Oscilloscope Basics & Background

AA PhaseNoise CaptionOften clock jitter induced from the power supply noise, signal routings, or other signals severely degrade the performance of the system. Clock generation and distribution in a FPGA for a high speed analog application is particularly prone to these issues. They manifest themselves in phase noise or clock jitter, which is the random variation of the period of a signal over time. Clearly, optimization of the design requires verification of the integrity of such clocks.

AA PhaseNoise2 introIn the first part of this article a simple phase noise measurement technique with a resolution of 10 ps was explained. There are other techniques, which could enhance the performance of the measurement to sub-picoseconds. That is the subject of this article.

 

 

 

oscilloscope spectrum analyzer functionWhether it is for a land survey searching for minerals on Earth, or for a space exploration in search of alien life forms, the analysis of any signal boils down to looking at its time and frequency information. While an oscilloscope displays a signal with respect to time, a spectrum analyzer shows it with respect to frequency. Both of these tools are very important in any signal analysis application. This article explains the difference between oscilloscope and spectrum analyzer using examples.

Spectrum digitizer as an alternative to an oscilloscopeCan a digitizer be used as an oscilloscope? What is the difference between an oscilloscope and a digitizer? Should I better use a digitizer or an oscilloscope in my next application? These are interesting questions and the best way to start to answer these is the look up the dictionary definition of an oscilloscope: "An electronic instrument used to measure changing electric voltages. It displays the waveforms of electric oscillations on a screen."

  1. 10 Tips for selecting an Oscilloscope
  2. Oscilloscope Probes – Vital Link in the Measurement Chain
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