0489E

Generators, Brochure

· Agilent 81100 Family Pulse/Pattern, 5980-1215E
Product Overview

· Agilent 3.3GHz Pulse-/Pattern 5988-5935EN
Generators, Photocard

· Generating/Measuring Jitter with the 5988-9411EN
Agilent 81134A Pulse/Pattern Generator
& 54855A Infiniium Scope, Product Note

· Agilent 81133A/81134A 12 Mbit 5988-9591EN
Extended Pattern Memory, Product Note

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