High-Resolution Measurements With R&S Oscilloscopes

The introduction of high-resolution oscilloscopes is the responds to the increased necessity for more in-depth signal analysis in particular in A&D, automotive, medical and power analysis applications where it is often required to view signals with both large and small voltage details. Characterizing Switched Mode Power Supplies (SMPS) is one example. To perform accurate power measurements the oscilloscope must ac-quire the voltage during the off and on times within the same waveform. This requires more dynamic range than the typical 8 bit resolution can provide, since the voltage difference can be several hundreds of volts. Another example is the analysis of amplitude modulated RF signals with a small modulation index, which are found in radar applications.