Picosecond Pulse Labs Announces 5 Picosecond TDR/TDT Module To Enable High Resolution Signal Integrity Measurements

Boulder, Colorado -- Picosecond Pulse Labs, a leading designer and manufacturer of high-speed electronic components and instruments, announces the Model 4020 TDR/TDT Source Enhancement Module. The Model 4020 provides precision pulses with 5 ps risetime to improve the resolution of Time Domain Reflectometry (TDR) and Time Domain Transmission (TDT) signal integrity measurements. This enhanced resolution reveals the details of close-spaced impedance discontinuities that impede high-speed interconnection design performance and harass design engineers.

The Model 4020 is used with existing TDR and TDT measurement systems. It transforms typical TDR/TDT source pulses with risetimes of 30 to 50 ps into 5 ps signals that improve the spatial resolution of TDR analysis by a factor of ten. A TDR/TDT measurement source attaches to the Model 4020 driver unit that in turn launches the high-resolution pulse through a small remote pulse head into the device-under-test (DUT). Different pulse heads are used for TDR and TDT measurements. When used with an Agilent TDR/TDT measurement system, the Model 4020 allows the normalization of the TDT signal to an equivalent 3 ps risetime. This product was demonstrated at DesignCon 2003 in Santa Clara, CA.

The superior high-speed performance of the Model 4020 Source Enhancement Module is a result of the advanced Non-Linear Transmission Line (NLTL) technology under the proprietary control of Picosecond Pulse Labs. Other recent PSPL products are also benefactors of this development program, including 100 GHz samplers, pulse risetime compressors, and sub 10 ps pulse generators.

"The design of high speed serial analog transmission links on copper pairs, computer motherboards, and system backplanes requires enhanced, state-of-the-art testing methods to characterize performance. We are confident that this new TDR/TDT product will provide significant value to these transmission system designers," said Clayton Smith, Picosecond's CTO and Vice-President of Engineering.

About Picosecond Pulse Labs
Picosecond Pulse Labs, Inc., a privately held corporation headquartered in Boulder, CO, is a leading designer and manufacturer of components, modules, and instruments for high-speed analog electronic systems. Founded in 1980 by Dr. James R. Andrews as a spin-off from the National Bureau of Standards (now NIST), Picosecond has a 20-year legacy of innovation in metrology and ultra-broadband design. The company's components provide a unique combination of high reliability and superior performance. Picosecond is ISO 9001 certified.