HOW TO DET ER MINE

Oscilloscope Signal Integrity

Introduction
Signal integrity continues to be a hot topic in the electronics world. Today’s
designs have shrinking margins and increasing data rates; which means
measurements must be more accurate than ever. Every oscilloscope vendor
has some sort of pitch around signal integrity: highest number of ADC
bits, lowest noise floor, fastest sample rate, and the list goes on. While
all these specifications are important, it is critical to understand the entire
measurement system and not base your decision on just one of these
specifications.

Educating yourself on what each of these specifications really means for

your design saves you loads of time and heartache while testing. You’ll know
exactly what you need to be looking for to determine true signal integrity.

The advice and tips outlined in this eBook hold true for any oscilloscope
you use from any vendor. Go ahead and test it out on the oscilloscope you
already own, or better yet, demo multiple scopes and make the comparison
yourself.

The Keysight S-Series oscilloscopes

were designed with signal integrity in
mind. Learn about how you can see a
true representation of your signal with
industry-leading specifications.

Determine Oscilloscope Signal Integrity | 2

Contents
How to Determine
Oscilloscope Signal Integrity

TIP 1 TIP 2 TIP 3 TIP 4

Understand ADC bits ADC ENOB versus More bandwidth is NOT All bandwidth is NOT
and ENOB system ENOB better created equally
Go to Tip 1 > Go to Tip 2 > Go to Tip 3 > Go to Tip 4 >

TIP 5 TIP 6 SUMMARY

Noise floor at different Sample rate and Go to Summary >

offsets Interleave Distortion

Go to Tip 5 > Go to Tip 6 >
 TIP 1

Understand ADC Bits and ENOB

ADC BITS SYSTEM ENOB BANDWIDTH FREQUENCY RESPONSE NOISE FLOOR SAMPLE RATE SUMMARY

Determine Oscilloscope Signal Integrity | 4

TIP 1
Understand ADC Bits and ENOB
The number of ADC bits in an oscilloscope is one of the most talked about
specifications. Because of that, many engineers tend to rely on this as the sole
spec that determines an oscilloscope’s quality. While this is a very important
specification, the number of ADC bits could be irrelevant if the rest of the
oscilloscope isn’t designed properly.

Just as important as the number of ADC bits is the system’s effective number
of bits (system ENOB). System ENOB is the number of bits that are actually
effective while making a measurement. In any oscilloscope, some number of
ADC bits will be useless – they only operate in the noise. Therefore ENOB, not
ADC bits, determines the quality of measurements you are able to make on that
oscilloscope. If the measurement quality is too poor, the results are inaccurate
and non-repeatable, leading to incorrect assumptions in your design.

It’s safe to argue that ENOB is a better indication of signal integrity because it
takes the system error into account.

System ENOB usually isn’t mentioned by oscilloscope vendors because Figure 1. The ENOB of the S-Series DSOS104A 1 GHz real-time oscilloscope from 100 MHz
to 1 GHz hovers around an average of 8 bits, ensuring you always achieve the highest
designing for a high ENOB is not as easy as putting in a high-bit ADC. The front
signal integrity
end and supporting circuitry around the ADC must be designed with a high
degree of quality as well, which is no simple task.

Vendors naturally tend to market the specifications that make them look best. LEARN MORE
So, when you see a high number of ADC bits, it is a good sign, but you need
to make sure you look at the other important components that go into signal Watch this video to learn more about how and
integrity as well. The number of ADC bits is just a small part of the equation. why ADC bits and ENOB are so different and
what this can mean for your measurements.

ADC BITS SYSTEM ENOB BANDWIDTH FREQUENCY RESPONSE NOISE FLOOR SAMPLE RATE SUMMARY

Determine Oscilloscope Signal Integrity | 5

 TIP 2

ADC ENOB vs. System ENOB

ADC BITS SYSTEM ENOB BANDWIDTH FREQUENCY RESPONSE NOISE FLOOR SAMPLE RATE SUMMARY

Determine Oscilloscope Signal Integrity | 6

TIP 2
ADC ENOB vs. System ENOB
If you only know the ENOB basics and simply look for it in the data sheet,
you may not realize there is actually a difference in ENOB specifications as
well. Notice that the previous section talked about the system ENOB. This
terminology is critical as there is a significant difference between system
ENOB and ADC ENOB.

ADC ENOB refers to the effective number of bits in the ADC and only the ADC.
However, an oscilloscope is made of an entire system, not just an ADC. The
ADC ENOB specification is not representative of the number of bits that are
effective in the entire oscilloscope, which is what really matters when you go
to make measurements.

The system ENOB is the number of bits that are effective in seeing the signal on
screen; making measurements; and using analysis features. If this specification
isn’t in the data sheet or the vendor’s documentation, ask for it.

System ENOB can make or break your tests. If

your system ENOB isn’t high enough, you never get
the clarity you need to achieve a stable design.

ADC BITS SYSTEM ENOB BANDWIDTH FREQUENCY RESPONSE NOISE FLOOR SAMPLE RATE SUMMARY

Determine Oscilloscope Signal Integrity | 7

 TIP 3

More Bandwidth is NOT Better

ADC BITS SYSTEM ENOB BANDWIDTH FREQUENCY RESPONSE NOISE FLOOR SAMPLE RATE SUMMARY

Determine Oscilloscope Signal Integrity | 8

TIP 3
More Bandwidth is NOT Better 8 GHz
There is such a thing as too much bandwidth. If your instrument’s bandwidth
is too high, it could alter your measurements. A high bandwidth oscilloscope
will pick up high frequency noise. Use the lowest bandwidth possible while
still having enough to accurately capture your signal. If necessary, limit the
bandwidth with the oscilloscope’s built-in hardware or software filters.

Your system’s ENOB is greatly affected by the amount of noise present. The
more noise, the lower the ENOB.

As an example, Figure 2 shows what a 20 MHz signal looks like when captured
at two different bandwidths. With the appropriate bandwidth of 100 MHz
(bottom), the result is a clean signal. Whereas the 8 GHz bandwidth capture
(top) presents more noise, resulting in a thicker signal and incorrect peak
measurements.
100 MHz

The lesson here is a simple one, yet this is

a commonly unknown fact: The higher the
bandwidth, the lower the ENOB.

LEARN MORE

Blog: What is Bandwidth? How Much Do You Need?

Figure 2. A 20 MHz signal tested at both 8 GHz (top) and 100 MHz (bottom)

ADC BITS SYSTEM ENOB BANDWIDTH FREQUENCY RESPONSE NOISE FLOOR SAMPLE RATE SUMMARY

Determine Oscilloscope Signal Integrity | 9

 TIP 4

All Bandwidth is NOT Created Equally

ADC BITS SYSTEM ENOB BANDWIDTH FREQUENCY RESPONSE NOISE FLOOR SAMPLE RATE SUMMARY

Determine Oscilloscope Signal Integrity | 10

TIP 4
All Bandwidth is NOT
Created Equally
The frequency response of an oscilloscope shows you the truth: not all
bandwidth is created equally.

Figure 3 makes this concept easier to understand. Notice, as you move up in

bandwidth on a Keysight oscilloscope, the frequency response remains flat. This
is because it uses hardware correction filters, which means your signal is barely
attenuated. What is on the screen is true to what is coming out of your device.
This ensures you get accurate measurements across the entire bandwidth
spectrum of the oscilloscope.

On the other hand, some vendors do not use correction filters. This means the
instrument may give higher frequency components a small boost. The boost
happens because your higher frequency signal is being attenuated in order to
fall within the measurable bandwidth range. In the end, this affects the signal Figure 3. Keysight S-Series oscilloscopes’ flat frequency response ensures accuracy
that you see on screen and skews any peak measurements. across the entire bandwidth of the oscilloscope

This throws off all your results and may lead to confusion as you can’t figure out
what’s wrong with the design, when in reality it was just the oscilloscope’s poor
signal integrity all along.
Ask your vendor for the frequency response graph
for the specific bandwidth model you are interested
in. They are rarely shared in a data sheet, but the
information is available and should be provided
if asked for.

ADC BITS SYSTEM ENOB BANDWIDTH FREQUENCY RESPONSE NOISE FLOOR SAMPLE RATE SUMMARY

Determine Oscilloscope Signal Integrity | 11

 TIP 5

Noise Floor at Different Offsets

ADC BITS SYSTEM ENOB BANDWIDTH FREQUENCY RESPONSE NOISE FLOOR SAMPLE RATE SUMMARY

Determine Oscilloscope Signal Integrity | 12

TIP 5
Noise Floor at Different Offsets
This one mind boggles many engineers: Did you know an oscilloscope’s noise
floor changes depending on where the signal sits on the screen?

When a signal is directly in the center of the screen, it is most likely to

experience the ideal, lowest noise floor. However, depending on the quality
of the ADC in your instrument, you could experience different noise levels
at different vertical offsets on the screen. This has to do with the number of
quantization levels that are needed to display at that offset.

This happens with every oscilloscope, and the difference really is just how much
that affects your signal and measurements. The change in noise is very low on
the S-Series, as you can see in Figures 4 and 5, but there are some instruments
from other vendors where this problem is exceptionally bad. Figure 4. Noise at center screen

It is important to analyze the noise floor of your oscilloscope at various points on

the screen to be sure it doesn’t affect your signal.

LEARN MORE

Check out this video for tips on how to measure

your system’s noise floor.

Figure 5. Noise increased on top half of screen

ADC BITS SYSTEM ENOB BANDWIDTH FREQUENCY RESPONSE NOISE FLOOR SAMPLE RATE SUMMARY

Determine Oscilloscope Signal Integrity | 13

 TIP 6

Understand Sample Rate and

Interleave Distortion

ADC BITS SYSTEM ENOB BANDWIDTH FREQUENCY RESPONSE NOISE FLOOR SAMPLE RATE SUMMARY

Determine Oscilloscope Signal Integrity | 14

TIP 6
Understand Sample Rate and
Interleave Distortion
Typically, the higher the sample rate, the more signal detail you see. However,
this depends on exactly how the oscilloscope is achieving that high sample rate.

Some oscilloscopes can reach incredibly high sample rates. To do this, two
or more ADCs must be interleaved, i.e. synchronized with clock phase delays
in a ‘one fires then the other’ pattern. This effectively doubles the maximum
sample rate.

But there’s a catch. With this technique, synchronization between ADCs needs
to be extremely precise. Unfortunately for many oscilloscope users out there, it
is not always done correctly. If the phase delay clocks are not properly aligned,
samples are collected at uneven intervals. This leads to the waveform appearing
distorted once it is reconstructed and shown on screen, such as the waveform
in Figure 6.

Luckily this will not happen with the Keysight S-Series because the ADCs are
properly synchronized, but proper synchronization is important to look for when Figure 6. Distortion will occur in your signal if you have poorly interleaved ADCs.
evaluating oscilloscopes. Some high-end oscilloscopes, like Keysight’s new
UXR-Series, can achieve up to 128 GSa/s without interleaving ADCs, allowing
for the most precise measurements.

LEARN MORE

Application Note: Evaluating Oscilloscope Sample Rates versus Sampling Fidelity

ADC BITS SYSTEM ENOB BANDWIDTH FREQUENCY RESPONSE NOISE FLOOR SAMPLE RATE SUMMARY

Determine Oscilloscope Signal Integrity | 15

Summary
In the end, the most important thing is to stay educated. Understanding what
really matters when it comes to signal integrity allows you to avoid the problems
that arise when you believe common signal integrity misconceptions. It is critical
to know how the entire measurement system functions. If you know what to look
for, you can easily find the truth about every oscilloscope’s performance.

Remember these key lessons as you move forward with your measurements or
in your search for the perfect oscilloscope:

1. Always ask for the system ENOB information to determine overall

measurement quality
2. Remember to look for system ENOB, not just ADC ENOB
3. Decrease noise by only using the bandwidth you really need and nothing
more
4. Ask for frequency response graphs to ensure the oscilloscope’s response
stays flat across the entire bandwidth range
5. Check noise floor at all different offsets on the oscilloscope screen to make
sure it isn’t significantly affecting your measurements
6. Be cautious of extremely high sample rates and incorrectly interleaved
ADCs

LEARN MORE

Application Note: Evaluating Oscilloscope Signal Integrity

ADC BITS SYSTEM ENOB BANDWIDTH FREQUENCY RESPONSE NOISE FLOOR SAMPLE RATE SUMMARY

Determine Oscilloscope Signal Integrity | 16

SEE A TRUE REPRESENTATION OF YOUR SIGNAL
Whether you are debugging your latest design, verifying compliance against an
industry standard, or decoding a serial bus, it is critical that your oscilloscope
displays a true representation of your signal. This requires world-class signal
integrity and Infiniium S-Series oscilloscopes were designed with that in mind.
The superior time base, front-end, and ADC technology blocks provides a
platform with extremely low noise, low jitter, and high effective number of bits,
giving you visibility into the true performance of your device.

Check out more details on the S-Series’ signal integrity and

measurement performance.

Need more bandwidth and even better performance? Check out these higher
bandwidth oscilloscopes:

• V-Series (8 GHz to 33 GHz)

• Z-Series (20 GHz to 63 GHz)
• UXR-Series (13 GHz to 110 GHz)
 Information is subject to change without notice. | 5992-3660EN © Keysight Technologies, 2019 Published in USA, February 27, 2019 | keysight.com
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