PCI Express 3.0 Test Suite

• The only test solution capable of supporting all PCI Express 3.0 Compliance test requirements
• Supports Transmitter and Receiver link equalization handshake for both add-in card and systems
• Build-in de-emphasis and pre-shoot generator with compliant link equalization response time specification
• Build-in Sj, Rj, common mode noise and differential mode noise to cover both compliance and base spec testing
• Automated QPHY based testing which includes Sigtest transmitter signal integrity and preset testing, receiver calibration, receiver testing and all Tx/Rx link equalization testing
• Build-in clock multiplier for synchronizing to System clock for Rx testing
• Automated PLL testing for Gen1, Gen2 and Gen3
• Automated 5G de-emphasis testing through L0 state initialization

The Perfect Oscilloscope and Serial Data Analysis Tools for PCI Express 3.0 Testing

Teledyne LeCroy SDA 8 Zi-A Series of oscilloscopes upgraded to include SDAIII-CompleteLinQ is the perfect instruments for performing PCI Express 3.0 compliance measurements. More importantly, these tools are specially designed for debugging compliance failures, allowing the engineers to quickly find the root cause of serial data problems.

Transmitter Compliance Testing

When you add QualiPHY PCI Express 3.0 (QPHY-PCIE3-TX-RX) to the SDA 8 Zi-A oscilloscope, you have the ideal PCI Express 3.0 Compliance Test Instrument.

QPHY-PCIE3-Tx-Rx is an automated compliance test package for PCI Express 3.0 transmitter compliance testing. It provides connection diagrams to ensure the proper setup for the required measurements, automates the oscilloscope for

performing these measurements, and provides a comprehensive report of results including screenshots. QPHY-PCIE3-TX-RX uses all of the powerful oscilloscope features to perform the transmitter compliance tests as described by the PCI Express 3.0 specifications.

Receiver Compliance Testing

The PeRT3 (Protocol-enabled Receiver and Transmitter Tolerance Tester) fills the space between physical layer test and protocol test, providing a new and more intelligent capability for performance testing of receivers and transmitters. The PeRT3 Phoenix is a new addition to the PeRT3 family of products designed to address PCI Express 3.0 test requirements.

In order to meet the increasingly complex designs of today’s serial data receivers, the PeRT3 Phoenix expands the bit rate range up to 8.5 Gb/s and offers new signal stress sources and built-in three tap de-emphasis control to address new serial data standards. At the same time, Phoenix continues to focus on protocol awareness to meet the need to communicate with the Device Under Test (DUT) into proper test modes and train the DUT’s receiver equalization setting prior to performing receiver jitter tolerance testing

Receiver test specifications require calibration of the jitter output sources for the test instrument. When using the PeRT3 in conjunction with an SDA 8 Zi-A oscilloscope, this calibration process can be fully automated through the QPHY-PCIe3-TX-RX software option.

Tools That Bridge Physical Layer and Link Layer

Link equalization as specified in PCI Express 3.0 consists of transmitter equalization through a 3 tap FIR filter and receiver equalization through CTLE and DFE filters. During link equalization training, the 3 tap FIR filter parameters can be recalled by presets or specific cursor values of de-emphasis and preshoot. Then for each setting of TXEQ, the receiver will adjust CTLE and DFE parameters for maximum eye opening. Due to the dynamic nature of the transmission path between endpoint and the root-complex, link equalization training takes place every time a system powers up so a different set of TXEQ and RXEQ value can be selected for different combinations of system boards and add-in cards. The four phases of LTSSM allows for both the root complex and the endpoint to select each other’s ideal TXEQ settings with corresponding RXEQ parameters.

How to test Link Equalization

The PeRT3 Phoenix establishes PCI Express 3.0 connectivity, and can perform transmitter equalization preset negotiation (satisfying preset response timing requirements) while the receiver optimizes the receiver equalization parameters.

Testing PCI Express 3.0 Data Channels with the Teledyne LeCroy SPARQ

Transmitter, receiver, channel and crosstalk measurements can be made with the Teledyne LeCroy SPARQ Signal Integrity Network Analyzer. SPARQs are TDR/TDT-based analyzers that measure S-parameters with a single button press, and at a fraction of the cost of a VNA. Fully calibrated measurements can be made in minutes, and without any need to connect or disconnect cables to calibration kit standards or electronic calibration modules.

Complete Protocol Test Solution

The Summit T3-16 is Teledyne LeCroy’s highest performance PCI Express analyzer, and offers advanced features such as: support for PCI Express 3.0; data rates of 2.5 GT/s, 5 GT/s and 8 GT/s; full data capture on bidirectional lane widths of x1, x2, x4, x8 and x16; and 8 GB of trace memory. The product is ideal for high-performance protocol development for add-in boards, servers and workstations, it has clearly become an essential tool for PCI Express 3.0 development.

SDA 820Zi-A - SDA 8 Zi-A Serial Data Analyzers combine the highest bandwidth (45 GHz) and sample rate (120 GS/s) with superior performance at 20 GHz on all four input channels. Models are available from 4 to 45 GHz with complete bandwidth upgradability throughout the range. SDA 8 Zi-A models combine all the attributes of WaveMaster 8 Zi-A with additional capabilities specifically suited for serial data testing.

QPHY-PCIe3 - Teledyne LeCroy QPHY-PCIe3 Test Solution provides automated control for Teledyne LeCroy oscilloscopes for performing transmitter physical layer tests as described by the PCI Express Base Specification Revision 3.0 and the Card Electromechanical Specification Revision 3.0

Protosync - The ProtoSync option further leverages the supported Teledyne LeCroy decode annotation options (PCIEbus D, USB2bus D, USB3bus D, SASbus D, SATAbus D, and FCbus D) installed on the oscilloscope.

PCIe decoder - The PCIe decode option for Teledyne LeCroy oscilloscopes provides link layer decode information annotated on the PCIe Gen 1.x, 2.0 or 3.0 physical layer waveform. This provides the ability to view protocol traffic on the oscilloscope and verify that the link is alive and transmitting properly.

Phoenix Test System - PeRT3 Phoenix is a new addition to PeRT3 family of products designed to address PCIE Gen3 test requirements. In order to meet the increasingly complex designs of today's serial data receivers, PeRT3 Phoenix expands the bit rate range up to 8.5Gbps and offers new signal stress sources and built-in 3 tap de-emphasis control to address new serial data standards. At the same time, PeRT3 Phoenix continues to focus on protocol awareness to meet the need to communicate with the Device Under Test (DUT) into proper test modes and train the DUT's receiver equalization setting prior to performing receiver jitter tolerance testing.

4-port SPARQ - SPARQ signal integrity network analyzers connect directly to the device under test (DUT) and to PC-based software through a single USB connection for quick, multi-port S-parameter measurements.

Summit T3 - The Summit T3-16 Protocol Analyzer captures, decodes and displays PCIe 3.0 protocol traffic.data rates for x1, x2, x4, x8, x16 lane widths

Summit Z3 - PCI Express Protocol Exerciser supporting 2.5GT/s, 5GT/s and 8GT/s data rates for x1, x2, x4, x8, x16 lane widths